Can North Texas Mean Green Rebound After Narrow Loss to Florida Atlantic Owls?

The North Texas Mean Green and the Florida Atlantic Owls faced off in a closely contested battle that ended with a score of 80-76. The Mean Green, playing at home in UNT Coliseum, fell just short despite a strong showing. The game brought the season records to 0-0 for both teams, as this was their opening match.

The first half saw the Mean Green come out strong, putting up 42 points against the Owls' 40. However, the second half shifted in favor of the visitors as they matched their first-half performance with another 40 points while holding the Mean Green to 34. This slight edge was enough for the Owls to secure victory.

The statistics reveal where each team excelled and struggled during this intense conference game. The Mean Green showcased remarkable accuracy from the free-throw line with an impressive 90 percent completion rate but were less effective from beyond the arc, making only six out of seventeen three-point attempts for a three-point percentage of 35. Despite being outscored in fast break points by more than half—22 for FAU compared to just ten—the Mean Green managed more points off turnovers (16) and had a slightly better assist-to-turnover ratio (0.89).

Defensively, both teams were almost neck-and-neck with blocks and steals; however, personal fouls proved costly for North Texas as they accumulated twenty-two compared to nineteen by FAU. In terms of rebounds, FAU edged out UNT with thirty-three total rebounds over UNT's twenty-seven.

Attendance at UNT Coliseum was recorded at four thousand five hundred fifty-one fans who witnessed four times tied and eight lead changes throughout this nail-biting encounter.

Looking ahead after this tough loss at home, North Texas will travel to face Rice Owls on March 9th at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston. Fans can catch all the action live on ESPN+ starting at 7:00 PM Central Time as North Texas looks forward to bouncing back from their narrow defeat against Florida Atlantic.