Full Newscast Breakdown: Year in Review of UNT Sports (2019-20)
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Welcome to the U-N-T Sports Network yearly special. Today is Monday, April 12th and we are recapping an unforgettable school year across mean green athletics.
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The Covid-19 pandemic severely impacted the fan experience of athletic events this year.
(VO: UNT fans walking to game in masks)
Attendance and tailgating at sporting events were limited and fans were required to wear masks. The first college sport to start their season with these new restrictions was football.
(VO: An empty UNT football stadium)
There were questions coming into the college football season about which conferences would even be playing.
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North Texas offensive lineman TeeShaun Turpin said that the team was hopeful that Conference U-S-A would still play the 2020 season.
(SOT: Turpin on not knowing if season would be played; CG (lower 3rd) - “TeeShaun Turpin - North Texas Offensive Tackle”)
SOT: “I was like, oh man, I wonder if we’re gonna have a season. And then when you got here, everybody started cancelling the season. I had a few friends who got their season cancelled, so I’m thinking like, I hope our season doesn’t get cancelled.
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(VO: crowd at UNT football game)
Luckily for U-N-T, Conference U-S-A was one of the first conferences to announce they would be starting the 2020 season as originally planned.
(SOT: Turpin on CUSA announcing they would play)
SOT: “Then they’re like - ope, we’re playing. The whole team was turnt up, like everybody screaming, yelling. It just made the offseason even more exciting and rolling into fall camp, everybody excited, it was just an exciting feeling all year.”
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Despite a losing record, the team is thankful that they got to play the 2020 season while many other teams did not.
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North Texas was able to start and finish its 2020 football season on time.
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The Mean Green opened the season in Apogee Stadium on September fifth against Houston Baptist as originally scheduled.
(OTS graphic on Anchor 2: QB Mason Fine)
With the graduation of quarterback Mason Fine over the offseason, there were many questions over who would replace the school’s all-time leading passer.
(VO: Bean TD pass vs Houston Baptist)
Junior Jason Bean started the game against Houston Baptist and passed for 217 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.
(VO: Adaway TD run vs Houston Baptist)
Running back Oscar Adaway (ADD-UH-WAY) rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns.
(VO: UNT celebrating victory over HBU)
The Mean Green offense led them to a 57 to 31 season-opening victory.
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The mean green only saw one victory over the next two months. Following the season opening win, they lost their next three games. After beating Middle Tennessee in early October, U-N-T’s next three games were either cancelled or postponed due to Covid-19.
(VO: Final moments of UNT’s season)
After winning two of their final four games of the season, U-N-T ended the regular season with a four and five record. They were short of the usual six win requirement to get into a bowl game.
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However, the N-C-A-A dropped the six win requirement this year due to Covid-19. This allowed U-N-T to be eligible for a bowl game.
(SOT: UNT head coach Seth Littrell’s reaction to bowl game selection)
SOT: “Our kids are really excited, it’s a great opportunity to play a really good football team in a bowl. Not a lot of guys get the opportunities to play in bowl games, and so, with this year, I think it’s real exciting, we kinda started our bowl prep and had our practice today, guys had a lot of energy and are really excited about getting back on the field and getting after it.”
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(VO: UNT vs App St kickoff)
The Mean Green faced Appalachian (APP-A-LATCH-EN) State in the Myrtle (MER-TOLL) Beach Bowl at Coastal Carolina University.
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U-N-T entered the game as 21 point underdogs.
(VO: App St scores vs UNT)
Despite a strong performance from the offense, the North Texas defense was unable to keep up with the Mountain-eers.
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App State led by 21 at halftime and ultimately won 56 to 28. Despite the loss, U-N-T quarterback Jason Bean and wide receiver Lorenzo Thompson had strong performances.
(VO: Bean TD pass vs App St)
Bean completed 21of his 36 pass attempts for 251 yards and 2 touchdowns.
(VO: Thompson TD catch vs App St)
Thompson caught five passes for 44 yards and caught both touchdown passes from Bean.
