Denton Record Chronicle | News for Denton County, Texas

03/01/2010

Men's basketball: UNT will play Sunday night in Sun Belt tourney
The North Texas men’s basketball team will face the winner of a game between Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Conference tournament at 8:45 p.m. on Sunday at Summit Arena in Hot Springs, Ark.

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Track & field: Talley breaks marks for Mean Green
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — North Texas achieved something it has never done before when the men’s track and field team finished second at the Sun Belt Conference Indoor Champion-ships on Sunday.

Softball: UNT splits tourney games
SAN ANTONIO — Jennifer Smith picked up her second win of the season and knocked in two runs in North Texas’ 7-2 win against UC Riverside on Sunday at Roadrunner Field.

Golf: Long leads Mean Green
CORPUS CHRISTI — Led by sophomore Addison Long’s 4-over par 76, the Mean Green women’s golf team sits in a tie with Missouri-Kansas City for fourth place after the first day of the Islander Classic.

02/27/2010

Basketball: UNT men wins Sun Belt West title
MONROE, La. – Josh White emerged from the North Texas locker room with a towel in his hand, trying to wipe away the sweat following another hard-fought win, a smile spread across his face. The shouting going inside echoed in the hall a few feet away, where White and head coach Johnny Jones locked in a tight embrace. It was celebration time for the Mean Green following a 74-71 win over Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

Basketball: UNT women misses opportunity in loss
MONROE, La. – North Texas had an opportunity to build some momentum for the Sun Belt Conference tournament in its regular season finale. The Mean Green knocked off Louisiana-Lafayette in its last game and faced one of the few teams behind it in the league standings in Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday.

02/26/2010

Basketball: UNT looks to claim SBC title
There have been a few bumps along the way — not to mention some unexpected twists and turns — for North Texas. The bottom line is this, though: The Mean Green already has wrapped up at least a share of the Sun Belt Conference’s West Division title heading into today’s regular-season finale at Louisiana-Monroe. A win against the Warhawks would give the Mean Green the division championship outright.

Track: Former Sooner shines for UNT
There was a time not too long ago when Missy Barnes would get lost in the crowd on her own team. Barnes was a top college recruit and spent the first two seasons of her career at Oklahoma, where she posted some impressive times. They just weren’t good enough to help her advance to the finals as often as she would like at loaded Big 12 Conference meets.

Men's basketball: With authority

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University of North Texas’ George Odufuwa (4) slams down an offensive rebound as Eric Tramiel, right, and University of Louisiana-Lafayette’s Colby Batiste (0) look on Thursday at the Super Pit.

North Texas exited the Super Pit for the final time this season in style. Josh White and George Odufuwa made a series of big plays down the stretch, Tristan Thompson posted another big game and the Mean Green put together one of its best second-half performances of the season. It all added up to a 65-57 win over Louisiana-Lafayette for UNT, which has now won 20 games in four straight seasons for the first time in school history. The Mean Green will head into the final game of the regular season on Saturday at Louisiana-Monroe with a chance to wrap up the Sun Belt Conference West Division title with a win.

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02/25/2010

Men's basketball: UNT starting five now big-time unit
North Texas is on the verge of history heading into the final two games of the regular season, a stretch that will begin with a key home game against Louisiana-Lafayette tonight. A win today and Saturday at Louisiana-Monroe will give UNT its first outright Sun Belt Conference West Division title. Win either of those games and the Mean Green will win at least 20 games for a fourth straight season. There have been plenty of reasons for UNT’s success, from a host of bench players who have thrived when thrust into larger roles to the base provided by longtime head coach Johnny Jones.

Women's basketball: UNT women win on senior night
North Texas left home on a positive note and improved its postseason prospects in the process on Wednesday after knocking off Louisiana-Lafayette 90-67 at the Super Pit.

02/24/2010

UNT notebook: UNT eyes seventh straight victory
North Texas has never been on a roll quite like the one it is in the midst of heading into a key game against Louisiana-Lafayette on Thursday — at least not in the Johnny Jones era.

