CHICKASHA, Okla. – A 14-point turnaround in the second half flipped a seven-point halftime deficit into a 71-64 victory on the road at University of Science and Arts on Tuesday night at Drover Fieldhouse. Junior
Greg Crawford (Houston, Texas) came off the bench to record a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds for team-highs in each category.
The Trailblazers (5-4, 2-4 SAC) shot a blistering 51.9 percent (14-17) from the field, 4-of-6 from the three-point line, and 13-for-14 at the free throw line in the second stanza. The Drovers (3-4, 2-2 SAC) built a double-digit lead early in the second half and led by as many as 15 points in the game. After five minutes had elapsed, senior
Vernon Johnson (DeSoto, Texas) hit a trey to try and halt the opposition momentum. It sparked an 8-3 run that had USAO countered a three and then a three-point play by junior
Sergio McClain (Peoria, Ill.) was followed by two Crawford free throws to reduce the deficit to 10 points (51-41).
Sides traded points until around the midway juncture of the half and the Trailblazers offense got blazing with a 25-7 scoring span to close the final 10:20 minutes. Behind 11 points (57-46), McClain made a pair of free throws that would spark 13 straight points and keep the home team off the scoreboard until 6:14 was left. Junior
Daniel Sohn (Aledo, Texas) scored the next four points in that run with a layup and then swiped a steal that led to a fastbreak layup and close the team's tightest gap at five points (57-52) since six and a half minutes in the first half. Crawford had an old fashioned three-point play nip the margin to one possession. Senior
Ashton Howard (Cedar Hill, Texas) tied the score for the first time since opening tip with a layup at 6:52. He followed the next possession with a steal and hustled for a thunderous dunk to give the visitors the first lead of the game.
Senior
Jayden Johnson-Blair (Dallas, Texas) hit a go-ahead trifecta after the Drovers tied the score at 59 and a couple plays later found Crawford on a breakaway for a dunk to make it 64-59. Science and Arts tallied the next five points to setup the final 2:45 minutes of regulation with a tied affair. It was lockdown defense for UNTD, as the guests did not surrender a point the remainder of the game. Crawford, McClain, and Johnson tallied five of the final six free throws and Howard had a crucial basket to create a four-point lead with just over a minute left.
UNT Dallas was off to a slow start falling behind 13-4 through five minutes. Crawford entered and immediately made an impact with a trey and McClain followed with a layup to slash the margin to 13-9. The Trailblazers kept the score within four points and were as close as three on a few occasions in the first. USAO built a double-digit lead for the first time in the game at 31-21 with 2:26 left. Six of the next eight points came for UNT Dallas and the teams went into the break with a 33-26 lead.
Playing on a four-game road stretch that includes a third game since last Thursday, it appeared UNT Dallas was seeing a repeat of what occurred in the previous two setbacks. A halftime deficit that reached double-digits and remained the duration of the game. Instead, the Trailblazers had seven players grind out a familiar formula that helped erase a 17-point second half deficit to win their other Sooner Athletic Conference game at Texas Wesleyan to start this road stint. The 45-point half was the second highest total in 20 minutes for UNTD this season and was four shy of the team's conference opener at Mid-America Christian in the second half.
Crawford notched his highest point total in a conference game this season and registered his sixth double-double. He scored a season-high 10 free throws and has scored 22 of his past 24 free throw attempts over the last three contests. Howard chipped in 15 points, while Johnson-Blair had 11 points with six assists. McClain had 10 points as he joined Crawford to give the Trailblazers' bench 32 points among the duo.
The Trailblazers held a 15-9 advantage on points off turnovers with 10 in the second half and added a 14-6 advantage on second chance points. They used an 8-2 edge in the second half to complete a 10-6 advantage on fastbreak points. Both teams shot 42.9 percent from the floor and made six three-pointers. UNTD went 17-for-22 at the charity stripe.
Science and Arts was led by Manny Gatkek and Cade Allen with 12 points each. Ryein Kennedy tossed in 10 points. A trio of players eclipsed seven rebounds, led by Mohand Ammad with eight.
UNT Dallas enjoys a nice holiday break and returns to action with a home game at Ellis Davis Field House against Langston. Tip-off is at 8:00 p.m.
