DENTON, Texas – Jaylin Hunter scored 20 points, while Austin Trice added 14 and eight rebounds as Old Dominion fell to North Texas 69-56 on Saturday afternoon in Conference USA action.
The Monarchs, who trailed at one time 34-12 with 5:58 left in the first half, were down at intermission 40-21 as the Mean Green hit 15-of-20 from the floor (75%) and 6-of-9 from 3-point land (66.7%).
ODU started the second half on a 10-2 run to trim the deficit to 42-31 with 17:10 left on a driving layup by Hunter. The Mean Green pushed the advantage back to 17 at 48-31 following a Mardrez McBride 3-pointer with 14:17 left.
The Monarchs responded to that run with a 10-0 run of their own to trim the deficit to 48-41 as Trice hit a pair of free throws with 9:05 left. That was as close as ODU got as the Mean Green scored the next nine points to lead 57-41 following a 3-pointer by Rubin Jones.
"North Texas came out and really attacked us and hit some big shots. We challenged them at halftime to attack with a different level of intensity, and credit to the guys they did," said ODU Head Coach Jeff Jones.
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ODU outrebounded North Texas 29-27 and finished the night hitting 23-of-52 from the field (48.1%).
The Monarchs will now head to Charlotte for the first of two games with the 49ers next week starting with a makeup contest on Wednesday, Jan. 26.
Men's Basketball Falls To Red Hot Mean Green On Road
