Box Score DENTON, Texas – The Northwestern State men's basketball team battled through early runs and flashes of momentum Thursday night, but a cold second-half stretch allowed North Texas to pull away for an 80–53 win inside The Super Pit.

"We competed and gave ourselves a chance for about 30 to 34 minutes," third year head coach Rick Cabrera said. "But the last seven minutes of the game, I thought we quit. That's not the team I'm known for coaching, and we'll fix that and get better."

The Demons (0–2) hung tough early, using balanced scoring to punch back after a quick 10–2 Mean Green start.

Chris Mubiru got NSU going with a jumper, and sophomore forward Moustapha Loum added to the point total.

Sophomore guard Justin Redmond fueled a 10–2 surge midway through the half, connecting on a 3 and sinking three straight free throws to tie it at 12.

Moments later, J.C. Riley Jr. scored inside to give Northwestern State its first lead at 16–15.

But North Texas answered with a 9–2 push and closed the half ahead 28–20 after a late fast-break layup.

"Our guys play hard," Cabrera said. "We don't talk as much as we should on defense, and that's something we have to fix. When you're down seven with eight minutes to go and end up losing by 30, that's frustrating. It's unacceptable."

NSU opened the second half with energy, cutting the deficit to five behind a burst from Izzy Miles and Mubiru.

Miles buried a 3, and Mubiru followed with a four-point play to trim the gap to 32–27 at the 18-minute mark.

From there, North Texas caught fire.

The Mean Green hit 68 percent from the field and 73 percent from 3 in the second half, stringing together an extended 33–12 run that broke the game open.

The Demons went scoreless from the field over the final 9:36 as the Mean Green closed strong
.
Redmond led Northwestern State with nine points on 2-for-5 shooting, adding three free throws.

Mubiru added eight points on a highly efficient 3-for-4 night, while Miles contributed eight points, including a 3, and went 3-for-4 at the line.

Landyn Jumawan added seven points, two assists, and four steals, while Omar Adegbola scored eight and went a perfect 8-for-8 from the stripe in 15 solid minutes off the bench.
 
"We need someone to step up and lead," Cabrera said. "Willie (Williams) is our leader, but it's hard to lead when you're not playing. Micah's our most talented player, but we can't just have leaders when things are going well. Someone has to lead when things go bad — and we'll find that person."

North Texas shot 56 percent from the floor and 48 percent from beyond the arc, led by David Terrell Jr. with 13 points and six assists. Four Mean Green players finished in double figures.

NSU shot 35 percent overall and 31 percent from 3, hitting 20 of 27 free throws (74 percent). Despite the offensive drought late, the Demons' bench produced 24 points, showing encouraging depth and balance.

Cabrera said the early road stretch will help the Demons down the line, even if the lessons sting now.

"You can learn a lot from losses," he said. "When we're in conference play and in a tight game with 10 minutes to go, we'll be able to look back at this and know what not to do. We just have to be better at what we do before we worry about everyone else."

Northwestern State looks to bounce back Tuesday when it visits North Alabama to close its early three-game road stretch.