Men's basketball: Rolling along

[GreenBat]

Men's basketball: Rolling along

Mean Green win Sun Belt opener

09:11 AM CST on Sunday, January 9, 2005

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The situation was not exactly what North Texas men’s basketball coach Johnny Jones would have desired Saturday night when the Mean Green took on New Mexico State.

The outcome was a different story.

Leonard Hopkins scored a game-high 24 points while Calvin Watson added 23 to lead UNT to a historic 79-69 win over the Aggies in both teams’ Sun Belt Conference opener at the Pan American Center. UNT (8-4, 1-0) had not won on NMSU’s home floor since Feb. 14, 1974.

"It’s a huge win for us," Jones said. "It’s our first conference game on the road against a team that we felt was going to come out and play very hard. I am proud of our team because we were poised and patient."

NMSU (4-9, 0-1) challenged UNT on what was supposed to be a special night for the Aggie basketball program that instead turned into a tough situation.

Legendary coach Lou Henson was scheduled to return to the bench after battling viral encephalitis, but came down with pneumonia on Thursday and was unable to coach. He was released from the hospital on Saturday morning.

"We wish coach Henson and his family the best, and we will keep them in our prayers," Watson said. "I know their team wanted to win and get the victory for him. They played hard. Luckily we were able to come away with the win."

UNT picked up the victory thanks to some key plays down the stretch. NMSU hung with the Mean Green throughout the game and trailed 69-66 with 3:02 left in the game.

Junior guard Isaac Hines helped give UNT momentum when he forced a five-second call on NMSU point guard Josh Jenkins, who led the Aggies with 21 points.

Hopkins scored on a short jump shot on the ensuing possession and then jumped in a passing lane to steal a Jenkins pass. Hopkins drew a foul on the other end of the floor and hit two free throws with 1:40 left to give UNT a 73-66 lead and ice the game for the Mean Green.

The Mean Green led most of the way, but were never able to put away NMSU.

"It was tough, but we kept our focus and kept running our offense," Watson said.

UNT’s steady offensive play helped the Mean Green jump out to a four-point advantage after the first half when their lead grew to as many as nine points.

Hopkins and Watson each scored 11 points before intermission for UNT. Both teams shot 12-of-29 from the field, but UNT made all seven of its free throws and also started out 4-of-8 from 3-point range.

The Mean Green appeared as if they would take control of the game when Watson scored the first six points of the second half to give them a 41-31 lead that was their largest of the game at that point.

Unfortunately for UNT, the lead didn’t last in the face of a quick 10-0 run by NMSU to tie the game at 41.

The Aggies remained in striking distance for the rest of the game, but could never overcome UNT, which made a few critical plays late to grab a key win and extend its quick start to the season.

The Mean Green are off to their best start since the 1994-95 campaign.

"This was very important for us," Hopkins said. "This was our first conference game and we wanted to stop our losing streak here."

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870.

N. Texas 79, New Mexico St. 69

N. TEXAS (8-4) — Williams 1-3 0-0 2, Jones 1-2 2-2 4, Hopkins 9-17 5-6 24, Hines 2-5 0-1 5, Watson 6-9 9-9 23, Harris 2-4 0-1 4, Mitchell 0-1 0-0 0, Sturns 1-4 1-2 3, Thomas 2-5 4-4 8, Simpson 3-7 0-1 6.

New Mexico St. (4-9)— Jones 1-6 2-2 4, Lawrence 2-11 3-6 7, Mitchell 6-13 0-0 14, Davis 0-2 3-4 3, Jenkins 6-10 4-4 21, John 5-13 2-5 13, Haynes 1-1 0-0 3, Alexander 2-7 0-0 4, Funston 0-1 0-0 0.

Halftime — N. Texas 35, New Mexico St. 31. 3-Point goals—N. Texas 4-10 (Watson 2-3, Hines 1-3, Hopkins 1-3, Jones 0-1), New Mexico St. 9-19 (Jenkins 5-7, Mitchell 2-7, John 1-2, Haynes 1-1, Funston 0-1, Davis 0-1). Fouled out—Alexander. Rebounds—N. Texas 40 (Hopkins 7), New Mexico St. 39 (Jones 9, Lawrence 9). Assists—N. Texas 7 (Hines 4), New Mexico St. 14 (Jenkins 4). Total fouls—N. Texas 19, New Mexico St. 17. A—04,252.