DENTON, TX - Behind a strong all-around performance, the North Texas men's basketball team defeated Southeastern Oklahoma, 97-65, on Monday night in an exhibition game at the Super Pit.
Monday night saw a much improved Mean Green team take the court for its second exhibition game. North Texas dominated all facets of the game, especially on the offensive side. The Mean Green shot 55 percent from the field and hit five 3-poiinters in the game.
"Overall, I thought we were focused," said North Texas head coach Tony Benford. "We wanted to start on the defensive end. If you don't defend, it is going to be tough to get the ball on the run. I thought we did that tonight. I thought our zone was really good."
After scoring four points in Friday's game, Vertrail Vaughns recorded a team-high 23 points against the Savage Storm. He went 9-for-12 from the field and 3-for-5 from three-point range.
Led by point guard Chris Jones, the Mean Green recorded 17 steals and pushed the up-tempo pace to score 35 points off turnovers. Jones scored 15 points, dished out six assists and recorded three steals.
Two large runs propelled the Mean Green to a 30-point halftime advantage. North Texas scored 16 unanswered points to take a 40-16 lead and then followed that up with 14 unanswered points to extend its lead to 56-21.
The Mean Green's perimeter shooting continued to improve as the game wore on. Brandan Walton and Vertrail Vaughns hit back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the second half, pushing the score to 76-39.
The Savage Storm hit four 3-pointers in the second half to outscore the Mean Green, 40-38, in the latter period.
Quick Hits - North Texas went 2-0 in the two home exhibition games. Chris Jones, Jordan Williams and Keith Coleman recorded double-digit points in both exhibition games. Coleman recorded a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
-Six total players scored in double figures for the Mean Green.
- Vertrail Vaughns scored six of NT's first eight points tonight. He led the team in the first half with 16 points and finished with a team-high 23 points.
- Jordan Williams and Chris Jones came off the bench to score 12 and 10 points, respectively, in the first half. North Texas led by a score of 8-6 before the duo subbed in and helped lead the Mean Green on a 16-7 run.
- North Texas went 12-for-15 from the free-throw line in the first half.
- North Texas scored 16 unanswered points midway through the first half to take a 40-16 lead. Chris Jones scored eight of those 16 points.
Up Next North Texas opens its season on Friday, Nov. 8 against Northwood at home at 5 p.m.
