DENTON, Texas -- — Atin Wright scored 21 points as North Texas beat Rice 81-59 on Wednesday night.

Wright shot 7 for 12 (4 for 7 from 3-point range) and 3 of 3 from the free-throw line for the Mean Green (11-4, 2-1 American Athletic Conference). Brenen Lorient added 19 points while shooting 5 of 8 from the field and 7 for 8 from the line while they also had five rebounds. Grant Newell shot 3 for 4, including 2 for 3 from beyond the arc to finish with 10 points.

The Owls (11-5, 2-1) were led by Caden Powell, who recorded 12 points. Trae Broadnax added 11 points and four assists for Rice. Jacob Dar had 10 points.

North Texas took the lead with 8:20 left in the first half and never looked back. The score was 42-28 at halftime, with Wright racking up 21 points. North Texas pulled away with a 10-2 run in the second half to extend a 10-point lead to 18 points. They outscored Rice by eight points in the final half, as Lorient led the way with a team-high 11 second-half points.

North Texas' next game is Tuesday against East Carolina on the road, and Rice hosts Temple on Saturday.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.