Mean Green Stumble at Halton Arena, 49ers Secure Home Victory
In a conference game that saw the North Texas Mean Green fall to the Charlotte 49ers with a final score of 44-56, both teams displayed tenacity on the court. The Mean Green now hold a record of 0-1, while the 49ers have started their season with a promising victory.
The North Texas Mean Green faced an uphill battle at Dale F. Halton Arena against their hosts. Despite shooting an impressive 82 percent from the free-throw line and making nine out of eleven attempts, UNT struggled to find their rhythm in field goals where they only managed to convert 32 percent of their attempts into points. Their three-point performance was particularly lackluster with just one successful shot from seventeen attempts, translating to a mere six percent success rate.
UNT's defense managed to secure six steals and block two shots but it wasn't enough to stifle the offensive efforts of the Charlotte team. The Mean Green did excel in scoring within the paint, tallying up twenty-eight points which accounted for more than half of their total score. They also capitalized on second-chance opportunities by scoring ten points following offensive rebounds.
On the rebounding front, UNT grabbed thirty boards evenly split between offense and defense but still fell short compared to Charlotte's thirty-five rebounds. Personal fouls were kept relatively low by UNT with eleven infractions over the course of play and they maintained possession well with only seven turnovers.
The home team, Charlotte 49ers showcased better ball movement which resulted in eleven assists – nearly three times as many as UNT's four assists – contributing significantly to their higher field goal percentage at forty-three percent. Their balanced attack saw them make twenty field goals out of forty-seven attempts and sink six out of sixteen three-point shots for an impressive thirty-eight percent completion rate from beyond the arc.
As fans look ahead for UNT's next challenge, they can mark their calendars for January 25th when North Texas Mean Green will host SMU Mustangs at UNT Coliseum in Denton. The game is scheduled for a tip-off at 6:00 PM local time and will be broadcasted nationally on ESPN2 channel two hundred nine for fans who wish to follow along from home or elsewhere.