02/23/2010

Golf: Fallon wins individual tile, UNT ends tourney drought
NEW BRAUNFELS — The North Texas men’s golf team ended a five-year drought on Monday. NEW BRAUNFELS — The North Texas men’s golf team ended a five-year drought on Monday. Led by senior Peter Fallon, the Mean Green captured the J. L. Lewis Intercollegiate title with a two-round score of 585 to win by seven strokes over 42nd ranked Rice.

02/21/2010

Women's basketball: UNT women fall to UALR
If everything had gone according to plan, North Texas head coach Shanice Stephens would be talking about a series of key wins late in her second season with the Mean Green.

02/22/2010

Tennis: North Texas splits pair of matches against SBC rivals
North Texas notched its first Sun Belt Conference victory of the season on Sunday afternoon, defeating South Alabama 7-0 at the Lubel Memorial Courts.

02/20/2010

Basketball: Jones signs two-year extension
North Texas head coach Johnny Jones signed a two-year contract extension through the 2014-15 season Saturday. Jones’ base salary will jump from $170,000 to $200,000 a year on Sept. 1, 2010, when he will also make an additional $6,200 from increases in his car allowance and payments for a radio show. A $100,000 contact completion payment that was to be paid to Jones at the end of his old contract on May 31, 2012, has been restructured and distributed through the end of the term of his new deal. Jones will now receive a total of $150,000 in season completion payments ranging from $10,000 to $65,000 in five of the six seasons during the term of the new deal. The first of those payments will be a $10,000 bonus at the end of this season.

Basketball: UNT men top UALR
With the situation North Texas faced heading into its game against Arkansas-Little Rock on Saturday, it would have been easy for the Mean Green to get caught up in a game of “what-if.” The Mean Green was one of five teams tied atop the Sun Belt Conference standings at the beginning of the day, and all of them were set to play after UNT finished off its afternoon affair at the Super Pit.

Basketball: UNT women to face stiff challenge
North Texas head coach Shanice Stephens left no doubt. UNT is going to face one of its biggest challenges of the season today when it hosts Arkansas-Little Rock. The Trojans (21-5, 14-1) have already captured the Sun Belt Conference West Division title, feature one of the top players in the league in Chastity Reed and are receiving votes in the national Top 25 poll. “This is going to be a big challenge,” Stephens said. “They are leading our division and are really talented.”

02/19/2010

Softball: UNT set to host tourney
If everything had gone according to plan, North Texas head coach T.J. Hubbard would already know a whole lot about his team heading into the Sleep Inn Classic this weekend. UNT was scheduled to open the season at Mississippi Valley State and then play in a tournament at Mississippi State. Rain caused the cancellation of the Mean Green’s first four games of the season, leaving UNT a whole lot of questions to answer heading into its annual home tournament. UNT will face Drake and Arkansas at 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively, today to begin the three-day event. Colorado State, Missouri State, Buffalo and Sam Houston State comprise the rest of the tournament field.

Swimming: Pope sets SBC record as Mean Green expands lead
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — North Texas Swimming & Diving retained its lead after Day 2 of the Sun Belt Swimming & Diving Championships at the Centennial SportsPlex on Thursday night.

02/17/2010

Men's basketball: UNT's Thomas leaves team
Richard Thomas has left the North Texas men’s basketball team and is expected to transfer at the end of the school year. Thomas played in 21 games and started 12 in his only season with the Mean Green before falling out of favor late in the year. He did not play in four of UNT’s last eight games. The former Garden City (Kan.) Community College standout averaged 5.3 points and 2.1 rebounds a game at UNT. UNT head coach Johnny Jones said Thomas wants to transfer to be closer to his home in Rosedale, New York.

02/18/2010

Softball: UNT splits doubleheader with SFA
NACOGDOCHES — The North Texas softball team won its season opener, defeating Stephen F. Austin, 7-0, on Wednesday afternoon at SFA Softball Field but lost the nightcap when Briana Bishop hit a walk-off three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to give the Ladyjacks a 5-2.

Tennis: Mean Green shoots down TexAnns
North Texas had no problem beating Tarleton State 6-0 on Wednesday afternoon at the Waranch Tennis Complex.

Swimming: UNT women shine on day one of SBC meet
NASHVILLE – Led by second place finishes in the 200-yard medley relay, 800-free relay and three-meter diving, North Texas grabbed the early lead in the women’s competition on the first day of the 2010 Sun Belt Conference Swimming and Diving Championship.On the men’s side, Western Kentucky University holds a slim two-point lead over the University of Denver.

