After early shooting struggles, North Texas hit 65 percent of their shots in the second half and secured a 65-51 win over the University of North Carolina-Charlotte 49ers Thursday night.
Junior guard Tylor Perry led North Texas (12-4, 5-1 Conference USA), tying his career-high in 3-pointers with five on the night. Perry led the team with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting.
Head coach Grant McCasland said Perry’s shooting revealed a lot about the team’s confidence in the junior.
“When the rhythm of the game gets going in our favor, he’s capable of closing games,” McCasland said. “You can keep the ball in his hands and he can make plays when it matters in big games.”
The first half scoring total of 22 points was the lowest first-half total of the season for the Mean Green, as they held a slim two-point lead over Charlotte (9-7, 2-2 C-USA) at the break.
“Once we made some threes early, we kind of fell in love with shooting perimeter shots and didn’t put enough pressure on the rim,” McCasland said.
North Texas transformed their offense in the second half, attacking the paint more prominently.
The Mean Green finished with 24 points in the paint, with 18 of those coming in the second half.
Sophomore forward Abou Ousmane struggled in the first half, largely due to being double-teamed, but improved later in the game, scoring 11 points in the second half.
“We knew going into the game that they like to double team the post,” Senior guard Mardrez McBride said. “He knew that he had to stay composed and the game would eventually open up for him in the second half.”
North Texas has now won four games in a row, and nine of their last 10 games. The Mean Green will face off against the Old Dominion Monarchs Saturday night at home.
Featured image: Junior guard Tylor Perry dribbles the ball past Charlotte defenders at the UNT Super Pit on Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. Photo by Maria Crane.