DENTON (2/8/03) -- An inspired senior guard Chris Davis -- who scored 24 of his season-high 30 points in the second half -- sparked a North Texas comeback effort that came up short as Western Kentucky registered a final 85-70 win over the Mean Green at the Super Pit on Saturday.
Davis, the No. 2 all-time career scoring leader in North Texas history, did everything he could to rally the Mean Green, who trailed at halftime 43-30 but managed to cut Western Kentucky's advantage down to six points with 7:47 left in the game. After being held to six first-half points, Davis scored 24 of the Mean Green's 40 second-half points to finish with a season-high 30 for the game.
But Western Kentucky, leaders of the Sun Belt Conference's East Division and now 15-8 and 7-2, responded with back-to-back three-point field goals after North Texas (7-15, 2-8) made its biggest threat of the game after pulling to within 61-55.
"Our guys played extremely hard tonight on both ends of the floor," said North Texas head coach Johnny Jones. "We cut into the lead late in the second half and put ourselves in a position. They overplayed us on the wings in the first half. In the second half we extended Chris and we got into a flow and got to the line."
Davis finished the game connecting on nine of 15 field goals and hitting 12 of 16 free throws. It was Davis' first 30-point game of this season and the sixth game of his career in which he's scored 30 or more points. He also led North Texas in rebounding with nine.
Western Kentucky showed by its the defending Sun Belt Conference champions, connected on 50 percent from the floor (16-27) and from three-point range (6-10) in the first half when the Hilltoppers opened up a 43-30 lead by the intermission.
A 7-0 run, which included a three-point Lee Green field goal, a lay-up by Davis and then two free throws by Davis, cut the Hilltoppers' margin down to six points at the 7:47 mark in the second half. But after WKU three-point field goals by Filip Videnov and Mike Wells on consecutive possessions, the Hilltoppers never let their lead get below double digits.
"You have to give them credit," said Jones. "They hit big shots. They are champions and they played like it."
The only other North Texas player to reach double figures was junior guard Jerome Rogers, who came off the bench to finish with 14 points.
The Mean Green go on the road Thursday to play at Denver.
