Tony Mitchell has built his reputation on his ability to block shots, defend and run the floor, while Jacob Holmen is known as slasher with the ability to score around the rim, mostly in a supporting role.
Neither did what was expected Monday night when UNT took on Arkansas State at Summit Arena in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference tournament.
The Mean Green is headed to the finals for the third straight year because of it.
Holmen picked the perfect time to have the game of his career and Mitchell was automatic from the free-throw line late when UNT made all the key plays to pull out a 76-72 win.
The Mean Green will face Western Kentucky back at Summit Arena with a trip to the NCAA Tournament on the line. WKU beat Denver 67-63 in the other semifinal.
?All season long we have had tough games,? Mitchell said. ?This was another one. We came out tough at the end.?
UNT (18-13) had little choice on a night it found a way to win when nothing seemed to go its way.
Brandan Walton missed almost 10 minutes with a shoulder injury after being knocked to the floor in the first half, while Mitchell and Roger Franklin were limited to nine and 13 minutes, respectively, in the second half by foul trouble.
?Our guys did a good job of staying focused and staying the course,? UNT head coach Johnny Jones said. ?When our post guys got in foul trouble, our bench guys came in and did a good job of holding the rope until those guys were able to come in.?
When Mitchell came back in, he showed an aspect of his offensive arsenal that has often been overlooked, hitting six straight free throws down the stretch. Mitchell came into the night shooting 71.2 percent from the line and went a perfect 8 for 8 against ASU (14-20).
?I had to pull through,? Mitchell said. ?This is win-or-go-home. I had to hit them.?
UNT was nearly perfect in crunch time, making 10 of its 12 free-throw attempts after Trey Finn hit a 3-pointer with 5:25 left to give Arkansas State a 65-62 lead. The Mean Green hit nine straight from the line during a 13-4 run that turned the game in its favor.
Mitchell went 6 for 6 in that stretch.
Alzee Williams hit a pair with 34 seconds left that gave UNT a 72-69 lead. Marcus Hooten missed a 3-pointer that would have tied the game for ASU, as Mitchell grabbed the rebound and hit two more free throws to give the Mean Green a 74-69 lead.
ASU?s Ed Townsel missed the front end of a one-and-one with 16.7 seconds left and Williams hit UNT?s ninth straight free throw to push UNT?s lead to 75-69 before missing the second.
Finn hit a 3 for ASU to close the gap to 75-72 with 13 seconds left. UNT nearly threw the ball away, but Mitchell tied up Brandon Peterson to force a jump ball.
UNT had the possession arrow and got the ball to Williams on the inbounds play. He hit another free throw with 1.3 seconds left to ice the game for UNT.
?Alzee is one of the top free-throw shooters in the nation,? Jones said of Williams, who was shooting 80.5 percent from the line heading into the game. ?Tony has delivered all year. He was poised.?
So was Holmen, who scored a career-high 21 points to lead five players in double figures. Williams scored 12 points. Walton and Mitchell both had 11 and Franklin 10.
Finn scored a game-high 21 points for ASU.
?I was getting open looks tonight and I was able to knock them down,? Holmen said. ?They played off of me and I made them pay for it.?
ASU coach John Brady said the Red Wolves were willing to give Holmen open looks. The junior went 5 for 19 from 3-point range in 16 Sun Belt games this season before going a perfect 5 for 5 against ASU.
Holmen scored 16 of his points in the first half, when it looked like UNT might blow the Red Wolves out.
Holmen hit three straight 3s to put the Mean Green up 21-11.
The game turned a short time later when Walton was leveled trying to get around a screen and feel to the floor clutching his right shoulder at the 12:06 mark of the first half.
Walton left the court and went to the locker room. UNT managed to build a 12-point lead at 27-15 anyway, but couldn?t hang on to it. ASU hit four 3s in the final 7:32 of the first half and cut its deficit to 38-34.
UNT was in a dogfight the rest of the way, which Jones said was indicative of the Mean Green?s season.
UNT lost two key players in Chris Jones and Jordan Williams when they became academically ineligible at the end of the first semester. Holmen missed nearly a month with a concussion, and Mitchell didn?t become eligible until after the first semester.
UNT thought it would have Grambling transfer Justin Patton this season, but he is sitting out as a transfer after the school?s plans to get him a waiver from the NCAA that would have made him immediately eligible fell through.
UNT is back in the Sun Belt finals anyway after Mitchell, Holmen and just about everyone else on the Mean Green?s roster did a little more than expected ? and just what was needed ? against ASU.