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In a season where the defense struggled, the quarterbacks thrived.
(VO: CGI “2020 UNT QB Stats”)
Quarterbacks Jason Bean and Austin Aune (ON-EE) combined for nearly 28 hundred yards, 27 touchdowns, and completed over 54 percent of their attempts.
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After ending the season four and six, the team hopes to finish next season with a winning record for the first time in three years.
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Despite a losing season for the mean green, senior Jaelon (JAY-LIN) Darden had one of the best seasons a U-N-T wide receiver has ever had.
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Following the season, Darden announced that he would be declaring for the 2021 N-F-L Draft.
(VO CG “2020 Wide Receiver Stats”)
Darden led the team with 74 receptions for nearly 12 hundred yards and 19 touchdowns. He averaged over 16 yards per catch.
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He was third in the entire nation in receiving yards and was second to only Heisman (HIGHS-MEN) Trophy winner Devonta (DE-VON-TAY) Smith in receiving touchdowns. Darden has been with the team since 2017. This season was the first time he had more than 800 receiving yards. He caught as many touchdowns this year as he did in his previous three seasons combined. The one aspect where Darden is at a dis-advantage is with his size.
(VO: Jaelon Darden photo with graphic of measureables)
Darden enters the draft under five-foot eight and 174 pounds.
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He said he’s excited for the next step in his career because despite his size, his hard work has paid off.
(SOT: Darden press conference)
SOT: “It definitely means a lot because of how much work I’ve been putting in, from seven years old, working out in the backyard until now, so it definitely means a lot and it means a lot to me to be able to show others that size and talent doesn’t matter. At the end of the day you just gotta go out and achieve what you want to achieve what you want to dream. So if anything, I feel like I put in the work, so therefore, when I show others that they can do the same and they go out and work everyday hard as they can then anything can happen.”
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Darden might not be the biggest receiver, but his stats speak for themselves. Darden would be the first mean green player to get drafted into the N-F-L since 2004. He would also be just the second North Texas wide receiver to ever be drafted.
(SOT: Coach Littrell on watching Darden in NFL)
SOT: “He was an unbelievable man to coach and I’m really excited for his future, watching him go out and perform on Sundays. It’s gonna be great for everybody, but great for him, and I’m really excited about the opportunity to watch him play.”
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[Anchor 1]
Darden would join a long list of players to be drafted into the N-F-L under coach Littrell. Tune into the N-F-L Draft April 29th through May first to see if Jaelon Darden becomes the first U-N-T football player to be drafted in 17 years.
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When we return, we will switch gears and recap how the North Texas women’s teams performed this season.
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[Anchor 1]
And stay tuned later in the show to find out what the U-N-T men’s basketball team accomplished this season.
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[Anchor 1]
Welcome back to the U-N-T Sports Network year-in review show. Let’s take a look at how our women’s teams performed this year.
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The U-N-T women’s basketball team exceeded expectations this season.
(VO: Jalie Mitchell coaching at practice)
Following a losing season in 2019, some fans were calling for head coach Jalie Mitchell to be replaced.
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There were questions about who would handle the scoring duties for the Mean Green with only one returning starter from a season ago. Little did North Texas know the impact that Quincy Noble would have in year one. Mitchell recruited Noble through the transfer portal before the 2019 season.
(VO: Noble scored for New Mex St)
During her previous season at New Mexico State, Noble appeared in 19 games and averaged just under two points.
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She transferred to North Texas following that season.
(SOT: Noble on why she transferred to UNT; CG (lower 3rd) “Quincy Noble, North Texas Women’s Basketball Player”)
SOT: “At New Mexico as a freshman, I didn’t do as well as I wanted to, not a lot of minutes, and just not the development I wanted to have and I feel like I needed to go somewhere else that was gonna help me develop and find my love again and just thrive on the court and i feel like North Texas was the place, like that was it.
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Due to N-C-A-A transfer portal rules, Noble had to sit out the 2019-2020 season. When the 2020 season started, Noble was U-N-T’s starting point guard.
