SAN ANTONIO – UTSA dropped its first Conference USA action of the season on Thursday evening, falling to last year's regular season North Texas, 78-54, at the Convocation Center.
UTSA (6-6, 0-1 C-USA) was unable to stave off a second-half Mean Green scoring run as a 17-0 spurt by UNT changed the momentum of the game. After going into half down 11, UTSA rallied within three before North Texas (10-2, 1-0 C-USA) rattled off its scoring run to pull away with the game. The Mean Green offense was spearheaded by big man Abou Ousmane who went for a career-high 37 points and 11 rebounds.
The Roadrunners were led by fourth-year stalwart Jacob Germany who recorded his third double-double of the season, pouring in 11 points and pulling down 12 rebounds. Japhet Medor had a team-high 12 points in his first taste of Conference USA play as the JUCO newcomer played a team-high 36 minutes and also had four assists. Fellow newcomer John Buggs III was the third Roadrunner who scored in double figures, scoring 10 points to go along with two boards and three assists. Both Buggs and two-time C-USA Freshman of the week knocked down a pair of threes in today's contest, continuing their respective streaks of having a triple in each game this season.
The Rundown
After about a minute of scoreless play, North Texas knocked down the first field goal of the game, a Tylor Perry three, and never looked back as the Mean Green didn't trail for the entirety of the contest. By the under-12 timeout, UTSA found itself down 17-6. UTSA chipped away at the lead thanks to some Medor free throws and a fast break layup as well as a Buggs three-pointer. Eventually, the Roadrunners got within five points only to see UNT counter with a run of its own, eventually going into the half up by 11. At the half, North Texas's Ousmane had a game-high 20 points on 8-10 shooting. UTSA was held to just 32.1% shooting in the first half. And was without star freshman DJ Richards for most as he had three early fouls. Germany had eight points and seven rebounds at the break to lead the Roadrunners.
The Roadrunners came out strong in the second half, clawing all the way back to within one of the Mean Green, trailing 43-42 at the 12:46 mark. From there on though, it was all North Texas. After UTSA cut what was an 11-point lead to one, UNT countered with a pivotal 17-0 run to reclaim momentum and put the game out of reach as they would go on to win by 24. Ousmane finished with a career-high 37 points and 11 boards in a double-double performance that powered North Texas. Germany had a double-double of his own but it wasn't enough to solve the UNT defense.
Stat of the Game
The North Texas defense lived up to the billing, as it held UTSA to just 33% shooting from the floor as the Mean Green shot 50% on the evening. The stingy defense mixed with the slowed-down pace of play that UNT plays with helped lead the Mean Green to victory.
Up Next
Following its conference opener against UNT, UTSA will hit the road for the first part of a two-game road trip as it heads to Ruston, La. to face off with the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs on December 29. Next Thursday's game is scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
- UTSA -
