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North Texas started its 2017-18 Conference USA campaign with a road win at the Don Haskins Center, the first since December 29, 1952. The team didn’t play its best but still managed to power through awful free throw shooting (10-18 55.6%) to muscle out a road win in front of a hostile Miner crowd in El Paso. Grant McCasland has lead this team to tie its win total from last season that finished at 8-22 and 2-16 in conference play.
| Scores by Period | 1st Half | 2nd Half | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| UTEP | 30 | 32 | 62 |
| North Texas | 24 | 39 | 63 |
Roosevelt Leads Team in Scoring/Free Throw Shooting
Roosevelt Smart has been a scoring threat the moment he stepped onto the court. In the UTEP game, he lead all players at 29 points, 2 points below his career best (San Diego – 12/1617). He’s averaging 18.1 points per game to lead the team. Smart is also leading the team in free throw shooting (53-59 89.8%) along with 44 made 3-pointers (39.6%).
Keith Frazier Plays Opposite of the Mean Green
Keith Frazier made an appearance on the court, this time playing against the Mean Green. He only played four games last season before being shelved due to a lingering knee injury. Against the Mean Green, he lead the Miners with 13 points on five of 10 shooting with three out of seven of those shots being from behind the arc. He kept the Miners within striking distance of North Texas.
Highlight Reel
Up next for the Mean Green is a quick trip down to San Antonio to play the other UT twin, UTSA. Tip off is scheduled for 7:00 PM on Saturday afternoon, December 30th. Radio coverage will be available via KHYI 95.3, KNTU 88.1, and the Mean Green Sports TuneIn channel.
Conference USA Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall | 1-0 | – | 10-4 |
| Western Kentucky | 1-0 | – | 9-5 |
| UT San Antonio | 1-0 | – | 8-6 |
| North Texas | 1-0 | – | 8-6 |
| Old Dominion | 0-0 | 0.5 | 9-3 |
| UAB | 0-0 | 0.5 | 9-4 |
| Middle Tennessee | 0-0 | 0.5 | 8-4 |
| Florida Atlantic | 0-0 | 0.5 | 6-6 |
| Florida Intl | 0-0 | 0.5 | 6-7 |
| Charlotte | 0-0 | 0.5 | 4-7 |
| Louisiana Tech | 0-1 | 1 | 9-5 |
| Southern Miss | 0-1 | 1 | 7-7 |
| UTEP | 0-1 | 1 | 5-8 |
| Rice | 0-1 | 1 | 3-11 |
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