DENTON, Texas - This time, North Texas didn't leave any doubt.
And Kendrick Davis didn't wait until the final seconds.
The Mean Green survived two earlier regular-season meetings with UL's Ragin' Cajuns by the narrowest of margins, and won both when Davis nailed game-winning shots.
On Wednesday night, Davis had 21 points in the first half in boosting UNT to as much as a 19-point lead, and the athletic hosts held off the Cajuns' lone rally and ran away again at the end to a 93-78 victory in the first-round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
"It's pretty simple," said UL coach Robert Lee. "North Texas played outstanding. Their talent level stepped to the forefront ... they played like the most talented team in the league. And Kendrick Davis had an outstanding first half."
Davis' three-pointer with 2.2 seconds left gave UNT (20-10) a 72-70 victory in Lafayette on Saturday, and the Mean Green will look for that kind of Cajundome success in Sunday's tournament quarterfinal against UL Monroe, an 83-67 home winner over Denver on Wednesday.
The Cajuns, meanwhile, ended its season on a disappointing note, out of the tournament that will begin this weekend on their home floor.
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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com