02/17/2010

Golf: Thompson leads UNT to fifth-place finish
SAN ANTONIO — Dustin Thompson fired a career-low round of 67 in the final round of the UTSA Oak Hills Invitational to lead North Texas to a fifth-place finish on Tuesday.

02/16/2010

UNT notebook: George leaves UNT to return to Carroll
Clayton George, one of the original members of Todd Dodge’s staff at North Texas, is leaving the school to take over as the offensive coordinator at Southlake Carroll.

Men's basketball: UNT explodes offensively in win
HOUSTON — Josh White piled up 28 points and George Odufuwa added a double-double as North Texas ran away from Houston Baptist, 107-87, for its fifth consecutive win.

Golf: North Texas sits in sixth place at UTSA Oak Hills Invitational
North Texas fired a second round score of 289 and sits just six shots off the lead after the first two rounds of UTSA Oak Hills Invitational.

02/15/2010

Men's basketball: UNT to face Houston Baptist in final nonconference tilt
The North Texas men’s basketball team will play a rare late-season nonconference game on the road today when the Mean Green takes on Houston Baptist.

Golf: Mean Green men to open season today in San Antonio
The North Texas men’s golf team will begin its spring season today at the UTSA Oak Hills Invitational in San Antonio.

02/14/2010

Men's basketball: UNT guard keys late run in win
When North Texas needed a key play or two down the stretch in its game against Denver on Saturday, it simply did what it has done all season. The Mean Green turned to Josh White. The junior guard is maybe the biggest reason UNT came into the night having finished off just about every close game it has been in.

Women's basketball: Pioneers trump UNT
There have been times this season when North Texas appears to be headed in the right direction. They just don’t last very long.

02/12/2010

Basketball: UNT men rolling at the right time
Josh White may have summed up North Texas’ season best on Thursday night. “It’s all about winning at the right time,” said White, a junior guard, following a 68-46 thrashing of New Orleans. The Mean Green has been doing just that over the last few weeks, a trend it will look to continue today in the second half of a doubleheader against Denver that will begin with the women’s game at 5 p.m.

02/11/2010

Men's basketball: Mean Green crushes UNO to end series

Eric Tramiel

NEW ORLEANS -- There were plenty of thrillers in the history of North Texas series against New Orleans, from the Privateers’ double-overtime win in the 2004 Sun Belt Conference tournament to the Mean Green’s two-point victory in the final game of the 2007-08 season. To say the finale of the teams’ series on Thursday failed to live up to that history might be a bit of an understatement. UNT came into the night on a roll and flattened the Privateers 68-46 in front of a crowd of 341 at Lakefront Arena, where UNO is playing out its last season as a member of the Sun Belt.

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02/10/2010

Men's basketball: Sneaky good

DRC/David Minton

CAPTIONHERE

Collin Mangrum pondered the question for a moment last week after taking some extra shots following practice. The junior has played with Tristan Thompson for three years and seen him develop into one of the better players in recent North Texas history without anyone realizing what he has accomplished. Thompson’s plight can be attributed in part to playing alongside fellow junior guard Josh White and senior forward Eric Tramiel, two of the best players to suit up for UNT the last five years.

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Softball: Mean Green open season today
Watching was the toughest part of what Mallory Cantler had to do last season at North Texas. The Mean Green’s first baseman was thriving and UNT was well on its way to posting the first winning season in school history when Cantler was plunked on the arm by a pitch in a game against Baylor. The ball snapped a bone in Cantler’s arm, an injury that helped break UNT, which will enter the 2010 season today looking to bounce back from a disappointing finish behind what could be its best team ever.

02/11/2010

North Texas hires Jones to head up advancement
North Texas has hired Cooper Jones as its new associate athletic director for advancement, athletic director Rick Villarreal said Wednesday.

Bataille was a strong supporter of UNT athletic program
The University of North Texas reached several milestones in athletics the last few years from breaking ground on a new football stadium to advancing to the NCAA Tournament in men’s basketball for the first time since 1988.

