Box Score

USD-UNT Box Score

DENTON, Tex. â€" The Torero men's basketball team (7-5) held off a late rally by North Texas to beat the Mean Green 69-68 for their fifth straight win. After being up by as much as 20 points, North Texas took their first lead of the game with 30 seconds remaining. Olin Carter III hit a go-ahead three with seven seconds left. North Texas' J-Mychal Reese drove hard down the lane and scored what looked to be the game-winning lay-in, but Cameron Neubauer slid in for a charge to draw the offensive foul and effectively end the game.

"It was almost like two games," Head Coach Lamont Smith said. "We jumped on them and got up by 20 in the second half, but I thought we got a little too comfortable and made some immature plays. Credit to North Texas as well; they put some pressure on us full court and forced some careless turnovers."

"But our guys remained tough and we made plays down the stretch to get it done. Whether it was knocking down free-throws or getting big key stops, and obviously those two last plays were awesome with Olin hitting the shot in the corner to win it. Cameron Neubauer stepping up and drawing the charge at the end, which was just an awesome basketball play. I'm real proud of our entire team for fighting."

Playing in front of friends and family Carter (Allen, Tex.) scored a game-high 22 points in 39 minutes. Tyler Williams (Plano, Tex.), also from the area, had a team-high eight rebounds and four assists. Brett Bailey had 20 points and was a perfect 10-for-10 from the line.

The Toreros never trailed in the first half; jumping out to an 11-4 lead in the game's first five minutes. Despite being outsized, USD outrebounded North Texas 19-15 in the first half, with four players collecting four or more rebounds.

The Toreros largest first half lead was 33-20 with two minutes left. Brett Bailey scored the final eight points for USD and finished the half with a game-high 14 points as USD took a 35-25 lead into the locker room at half. The Toreros had assists on eight of their 12 first half field goals.

Fueled by six quick points from Carter, the Toreros opened the second half on a 10-0 run to take a 45-25 lead. The Mean Green responded with a 15-4 run, cutting their deficit to nine points (49-40) with 12:35 left. The Mean Green committed six fouls in the first four minutes of the second half, and the Toreros took advantage of their extra free-throws, making 15-of-21 in the second half.

The Toreros struggled offensively down the stretch, going on a seven minute stretch without a field goal while committing seven turnovers. This allowed the Mean Green to go on a 7-0 run and tie the game for the first time with 1:12 left (66-66).

On the ensuing possession, Tyler Williams missed a tough driving layup. North Texas responded with a J-Mychal Reese lay-in to take their first lead of the game (68-66) with 30 seconds left.

Olin Carter hit the game-winning three pointer from the corner with seven seconds remaining. It was the Toreros' first three of the second half after making five in the first half.

It was Reese who had the ball in his hands again with time winding down, but he was called for the offensive foul with under a second remaining. North Texas Head Coach Tony Benford was then called for a technical foul, but the Toreros couldn't convert any of those final free throws.

The Toreros look to extend their winning streak when they begin conference play December 29 when they play at San Francisco (7:00 p.m.).