It’s not every day that a team forces North Texas to score more than a half-century’s worth of points but somehow the UAB basketball team found a way.

But what’s good for the goose can also be good for the gander.

The Blazers broke a time-consuming pace in the second half but eventually ran empty in an 82-79 double-overtime loss to North Texas, Thursday, Feb. 9, at the Super Pit in Denton, Texas.

It’s the first time the home team has won the meeting in the last 10 games.

“I’m proud of our guys’ fight, our fight was good,” UAB head coach Andy Kennedy told David Crane on Blazer Sportsline postgame. “The thing that jumps out to me is we go 5-for-10 from the free-throw line. (We) had a chance to seal it at the end of regulation, missed a big front end, and they go 23-for-25 (at the foul line). They beat us on the glass.”

“Those are areas where we’re not only tops in this league, but one of the better teams in the country as it relates to rebounding margin and getting to that free-throw line,” he added. “Unfortunately, we did not get the outcome we came for.”

UAB entered the game at 73 in the NCAA NET and on a 4-game winning streak but falls to 17-8 overall and 8-6 in C-USA with the Quad-1 loss to the Mean Green. Of its six conference losses this season, five have been one-possession outcomes.

The Blazers shot 46.3 percent overall and 42.9 percent from beyond the arc (12-of-28) but were only 5-for-10 at the charity stripe. UAB allowed the Mean Green to shoot 46.4 percent from the field, 36.8 percent on 3-pointers, and enjoy a plus-7 edge in rebounding and plus-8 advantage on inside scoring.

“This team, I see it, I call it ball-getters and balls bouncing off our hands,” Kennedy said. “We had 15 or 20 balls, I should be used to it now 25 games into it, and it’s really been our issue all season. Got to be able to secure some balls and make tough plays. Our guys fought, really fought, but just didn’t make the plays.”

Jordan “Jelly” Walker finished with a team-high 20 points on 8-of-20 shooting, 4-for-13 on 3-point attempts, and added 2 rebounds and 4 assists. Eric Gaines had 12 points and 3 assists but fouled out in the final seconds of the game.

Walker missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with seconds left in regulation and Aaron Scott was able to make 1-of-2 free throws to tie the game and send it to overtime. Midway through the second overtime session, Walker hit a quick jumper to give UAB a 77-76 lead, but an unfortunate series of events followed to allow the Mean Green to regain control.

With less than a minute in the final overtime, Tony Toney appeared to set up a charge but North Texas’ Kai Huntsberry was given the benefit of the doubt and scored to retake the lead for the Mean Green. On the ensuing UAB possession, Trey Jemison was called a charge with 33 seconds remaining and Toney was forced to start the North Texas free-throw challenge.

“We had opportunities,” Kennedy said. “A couple of times in the end, the decision-making, and the way they defend. We finally get some guys free and our inability to finish in there is maddening at times. They made a few more plays than us and crushed us at the free-throw line.”

The Brewer Brothers, Ledarrius and Ty, combined for 21 points and 6 rebounds with the former grabbing 3 steals. Trey Jemison finished with 10 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks.

“I got to find a way to get Ty Brewer in the game because of his ability to make shots,” Kennedy said. “Ty was a big shot-maker for us at the time we stretched and got a little bit of a lead. We just couldn’t close it. Couldn’t close it. Couldn’t make the free throws that we need when we got there.”

The Blazers rallied from a 5-point halftime deficit in the opening minutes of the second half, tying the game at 36-all on an 11-4 run and took a 42-39 lead before North Texas’ Tylor Perry found his shot from 3-point range, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers to open up the shooting pace from slow crawl.

KJ Buffen finished with 7 points and 7 rebounds and hit a crucial 3-point shot to tie the game 72-all with seven seconds left in the first overtime session. Tony Toney had 5 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals, and Tavin Lovan contributed 4 points and 3 rebounds.

“I trust KJ and he made a big 3 for us,” Kennedy said. “I need him in there defensively, especially in the second half when the defense is away from us. He was good for us down the stretch.”

The Blazers return home to face Middle Tennessee State in the Bartow Classic, Saturday, Feb. 11, at Bartow Arena in Birmingham. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT on Stadium.