02/10/2010

UNT notebook: Extension on table for Jones
The North Texas board of regents will consider a two-year contract extension for men’s basketball coach Johnny Jones at its meetings this week. Jones signed a five-year deal in May of 2007 that pays him a base salary of $170,000 after leading the Mean Green to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1988. His total compensation -- which includes yearly raises, payments for a radio show and maintaining NCAA Division I status in the Sun Belt Conference -- is $288,420 for the current season before incentives. Details of what is in the new contract were not available, but the deal would extend Jones’ deal with UNT through the 2014-15 season.

02/06/2010

Men's basketball: UNT rallies past FIU
MIAMI -- Alzee Williams usually doesn’t get a lot of attention or playing time with all the star players in North Texas’ backcourt. His contributions often don’t show up in the box score. That doesn’t mean they go unnoticed, though. That was the case on Saturday during UNT’s 68-66 win over Florida International at U.S. Century Bank Arena.

Women's basketball: Late collapse sinks UNT
MIAMI -- North Texas and Florida International were headed in opposite directions heading into their game Saturday. After a season of searching, the Golden Panthers had found their form, while UNT was still struggling to pull out of a late-season slump. Those trends continued in FIU’s 72-55 win over UNT at U.S. Century Bank Arena.

Basketball: UNT men look to continue surge
MIAMI -- There was a time not too long ago when it appeared as if North Texas’ season was coming apart at the seams. Eric Tramiel was nursing a wrist injury, a couple of key backups were suspended for a game, and the Mean Green was still trying to recover from losing back-to-back games to key Sun Belt West Division rivals Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette. Times have definitely changed heading into UNT’s game against Florida International today that will cap a doubleheader beginning with the women’s game at 11 a.m.

02/04/2010

Men's basketball: Familiar form

DRC/David Minton

North Texas forward Eric Tramiel, left, goes up for a dunk as Florida Atlantic University’s Sanchez Hughley defends during the Mean Green’s victory over the Owls on Thursday at The Super Pit.

Eric Tramiel isn’t the type to yell after throwing down a monstrous dunk. His North Texas teammate Shannon Shorter took care of that for him after he let out a whole lot of pent up frustration in an 86-69 thrashing of Florida Atlantic on Thursday at the Super Pit. Tramiel powered to the rim late in the first half and dunked over Sanchez Hughley to highlight possibly Mean Green’s most impressive performance of the season, one that was particularly rewarding for its senior forward.

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02/05/2010

Volleyball: UNT hires assistant coach
UNT volleyball coach Ken Murczek has announced the hiring of Keith Schunzel to the coaching staff. Much like Murczek, the former Indiana and Valparaiso assistant brings a pedigree of winning volleyball as both a coach and player.

02/04/2010

Football: UNT's signing class could make immediate impact

DRC/David Minton

North Texas head coach Todd Dodge announces his 2010 recruiting class on Wednesday at the Mean Green Athletic Center.

North Texas head coach Todd Dodge is facing a monumental challenge heading into his fourth season with the Mean Green, when he will be under pressure to turn the corner after a series of tough campaigns. Dodge felt a whole lot better about the Mean Green’s prospects to break through Wednesday after UNT announced its 2010 signing class.

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Football: UNT plans to expand use of tight ends next season
North Texas has committed over the last two seasons to making the tight end a more prominent part of its offense. What transpired on national signing day was an indication that process will continue in spring practice in addition to next season. UNT signed tight end Jamize Olawale out of El Camino (Calif.) Community College, just one season after signing Austin Fitzpatrick out of Friendswood. Both will compete for playing time with Draylen Ross, who is moving from defensive tackle back to tight end.

Men's basketball: UNT looks to slow down Owls
There might not be a hotter team in the Sun Belt Confer-ence heading into the stretch run of the season than Florida Atlantic.

Women's basketball: Owls pull away from Mean Green
Despite five players scoring in double digits, North Texas was unable to slow down Lyrell Barfield and Florida Atlantic, falling 94-76 on Wednesday at the Super Pit.

Tennis: UNT hangs tough but falls to Oklahoma
NORMAN, Okla. — North Texas dropped a 7-0 decision to the Oklahoma Sooners on Wednesday at the Gregg Wadley Indoor Tennis Pavilion.

