Box Score
HOUSTON, Texas - It was only a matter of time before Kedrick Hogans put together his complete game. The junior sat out the 2009-10 season due to injury, but poured in a career-high 17 points in pacing North Texas to a 70-64 win at Texas Southern on Saturday night.
Hogans added eight rebounds, just one under his career high, in leading the Mean Green (7-1) to its fifth consecutive win and its 18th straight against non-ranked opponents. Texas Southern (1-6) was held to 38.7 percent shooting in the win, NT's seventh straight over SWAC opponents.
"I knew this was going to be a tough game, just like it was last year," said North Texas head coach Johnny Jones. "I thought this was a grind-it-out game, and credit Texas Southern for finding ways to stay in this game. Luckily we found ways to adjust and picked up a hard-fought road win."
A game of runs, North Texas began both halves with massive runs that kept the Tigers at bay. North Texas jumped out to an early 15-3 edge thanks to stellar transition ball from Shannon Shorter and some deep work from Tristan Thompson. Shorter took a loose ball on the opening tip and drove to the hoop for the earliest score of the season, a layup with just three seconds gone.
Thompson stretched the action with a pair of deep 3-pointers, the first of which drew a foul and free throw for the nation's 16th ranked scorer entering the game.
Texas Southern woke up midway through the first and took their first lead on dunk from Timothy Price, 30-29, with 2:30 remaining.
With 15 seconds before half Dominique Johnson hit an 18-foot jumper to give NT a two point lead, but TSU's Kevin Galloway earned an unusual 3-point play to send his squad into the half up 33-32. The senior hit the first of his two free throws with 2.4 on the clock, but got his own rebound on the second shot and sent it back off the glass as time expired.
North Texas started the second half much like the first, with an explosive run that vaulted NT into the lead. Out of the halftime break, Jacob Holmen and the Mean Green posted a quick 9-2 run. The sophomore nailed his first 3-pointer of the season to bring the NT lead to 51-41 with just over 11 minutes remaining.
NT returns to the court on Tuesday at Sam Houston State. Action from Johnson Coliseum is slated for 7 p.m.
