White’s late shot lifts North Texas over Troy 66-63 for Sun Belt NCAA bid

North Texas edges Troy 66-63 for Sun Belt bid

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — Josh White’s shot from near the free-throw line with 22 seconds remaining gave North Texas a 66-63 win over Troy on Tuesday night in the Sun Belt tournament championship game.

Troy (20-12) rallied from an eight-point deficit in the second half, but the 5-foot-10 White’s shot broke a 63-63 tie and sent the Mean Green (24-8) to the NCAA tournament.

Brandon Hazzard drove to the basket trying to tie it in the final seconds, but George Odufuwa blocked the shot and the ball went out of bounds off Troy. White was fouled with 2.9 seconds remaining and made one free throw. After he missed his second attempt, Troy’s Michael Vogler tried a desperation shot from midcourt that wasn’t close.

Second-seeded North Texas has won 11 straight and snapped a seven-game winning streak for top-seeded Troy.

Eric Tramiel led North Texas with 20 points and was named the tournament’s most outstanding player, but it was White who made the biggest plays down the stretch. When it was over, he went racing off the court to hug a supporter in the crowd as the celebration began.

Hazzard scored 15 points for Troy, including two free throws with 53.4 seconds left that tied the game.

North Texas won the Sun Belt tournament for the first time since 2007.

Troy led 40-38 after a fast-paced first half that included 12 lead changes and six ties. The Trojans shot 55 percent in the first half, but they couldn’t keep North Texas off the free-throw line. The Mean Green, who entered averaging around 20 points per game from the line, were 11 of 14 in the first half.

Troy missed 12 of its first 13 shots in the second half, allowing North Texas to make the game’s first critical run. The Mean Green scored seven straight points, including two baskets by Tramiel and a 3-pointer by White, to go ahead 51-44.

The Trojans made it to the title game with an effective zone defense, but they had a hard time solving North Texas’ zone in the second half. White gave the Mean Green their biggest lead with a 3-pointer that made it 59-51, then pointed toward the fans in one corner on his way back on defense.

Troy fought back, and Hazzard’s 3-pointer cut the deficit to two at 61-59. Although he appeared to hurt his right ankle on the play, Hazzard was able to keep playing. Yamene Coleman then scored inside to tie it at 61.

Tramiel tipped in his own miss to put North Texas back ahead, but Hazzard tied it from the free-throw line with under a minute left.