The North Texas Mean Green and Western Kentucky Hilltoppers faced off in a closely contested men’s basketball game on Tuesday night, with the Mean Green coming out on top 70-66. Both teams played strong defense, with North Texas forcing 13 turnovers and Western Kentucky recording 6 steals. The Hilltoppers also had a strong showing on the boards, grabbing 7 offensive rebounds and 19 defensive rebounds.
Tylor Perry led the way for the North Texas team with 22 points and 4 assists. Aaron Scott contributed 11 points and 3 assists, while Kai Huntsberry and Rubin Jones each added 9 points. Abou Ousmane led the team in rebounds with 6, and Rubin Jones had a team-high 2 steals. For the Western Kentucky team, Dayvion McKnight had a game-high 29 points and 5 rebounds. Jairus Hamilton added 16 points and 5 rebounds, and Dontaie Allen had 8 points. Jamarion Sharp led the team in blocks with 4, and Dayvion McKnight had a team-high 2 steals.
Offensively, the Mean Green had a solid shooting performance, making 23 of 55 field goals for a 41.8% shooting percentage. They also had a strong showing from beyond the arc, hitting 11 of 26 3-point attempts for a 42.3% 3-point percentage. The Hilltoppers struggled a bit more offensively, shooting 38.8% from the field and 21.4% from 3-point range. However, they made up for it at the free throw line, hitting 25 of 30 attempts for an 83.3% free throw percentage.
In the end, it was the Mean Green’s strong second half performance that helped them secure the victory. They outscored the Hilltoppers 38-42 in the econd half and were able to hold on for the win despite a late surge from Western Kentucky. The Mean Green will look to build on this victory as they face off against Old Dominion on Saturday, while the Hilltoppers will look to bounce back when they take on Florida Atlantic on the same day.