?We have become a stronger, closer team because some of the so-called distractions,? Jones said. ?Our guys have really grown from it.?
Neither did what was expected Monday night when UNT took on Arkansas State at Summit Arena in the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference tournament.
The Mean Green is headed to the finals for the third straight year because of it.
Holmen picked the perfect time to have the game of his career and Mitchell was automatic from the free-throw line late when UNT made all the key plays to pull out a 76-72 win.
The Mean Green will face Western Kentucky back at Summit Arena with a trip to the NCAA Tournament on the line. WKU beat Denver 67-63 in the other semifinal.
?All season long we have had tough games,? Mitchell said. ?This was another one. We came out tough at the end.?
UNT (18-13) had little choice on a night it found a way to win when nothing seemed to go its way.
Brandan Walton missed almost 10 minutes with a shoulder injury after being knocked to the floor in the first half, while Mitchell and Roger Franklin were limited to nine and 13 minutes, respectively, in the second half by foul trouble.
?Our guys did a good job of staying focused and staying the course,? UNT head coach Johnny Jones said. ?When our post guys got in foul trouble, our bench guys came in and did a good job of holding the rope until those guys were able to come in.?
When Mitchell came back in, he showed an aspect of his offensive arsenal that has often been overlooked, hitting six straight free throws down the stretch. Mitchell came into the night shooting 71.2 percent from the line and went a perfect 8 for 8 against ASU (14-20).
?I had to pull through,? Mitchell said. ?This is win-or-go-home. I had to hit them.?
UNT was nearly perfect in crunch time, making 10 of its 12 free-throw attempts after Trey Finn hit a 3-pointer with 5:25 left to give Arkansas State a 65-62 lead. The Mean Green hit nine straight from the line during a 13-4 run that turned the game in its favor.
Mitchell went 6 for 6 in that stretch.
Alzee Williams hit a pair with 34 seconds left that gave UNT a 72-69 lead. Marcus Hooten missed a 3-pointer that would have tied the game for ASU, as Mitchell grabbed the rebound and hit two more free throws to give the Mean Green a 74-69 lead.
ASU?s Ed Townsel missed the front end of a one-and-one with 16.7 seconds left and Williams hit UNT?s ninth straight free throw to push UNT?s lead to 75-69 before missing the second.
Finn hit a 3 for ASU to close the gap to 75-72 with 13 seconds left. UNT nearly threw the ball away, but Mitchell tied up Brandon Peterson to force a jump ball.
UNT had the possession arrow and got the ball to Williams on the inbounds play. He hit another free throw with 1.3 seconds left to ice the game for UNT.
?Alzee is one of the top free-throw shooters in the nation,? Jones said of Williams, who was shooting 80.5 percent from the line heading into the game. ?Tony has delivered all year. He was poised.?
So was Holmen, who scored a career-high 21 points to lead five players in double figures. Williams scored 12 points. Walton and Mitchell both had 11 and Franklin 10.
Finn scored a game-high 21 points for ASU.
?I was getting open looks tonight and I was able to knock them down,? Holmen said. ?They played off of me and I made them pay for it.?
ASU coach John Brady said the Red Wolves were willing to give Holmen open looks. The junior went 5 for 19 from 3-point range in 16 Sun Belt games this season before going a perfect 5 for 5 against ASU.
Holmen scored 16 of his points in the first half, when it looked like UNT might blow the Red Wolves out.
Holmen hit three straight 3s to put the Mean Green up 21-11.
The game turned a short time later when Walton was leveled trying to get around a screen and feel to the floor clutching his right shoulder at the 12:06 mark of the first half.
Walton left the court and went to the locker room. UNT managed to build a 12-point lead at 27-15 anyway, but couldn?t hang on to it. ASU hit four 3s in the final 7:32 of the first half and cut its deficit to 38-34.
UNT was in a dogfight the rest of the way, which Jones said was indicative of the Mean Green?s season.
UNT lost two key players in Chris Jones and Jordan Williams when they became academically ineligible at the end of the first semester. Holmen missed nearly a month with a concussion, and Mitchell didn?t become eligible until after the first semester.
UNT thought it would have Grambling transfer Justin Patton this season, but he is sitting out as a transfer after the school?s plans to get him a waiver from the NCAA that would have made him immediately eligible fell through.
UNT is back in the Sun Belt finals anyway after Mitchell, Holmen and just about everyone else on the Mean Green?s roster did a little more than expected ? and just what was needed ? against ASU.
?We have become a stronger, closer team because some of the so-called distractions,? Jones said. ?Our guys have really grown from it.?
