DENTON, Texas - University of Denver junior guard Brian Stafford (Walnut Creek, Calif.) scored 13 points, but the Pioneers fell 63-41 to North Texas at The Super Pit on Saturday night.

"I thought we played better than what the score indicates" head coach Joe Scott said. "The ball didn't go in and we missed layups. That's disappointing, but give North Texas credit. Those seniors have had very good careers with a couple NCAA Tournaments, and they played well tonight."

Denver (13-16, 9-7 SBC) shot just 16-of-46 (34.8 percent) from the floor and 4-of-17 (23.5 percent) from three-point range, while North Texas (18-10, 7-8 SBC) was 19-of-40 (47.5 percent) from the floor and 4-of-8 from three-point range.

Both teams, which entered the game as the top two shooting teams in the Sun Belt, struggled in the first half. Denver shot just 34.8 percent (8-of-23) from the field, which included five missed layups. North Texas was slightly better at 40.0 percent (8-of-20), and the Mean Green headed to halftime with a 27-18 lead.

NT's Tristan Thompson led all players with 16 points, and George Odufuwa had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Denver next heads to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in Hot Springs, Ark., from March 5-8. The Pioneers are the West No. 3 seed and will face East No. 6 seed Florida International on March 5 at 7:45 p.m. MT. Fans can listen on Mile High Sports 1510 AM and 93.7 FM, and follow live on www.DenverPioneers.com.