Johnny Jones doesn't like the word "slump, especially when it comes to talking about his guards.
Ask North Texas head coach and he will say that good shooters need to keep on shooting, even if the shots are not falling.
UNT took that approach on Tuesday when in-state rival Rice came to the Super Pit and saw it pay off in a 68-65 win.
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Johnny Jones doesnt like the word "slump, especially when it comes to talking about his guards.
Ask North Texas head coach and he will say that good shooters need to keep on shooting, even if the shots are not falling.
CreateControl("/sharedcontent/dws/pt/slideshows/2010/11/unt_knocks_off_rice/embed/small_gallery.swf?xmlpath=/sharedcontent/dws/pt/slideshows/2010/11/unt_knocks_off_rice/embed/embed.xml") UNT took that approach on Tuesday when in-state rival Rice came to the Super Pit and saw it pay off in a 68-65 win. UNT missed all eight of its three-point attempts in the first half and saw its drought from behind the arc reach 24 shots over the course of its last two games before Tristan Thompson finally made one that helped spark a second-half comeback.
"I never make a big deal out of it one way or another, Jones said. "When we are shooting well, I dont talk about it and when it isnt going down I dont say anything to them because its shooting, Jones said. "I dont want them to be conscious of it. When you put the time and effort in, it will happen. The greatest guys who have ever played have times when they dont go in. I dont like to use the word slump.
It was hard not to mention that term after UNT continued to struggle offensively early against Rice (3-2) and saw its three-point skid continue after an 0-for-12 outing in a loss to Kansas on Friday.
UNT (3-1) had five players combine to miss eight shots from behind the arc in the first half and trailed 34-25 after Rice forward Lucas Kuipers hit a 3-pointer early in the second half.
Thompson went to work a short time later. He hit UNTs first 3-pointer in a game and a half, hit a jumper, and then another two shots from behind the arc to score all of the Mean Greens points in an 11-2 run.
UNT played much better the rest of the way offensively behind Thompson, who scored a game-high 26 points and led the Mean Green to its fourth straight win over Rice.
"Once you see the first one go through the basket, you start feeling better, Thompson said. "I saw that first one go and the confidence started coming. I started stepping into my shot and made a couple more after that. The rest of the team stepped up after that. Thats what its all about.
Thompson went 3-for-8 from behind the arc and made all three of UNTs 3-point attempts on a night the Mean Green had to grind its way to a win. George Odufuwa finished with a double-double with 11 points and 16 rebounds and was the only other player to score in double figures for UNT.
Several other players contributed down the stretch in a tight game. Rice led 59-54 with 3:46 left before a full-court press UNT put on late started to take effect.
UNT held Rice to six points the rest of the way while making several clutch shots. Thompson made three free throws and Kedrick Hogans hit a twisting layup with 32 seconds left to put UNT up 64-61.
Rice guard Tamir Jackson hit a pair of jumpers in the final 30 seconds, but UNT guard Shan-non Shorter answered with a pair of free throws each time.
"I was going to the ball to try and make sure we got the ball in bounds, Shorter said. "They denied Josh [White] and denied Tristan. I was the free man.
Shorters clutch free throws at the end iced the game after Thompson led UNT out of its shooting slump from deep.
"Tristan and I talked, Shorter said. "I told him to keep shooting it. You make some, you miss some. He told me the same thing. He got one to fall finally. That was a big boost.
Briefly.
Odufuwa went down hard underneath the basket, but returned to finish the game. . UNT and Rice have played five straight games that have been decided by three or fewer points. . White handed out two assists and moved into seventh place on UNTs career leaders list with 250. . Thompson has scored in double figures in 28 of his last 29 games and moved into 15th place on UNTs career leader list with 1,112 points.
BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com .
North Texas 68, Rice 65
RICE (3-2) Kazemi 5-11 1-2 11, Kuipers 5-10 0-0 13, Stanton 1-6 0-0 2, Jackson 6-14 2-2 15, Frizzelle 3-13 2-2 9, Abraham 0-1 0-0 0, Schwarze 0-1 0-0 0, Braimoh 4-5 1-2 9, Beasley 0-0 0-0 0, Pflieger 2-5 0-0 6. Totals 26-66 6-8 65.
NORTH TEXAS (3-1) Odufuwa 4-6 3-4 11, Hogans 4-9 0-0 8, White 2-9 0-0 4, Thompson 8-18 7-8 26, Shorter 1-5 6-6 8, Johnson 1-4 3-4 5, Knox 0-0 0-0 0, Holmen 2-5 1-2 5, Edwards 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 22-56 21-26 68.
Halftime Rice 31-25. 3-point goals Rice 7-17 (Kuipers 3-5, Stanton 0-1, Jackson 1-3, Frizzelle 1-3, Pflieger 2-5), UNT 3-19 (White 0-4, Thompson 3-8, Shorter 0-3, Johnson 0-3, Holmen 0-1). Fouled out Kuipers . Rebounds Rice 37 (Kazemi 12), UNT 41 (Odufuwa 16). Assists Rice 9 (Frizzelle 4), UNT 9 (Johnson 5). Total fouls Rice 21, UNT 15. A 3,453.