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UNT Dallas

Photo Recap vs. North American
Photo Courtesy of Candice Nichols
61
North American NORTH AM 6-4, 2-3
69
Winner UNT Dallas UNT DALL 3-6, 2-3
North American NORTH AM
6-4, 2-3
61
Final
69
UNT Dallas UNT DALL
3-6, 2-3
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
North American NORTH AM 30 31 61
UNT Dallas UNT DALL 25 44 69

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | nathanyacovissi

Late 2nd Half Boost propels Trailblazers at Home over North American

CEDAR HILL, Texas – University of North Texas at Dallas put together a 44-31 second half to comeback with a much-needed victory, 69-61 over North American University on Saturday afternoon at Trinity Leadership Public School. The Trailblazers snapped a three-game slide and closed the last four minutes of the game on a 14-6 run to determine the outcome. This included an 8-0 spurt that broke a 55-all score and saw UNT Dallas sink 10 out of 10 free throws. The home squad went 16-for-17 at the charity stripe in the second stanza.
 
The win improved the Trailblazers to 3-6 overall and 2-3 in Red River Athletic Conference play, while North American dropped to 6-4 on the season and 2-3 in conference.
 
Greg Crawford (Houston, Texas) notched a game-high 22 points, which included 14-for-16 at the free throw line. Crawford also grabbed eight rebounds. This marks the sixth game to score at least 20 points and fifth game to make at least 10 free throws. Crawford's career total in points is now 669.
 
Demaryon Thornton (Chicago, Ill.) contributed 13 points, four rebounds, and two assists. DaRyan Williams (Austin, Texas) almost captured a double-double with 11 points and team-high nine boards. Sedric Curry Jr. (Baton Rouge, La.) also had 11 points and grabbed six rebounds.
 
The Trailblazers shot 37.1 percent (23-62) from the field and were a little better in the second half (14-33) compared to the first (9-29). The team was 2-of-13 from three, which meant the damage offensively was from the free throw line. That overall amount was 21-for-25 keyed the turnaround.
 
UNTD had a 12-2 edge on points off turnovers in the second half and were ahead 14-8 in the contest. The Trailblazers did hold advantages in points in the paint (38-32) and fastbreak points (14-6), with second half disparities reflecting on the Trailblazers benefitting from those situations.
The Stallions held a significant edge on the glass, with an 18-4 positive margin for second chance points and pulled down 48 rebounds compared to 41 by UNT Dallas.
 
Naheim Northern notched a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Jamarric Hammond was also near a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds. Syncere L Shaw added 12 from the bench. The Stallions shot 34.7 percent overall, made seven three-pointers, and were 2-for-6 in free throws.
 
It was an even game wire-to-wire, as each side held the largest lead of eight in the game. There were six ties and five lead changes.
 
The Stallions got on the board first, but two minutes into action saw Thornton hit a three-pointer to begin a stretch of seven straight points. After five NAU points knotted the game, the Trailblazers stuck another seven-point streak together to open the largest lead at the time of the game with 11:41 left. Williams hit the team's other trifecta sandwiched between a Thornton jumper and pair of Crawford free throws that capped the run.
 
A triple by North American's Kemani Wilson swung the pendulum toward its side with a 12-0 scoring span that flipped the score had the guests never trail the rest of the half. With six and a half minutes before intermission, Crawford got an offensive rebound tip-in to stop the double-digit surge, and then a fastbreak layup by Thornton tied things with five minutes remaining. Sides traded two points for a 21-all score, and a trey by Shaw propelled the Stallions to a 30-23 advantage with under a minute and a half to go. Curry Jr. nailed a jumper with 1:07 remaining to wrap up the scoring of the frame.
 
The Stallions Oakley Lewis tickled the twine on a trey to give them their largest lead of the night at eight points. Two layups by Curry Jr. helped close the gap to 33-31 in the first three minutes. The Trailblazers held the margin from two to six points over the next several possessions. They sequenced a couple of nice breakaway plays that included a Thornton layup to knot the game and JT Curry (Baton Rouge, La.) thunderous dunk to boost the home team on top with 12 minutes remaining. Curry Jr. converted on a three-point play over the next minute to push the lead to five (44-39).
 
It was a Trailblazers lead until 5:38 shown on the clock and then the Stallions went in front on a fastbreak layup by Hammond. UNTD lost the next possession on a turnover stolen, but a missed shot gave the host team another chance. Crawford split at the line to make it 55-all.
 
The game-changing run started on a steal by Crawford that was finished by Williams on the layup. Crawford had four points and Thornton added two free throws as this lead ballooned to 63-55 with 2:12 remaining. The Stallions drilled a triple by Northern with 23 seconds to pull within four points, but UNT Dallas was able secure its third home win of the campaign and finish the fall semester on a positive note with a 3-1 record overall at local confines as a home team. Thornton picked the game-determining steal with six seconds left and his free throw shots rang true to earn the eight-point win.
 
UNT Dallas wraps up 2025 on the road with two RRAC matchups. The Trailblazers are at Texas A&M-Texarkana Thursday December 18 and LSU-Shreveport on Dec. 20.
 
 
 
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