Feb. 2, 2002

Box Score

DENTON, Texas - North Texas used a 22-2 run over the first 8 minutes, 17 seconds of the second half to cruise to an 83-57 win over the University of Denver in Sun Belt Conference action Saturday night at the Super Pit in Denton, Texas. The loss is the eighth in the row for Denver (5-15, 1-8 SBC) on the road.

Chris Davis led all scorers with 20 points for UNT (11-10, 5-4). Junior guard B.J. Pratt (San Antonio, Texas / Converse Judson HS) led the Pioneers with 13 points, while senior forward Sherman Rochell (Oklahoma City, Okla. / Northern Oklahoma College) added 10 points and seven rebounds. Denver's starters combined for one field goal and four points in the second half.

After UNT came out of the gate with a 6-1 lead, the Pioneers took their first lead of the game just 4 minutes, 30 seconds into the game on a driving layup by Rochell to put Denver up 9-8. Both teams went through a cold shooting drought midway through the first 20 minutes, yet a 3-pointer by Pratt with 7:38 to play not only tied the game at 16, it was also the first assist for either team. North Texas used a 9-2 run, yet a wide-open 3-pointer by sophomore guard Ryan Goral (Westminster, Colo. / Horizon HS) off a fastbreak assist from Pratt pulled the Pioneers within three points. A follow-up slam by Rochell at the buzzer trimmed the deficit to a single point heading into the break.

Yet the Mean Green went on an 11-0 outburst to start the second half, and the Pioneers could muster just a pair of Pratt free throws in the first 8:17 before freshman guard Erik Benzel (Spokane, Wash. / Ferris HS) ended the UNT domination with a 3-pointer that stopped the bleeding at 55-37. Yet the Mean Green went on another 15-10 run before both teams emptied their benches.

After committing just five turnovers in the first half, the Pioneers - who came into the game with the best turnover margin in the Sun Belt at +1.4 per game - had 15 in the second half for their second-straight game with that many miscues. Denver added to its troubles by shooting just 31 percent in the final 20 minutes, while UNT was 20-of-35 (.571) in the second half.

"I thought we played one of our best first halves of the season - holding their field-goal percentage down, holding them to 33 points - because they're more physical than we are," said head coach Terry Carroll. "But our trademark this season has been these 4-to-5-minute stretches where we get in such a deep hole that we can't get out of. It's very frustrating as a coaching staff to see this team play to both extremes. There's no in-between. But we're not going to give up. We're going to continue to work hard."

The Pioneers return home and step out of Sun Belt Conference play for the final time this season, when Denver hosts Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Tuesday night. Tipoff at Magness Arena is set for 7 p.m. MST.