DENTON, Texas -- Indiana State held a late lead in regulation but was unable to hold off a pesky North Texas team as the Sycamores fell 79-76 in overtime at the UNT Coliseum.

Indiana State fell to 3-5 on the season during their first trip to Lonestar State in a decade and were looking for their first win in Texas since a victory in 1985 at West Texas State. The Mean Green snapped a two-game skid and improved to 5-5.

For the second consecutive game, Jordan Barnes scored 25 points -- this time to lead the team while tying his career high. Barnes connected on five 3-pointers in the game -- four of which came after halftime. Freshman Tyreke Key reached double figures scoring for the sixth time this season as he established a new career high with 16 points. Qiydar Davis added 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Brandon Murphy also was solid down low with eight points and seven rebounds.

This was the second overtime game of the season for the Sycamores, having already played a four-overtime game earlier this year against Ohio at the Gildan Charleston Classic.

Tied at 68, Barnes buried a 3-pointer on the Sycamores' first possession of overtime to stake the Sycamores to a 71-68 lead. UNT went on to knot the game at 71 on a free throw after a steal and foul in transition. Davis then pushed ISU ahead 73-71 at the 3:30 mark with a lay-up on a baseline drive. Shane Temara buried a 3-pointer from the corner with 1:33 remaining to push the Mean Green ahead 74-73. Murphy then was fouled at the rim and he hit 1-of-2 free throws with just over a minute to go to knot the game at 74. North Texas answered by hitting a pair of free throws for a two point lead. UNT took a 79-74 lead before Barnes was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 2.4 seconds remaining. He hit 2-of-3 to get ISU within 79-76. The Sycamores came within an eyelash of forcing a five second violation, but North Texas got the ball in barely and ran out the clock.

Things got interesting with just under two minutes to go in regulation and ISU holding a 59-55 lead. Qiydar Davis grabbed a big defensive rebound on a second chance opportunity for North Texas and he was then fouled with just over a minute and a half to go before hitting a free throw for the 60-55 lead. North Texas answered with a driving lay-up from Zachary Simmons at the 1:12 mark to draw the Mean Green within three points at 60-57. 

Scott missed a jumper but Murphy grabbed a huge offensive rebound and dunked it with 36 seconds to go to push ISU ahead 62-57. Ryan Woolridge answered with a 3-pointer at the 29 second mark to draw the Mean Green within 62-60. Jordan Barnes did his part by hitting all six of his free throws in the final 30 seconds, but North Texas converted 3-of-4 from long range to tie the game at the buzzer on a trifecta by Lawson which sent the game into overtime tied at 68.

The 7-0 run which staked the Sycamores to a 30-23 lead continued to open the second half when Key hit a free throw after a defensive steal on the opening possession to stretch the cushion out to 31-23. Barnes answered a mini-run with a 3-pointer before Murphy grabbed a big offensive rebound and then fed to Kessinger to stretch the Sycamore lead out to 36-29 with 17:38 on the clock. Barnes came back with his second 3-pointer in a three-possession stretch as he buried one from the top of the key at the 17:15 mark for the 39-29 lead which forced North Texas to burn a timeout. UNT countered with five in a row, but Scott answered with a runner in the lane to regain the seven-point advantage. Barnes would go on to bury a long 3-pointer -- his third of the second half -- at the 14:49 mark -- as ISU answered the Mean Green run and retook a 44-34 lead.

North Texas came right back with a run of their own -- this time a 6-0 spurt which trimmed the ISU lead down to just 44-40. Kessinger stopped the run with a jumper at the 11:33 mark as ISU stretched their advantage out to 46-40. Key converted his first field goal of the second half when he grabbed a tough defensive rebound and then raced past everyone for his 14th point of the evening and the 48-42 lead. Davis then grabbed a long defensive rebound and Barnes found him on the offensive end for a dunk at the 8:30 mark to give the Sycamores a 50-42 lead and forced North Texas to burn another timeout.

Meanwhile the Sycamores held the Mean Green scoreless for over two minutes in leading by eight before AJ Lawson scored inside to stop the skid. Murphy then grabbed an offensive rebound and went on to convert a conventional 3-point play at the 6:59 mark as ISU led 53-44. North Texas got it to within two points before Barnes hit a runner in the lane with just over five minutes to go for the 55-51 cushion. Davis grabbed another tough rebound and Scott was fouled on the way to the basket where he hit a pair with 4:35 to go to push ISU ahead 57-51. 

Tyreke Key scored first for the Sycamores on their second possession of the game with a score in the paint. Then came four in a row from North Texas but a Jordan Barnes triple from the right corner put ISU back on top, 5-4. A Devin Thomas lay-up with just under 13 minutes tied the game at nine while the defense was cooking and held UNT scoreless for nearly four minutes. The tie was broken and the drought ended on the next possession with a Tope Arikawe lay-up at 12:29 which pushed the Mean Green back ahead 11-9. 

That started a 6-0 North Texas run which was ended as the clock ticked under the nine minute mark with a Brandon Murphy lay-up which drew the Sycamores within four points. UNT reestablished the six point lead on their next possession, but Qiydar Davis hit 3-pointers on consecutive trips down the floor, the last at 8:02 to knot the game at 17. Barnes got the steal with just over six minutes to go and Davis made it eight points in a row for himself and an 8-0 spurt as the Sycamores took a 19-17 lead. Brenton Scott went coast-to-coast at the 5:37 mark to make it 10 in a row for the Sycamores as they took a 21-17 advantage. UNT's AJ Lawson ended the run with a 3-pointer to cut the Sycamore lead down to 21-20. 

With the game tied at 23, the Sycamores scored the final seven points of the first half beginning with a 3-pointer and then adding a runner in the paint with just over a minute to go. He added a pair of charity tosses with 41 seconds remaining for the 30-23 lead heading into the locker room. Key paced the Sycamores with 11 points in the opening stanza. The Sycamores did some damage in the first half in transition as they held a 5-0 lead in fast break points.

North Texas was led by 22 points from Roosevelt Smart.

Indiana State returns home on Saturday, December 9 when they host Indianapolis in the second game of a doubleheader inside Hulman Center. Tip-off is set for 4 pm (ET). Indiana State legend Duane Klueh will be honored in pregame ceremonies and make a return to the Sycamore bench during the game. Klueh has his jersey retired and is the all-time winningest head coach in the history of the program.