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UNT Dallas

UNT Dallas
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UNTDMBB at SCU
73
North Texas At Dallas UNTD 11-14 (8-14 SAC)
74
Winner Southwestern Christian SCU 5-20 (3-19 SAC)
North Texas At Dallas UNTD
11-14 (8-14 SAC)
73
Final
74
Southwestern Christian SCU
5-20 (3-19 SAC)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
North Texas At Dallas UNTD 34 39 73
Southwestern Christian SCU 34 40 74

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | nathanyacovissi

UNTD Men's Basketball Down a Point at SCU on Saturday

EL RENO, Okla. – A single-point determined the outcome of University of North Texas at Dallas men's basketball against Southwestern Christian University on Saturday afternoon at Redlands Community College with a 74-73 result. The contest was played at that site, since SCU's gym floor was flooded earlier this season and forced all home games at the off-campus site.
 
The score was deadlocked at 34 after one half and the Eagles got a 9-2 run late in the game to exchange leads and held on until the final buzzer. In typical Trailblazer fashion, they battled until the last play. A three-pointer by senior Demaryon Thornton (Chicago, Ill.) sliced a five-point hole to two (71-69) with 25 seconds left. After a split by SCU at the line, the Trailblazers got another quick two inside the paint by junior Greg Crawford (Houston, Texas). Down a point now and 14 seconds left, the Trailblazers swarmed on defense looking for a turnover or quick foul. The Eagles drew the foul and were good on both free throws to make it a three-point game again. The Trailblazers found an open Thornton, who made three trifectas in the game and two toward the end of a period, but his attempt bounced high off the rim. Senior Ashton Howard (Cedar Hill, Texas) rose to tip-in the last field goal that closed the gap a point away but no time left.
 
The loss drops UNT Dallas to 11-14 overall and 8-14 in the Sooner Athletic Conference. Southwestern Christian improves to 5-20 and 3-19 in conference play.
 
The Trailblazers are 2-3 during the past five games, with key setbacks to Oklahoma Panhandle State, Central Christian, and now Southwestern Christian. Both wins were to top of the standings Wayland Baptist and No. 18 Langston. This trio of losses features a four-point and one-point loss, and a game that went to overtime and was one possession in the final minute. On the campaign, the Trailblazers are 2-8 in games determined by five points or less. These are all conference games and both wins were to Texas Wesleyan by a point on the road in overtime, and Langston on a miracle buzzer-beater from beyond halfcourt.
Despite recent misfortune, the Trailblazers remain alive for the eighth seed in the SAC Tournament. Oklahoma Panhandle State fell 75-61 at College of the Ozarks Saturday, keeping the teams separated by half a game. The Trailblazers will need to win both contests remaining on their regular season schedule, while OPSU has one game left and will need to lose since it holds the tiebreaker.
 
Crawford paced UNTD in scoring with 17 points. He notched a double-double for the 16th time with 11 rebounds. The team's leader in both categories shot 8-of-14 from the field and tallied four offensive rebounds. Crawford dished four assists, which was one off a personal-best against Langston on December 5, 2024.
 
Thornton was the other UNTD player in double figures with 12 points. He did it behind a trio of three-pointers to give him consecutive contests in double-digits for points.
 
The Trailblazers jumped out of the gate to an 8-3 lead in under two minutes. Senior Jayden Johnson-Blair (Dallas, Texas) countered an SCU three, and junior Daniel Sohn (Aledo, Texas) had a three-point play to make it 8-3. Sohn was a perfect five-for-five at the charity stripe in the game and added two more free throws to keep the guests in front. Both sides continued trading small spurts of scoring, as the Eagles went up 16-14. UNTD's bench had some impact plays with junior Sergio McClain (Peoria, Ill.) knotting the score at two and sophomore Dante Curry-El (Charlottesville, Va.) draining a go-ahead three.
 
With nine minutes before intermission, the Eagles started a scoring run of 11-0 with 5:44 left. Sohn's final pair of free throws in the game were good just past the five-minute mark to end the drought. At 2:50, Thornton picked a steal and scored on a the fastbreak. Senior Vernon Johnson (DeSoto, Texas) copied the play and made it a two-point game with 2:15 remaining until halftime. Thornton swished a three-pointer in the last minute and a half to put the Trailblazers on top. McClain had a two, but SCU's Deondre Dunn tied the game with a triple during the last 21 seconds for a level 34-34 score.
 
Thornton had his other trey of the game that has not been mentioned yet at 15:18 left in the second half. His triple opened a six-point lead (43-37), the largest of the game for the Trailblazers. It was a back-and-forth affair most of the stretch run. McClain had a field goal just past 13 minutes left to make it 51-45 and match the largest UNTD advantage.
 
The game was tight most of the duration, as SCU took a narrow lead with around nine and a half minutes left. A minute and a half later, Crawford grabbed a steal and Johnson-Blair assisted to Johnson for a made three and switching the lead to UNTD a final time. Howard and Johnson-Blair had two-pointers that flowed to a 63-60 edge.
 
SCU's Dunn made a three to tie the score at 63 with over four minutes to play. Two free throws by the Eagles pushed them ahead by two. Crawford had a two-point basket counter that play to make it 65-all. George McCurdy, who scored the go-ahead free throws, split at the line on another trip prior to Dunn having the eventual decisive three to make it a two-possession game and two and a half minutes left. Both sides turned the ball over and then a pair of misses despite an offensive board pointed to this game being completed. It took every free throw make, but Thorton getting a trey late breathed new life into the team, that continues to battle each time out to the final horn.
 
The Trailblazers shot 43.9 percent from the field and made seven three-pointers. The team was 8-for-14 at the line. SCU shot 43.3 percent and made one extra three with eight and converted 14-for-18 at the charity stripe.
 
UNT Dallas won the battle on the glass, 42-34, and the Trailblazers totaled 16 offensive rebounds with Crawford and Sohn having four each. The team dished 17 assists, led by Johnson-Blair with five, Crawford with four, and Howard with four. Johnson and Thornton combined for five of the team's six steals. The Trailblazers held a 17-7 edge on second chance points, which included 12-5 in the second half. Points off turnovers (17-14) and points in paint (38-36) slightly favored UNTD.
 
Dunn was an impact player for the Eagles, leading all scorers with 25 points and swiped five steals. Ahmad Kennedy had 20 points, while George McCurdy contributed 15. Michal Wooldridge nearly had a double-double with 10 points and nine boards.
 
UNT Dallas plays its final week of the regular season with two games at Ellis Davis Field House. The Trailblazers host College of the Ozarks on Thursday, February 20, at 8:00 p.m. They follow with Senior Day versus John Brown on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 4:00 p.m.
 
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