North Texas News

Men's Basketball Advances to NIT Semifinals

UNT men's basketball defeated Oklahoma State 65-59 in overtime to advance to the semifinals of the 2023 National Invitation Tournament on Tuesday at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

North Texas (29-7) captured its 10th NCAA postseason victory under Grant McCasland. Prior to McCasland's arrival in 2017, the Mean Green had never won an NCAA postseason tournament game.

"What a great atmosphere for a game," McCasland said. "Tremendous win for our program and really a blessing to be able to keep playing."

Tylor Perry led all scorers with 23 points and was 6-for-6 from the free throw line. He added five rebounds and one assist in a team-high 43 minutes. Perry hit a deep three-pointer with 1:49 remaining in overtime to give North Texas a 61-58 lead.

"What can I say about Tylor Perry," McCasland added. "I mean, what a winner. He's the heart of our team. I thought he willed us to win and made big baskets."

On Tuesday, Perry became the 25th player in UNT history to hit the 1000 career point mark.

Moulaye Sissoko recorded his first career double-double with a personal-best mark of 12 points and 15 rebounds. He finished 6-for-9 from the field and added a steal.

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North Texas held Oklahoma State (20-16) to a season-best mark of 17 points in the first half.

The Mean Green advanced to the semifinals of the NIT at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on March 28. UNT will face No. 2 Wisconsin.

Original source can be found here