Soccer: Guyer's Hodges signs with UNT
Guyer midfielder Kelsey Hodges is probably the most decorated player in the brief history of the Wildcats’ program. Hodges will have a chance to continue making a name for herself in Denton as she signed to play for North Texas on Wednesday. Guyer girls coach Marc Cox said Hodges is either No. 1 or No. 2 in every statistical category in his program’s history and has scored 48 goals as a four-year starter.

02/03/2010

Football: Dunham fulfills dream to play for UNT
Blake Dunham’s first memory of the University of North Texas was sitting in the press box as a child with his father George Dunham, who also happens to be UNT’s play-by-play radio voice.

UNT notebook: UNT to unveil signing class
North Texas will get a glimpse of its future today. The Mean Green’s coaching staff has spent the last several months putting together its 2010 recruiting class and will reveal the players who signed their national letters of intent with UNT at a 1 p.m. ceremony at the Mean Green Athletic Center.

01/31/2010

Football: CB Ford commits to UNT
One of the key aspects of North Texas’ recruiting pitch to Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College cornerback Steven Ford was the opportunity to come in and make an immediate impact by giving the Mean Green’s defense some options it hasn’t had the last few years. “The coaches told me they were looking for a cover corner they can leave on an island, so that they can blitz and do a lot more things with their defense,” Ford said. “That’s why I accepted their scholarship. I can fill that role.” Ford (6-0, 185) committed to UNT after a visit last week and will transfer from Fort Scott in time for summer school.

02/01/2010

Tennis: North Texas powers to easy win over UTSA
IRVING — After moving its match against UT-San Antonio indoors on Sunday, North Texas had no trouble adjusting as the Mean Green powered to a7-0 win at Las Colinas Country Club.

01/31/2010

Basketball: Late rally comes up short for UNT men
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- North Texas made it through the first half of perhaps the toughest road trip in the Sun Belt Conference unscathed earlier in the week when it knocked off Western Kentucky. Completing the sweep at Middle Tennessee proved to be more than the Mean Green could handle. UNT struggled through one of its toughest nights of the season offensively and couldn’t complete a second-half comeback in a 69-64 loss on Saturday at the Murphy Center. The Mean Green went on a 9-2 run in the final three minutes, pulled to within two on a Shannon Shorter 3-pointer, and had the ball while trailing by two in the final minute.

Basketball: UNT women lose in record fashion
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- North Texas head coach Shanice Stephens vowed last season that the next time the Mean Green faced Middle Tennessee, the outcome would be different. UNT would be more experienced, talented and better prepared to take on the Sun Belt Conference’s premier program. Never in Stephens’ wildest dreams did she imagine her team would suffer a 119-51 loss to the Blue Raiders on Saturday at the Murphy Center that unfolded in such a familiar fashion to the blowout loss last season.

01/30/2010

Basketball: Mean Green men look to keep momentum
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- North Texas is playing its best at just the right time. The Mean Green posted one of its biggest wins of the season Thursday when it won on the road at traditional Sun Belt Conference power Western Kentucky, and has won four of its last five heading into a game tonight at Middle Tennessee. UNT (13-7, 6-4) is sitting in a tie for second place with Denver in the Sun Belt’s West Division heading into the final month of the season.

01/29/2010

Football: Mean Green hires Canales to run offense
North Texas head coach Todd Dodge has made a living building some of the most potent spread offenses in the country on both the high school and college level. His teams at Southlake Carroll broke state records, while his teams at UNT have been among the most consistent in school history when it comes to rolling up yards. When Dodge decided to back away from being an offensive coordinator for the first time in either title or function for the first time in 24 years earlier this winter, that’s what made finding the right man to take his place so important.

Men's basketball: Hill topping

Bowling Green Daily News/Hunter Wilson

North Texas forward George Odufuwa, center, shoots as teammate Eric Tramiel, right, watches and Western Kentucky’s Cliff Dixon defends on Thursday at E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Ky.

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- Josh White has won plenty of games for North Texas in clutch situations. There have been times when the key play has come in the form of a big shot or through his ability to set up a teammate with a spectacular pass in the closing seconds. White was at his best again Thursday night in UNT’s dramatic 84-83 overtime win over Western Kentucky.

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