Box Score DENTON, Texas Junior guard Joe Jackson (New Orleans, La.) scored 13 points, but the University of Denver men’s basketball team dropped a road contest 62-48 on Thursday night at The Super Pit.
“North Texas has a good inside game, and their big guys played well tonight,” head coach Joe Scott said. “We need to regroup and get ready for Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday.”
Denver (11-13, 7-6 SBC) remains in a tie for first place with UALR falling to Florida International last night and Louisiana-Lafayette beating Louisiana-Monroe tonight. New Orleans and North Texas sit just one game back with a 6-7 SBC record.
North Texas forward Quincy Williams led all players with 17 points and nine rebounds, and the Mean Green out-rebounded DU 33-to-16.
The Pioneers clawed their way back into the game with a 9-0 run with less than five minutes remaining, but the Mean Green held on for the win.
Denver and North Texas (15-9, 6-7 SBC) battled through the first 12 minutes of the game before the Mean Green ended the half on a 16-2 run, and DU headed to the lockerroom trailing 33-18.
North Texas made 12-of-23 field goals (52.2 percent) in the first half, while DU hit 6-of-19 (31.6 percent).
Denver improved its shooting in the second half, hitting 10-of-20 (50.0 percent), while the Mean Green continued its hot shooting in the second half, again nailing 12-of-23 field goals (52.2 percent).
Freshman guard Xander McNally (San Francisco, Calif.) collected a game-high four steals, the 14th time this season that McNally has led the Pioneers in steals.
The Pioneers continue their road trip with a match-up against Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. MT.
