DENTON, Texas (Interstat) — Je’Shawn Stevenson scored 27 points and North Texas used a dominant first half to cruise past Texas-San Antonio 81-62 in an American Athletic Conference men’s basketball game Wednesday night at North Texas Coliseum.

The Mean Green (12-7, 3-3 AAC) overwhelmed the Roadrunners (4-15, 0-6) from the opening tip, building a 22-point halftime lead that was never seriously threatened. North Texas scored the game’s first nine points, led 45-23 at the break, and maintained a comfortable margin throughout the second half before a crowd of 3,104.

Stevenson, a 6-foot-2 guard from Chicago, was the catalyst, hitting 5 of 12 from 3-point range and adding a steal in 31 minutes. His performance paced a North Texas offense that operated with high efficiency, scoring 81 points on 68 possessions for an offensive rating of 118.5. David Terrell, a Dallas native, supported Stevenson with 15 points and six assists, while Dylan Arnett of Chicago contributed 13 points and Cole Franklin of Desoto had seven points and three assists.

The most important part of the game was the opening stretch, where North Texas established immediate control. After winning the opening tip, the Mean Green scored on their first three possessions, including a layup by Terrell and a 3-pointer from Stevenson, to race ahead 9-0 just over 90 seconds into the game. Texas-San Antonio never recovered from that initial burst, struggling to generate consistent offense against North Texas’s pressure defense.

The Roadrunners shot just 36% from the field for the game, including a 6-for-23 performance from beyond the arc. They were outrebounded 44-28, with North Texas grabbing 17 offensive boards that led to 19 second-chance points. The Mean Green also forced 14 turnovers, converting them into 19 points.

Jamir Simpson led Texas-San Antonio with 14 points. Brent Moss added 12 points and Baboucarr Njie, despite scoring seven points, was a defensive presence with seven blocks. Dorian Hayes and Austin Nunez each scored 10 points for the Roadrunners, who have lost six straight games.

North Texas shot 45.2% from the field and 36% from 3-point range. Their defensive effort held UTSA to an offensive rating of just 89.3. The Mean Green also dominated inside, outscoring the Roadrunners 38-24 in the paint and tallying 11 steals.

The victory improved North Texas to 12-7 overall and 3-3 in conference play, while Texas-San Antonio fell to 4-15 and 0-6. North Texas next hosts East Carolina on Saturday. Texas-San Antonio returns home to face Temple on Saturday.

The final combined score of 143 points went under the pregame over/under line of 136.5. North Texas covered the spread as a 16.5-point favorite.