(VO: Noble scoring vs Louisiana)
Mean Green fans were first introduced to Noble in the third game of the season when she scored 30 points against Louisiana.
(VO: Noble + Boyd high-fiving)
Quincy Noble and Nyah Boyd became a dangerous duo for the mean green. Per game, Noble averaged just under 18 points, over four rebounds and two assists.
(VO: Boyd scoring highlight)
Boyd averaged 12 points, over four rebounds and over three assists.
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Both Noble and Boyd started every game for the Mean Green and the duo led the team in minutes played. In all but three games played this season, U-N-T’s leading scorer was either Noble or Boyd. The duo led the team to a 13 and seven overall record and a 10 and four record in conference play.
(VO: Noble first team announcement)
Noble became the first player in program history to be named first team all conference.
(SOT: Noble on what being named 1st team meant to her)
SOT: “It was really like a confidence booster cause it was something I feel like maybe I needed because I kind of lost myself. I didn’t feel like I was good at what I was doing anymore for the longest and coming here just changed it and I think it just helped me grow again. So I just, I think just getting that shows, like, hard work pays off.”
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Noble’s work paid off for her and for her team.
(VO: Jalie Mitchell huddles team)
This was by far U-N-T’s best season with coach Jalie Mitchell. Mitchell has coached the mean green since 2015. The team never had a winning record in conference play under Mitchell until this year.
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The team also won more games this year than a season ago with 11 less games played. Though the mean green lost in the first round of the conference USA tournament, this year was a huge step in the right direction for the program. The duo of Quincy Noble and Nyah Boyd is just getting started here in Denton.
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Women’s basketball wasn’t the only Mean Green team to struggle in the conference tournament.
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Last week, the Mean Green volleyball team fell to 18th ranked Western Kentucky in the Conference U-S-A quarter-finals. The Hilltoppers came into the tournament undefeated on the season with only two lost sets the entire year. Western Kentucky took all three sets in the game against North Texas, ending the Mean Green’s season.
(VO: UNT scores in final regular season game)
In order to reach the conference tournament, North Texas won four straight games at the very end of the regular season.
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The team ended the year 11 and 11 overall and six and seven in conference play. U-N-T volleyball will see seven seniors leave over the offseason.
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Similar to volleyball, the Mean Green women’s soccer team finished their regular season on a high note.
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The soccer team finished the regular season last week after a three to nothing win over U-T-S-A. They finished the regular season with a seven, two, and one overall record, and finished second in the west division.
(VO: UNT scores goal)
The Mean Green led the entire nation in both shots per game and shots on goal per game during the season.
(VO: Coach Hedlund celebrating with team)
This year marks the twenty-first straight winning season under head coach John Hedlund (HEAD-LIND). Hedlund passed 360 career wins as a coach in 2021.
(VO: CG Full-screen Graphic: Lampe and Byrd’s first team announcement)
Brooke Lampe (LAMP-EE) and Allie Byrd (BIRD) had standout seasons for North Texas, both earning first team all-conference U-S-A honors.
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North Texas will take on three-seeded Charlotte in the first round of the Conference U-S-A tournament. The Mean Green are looking to win their seventh Conference U-S-A title and going for their 17th conference championship overall.
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[Anchor 1]
Stay with us through the break as we recap a historic season for the U-N-T men’s basketball team.
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Welcome back to the U-N-T Sports Network year in review show.
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Two of U-N-T’s sports teams had historic seasons.
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The first is the Mean Green Track and Field team that had an impressive indoor season. They started the season off with 30 medals at the Wildcat Invitational at Kansas State.
(VO: UNT track receiving medals)
Their second meet of the year was the H-Town Speed Series Meet in Houston where they got 25 medals.
(VO: H-Town meet weight throw & 3000m)
They also got a one-two-three sweep in the men’s weight throw and men’s three thousand meter run.
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The last meet they had before going to the Championship meet was the Red Raider Invitational at Texas Tech.
(VO: Men’s pole vault)
They Placed 13 times and got a clean sweep in the men’s pole vault.
(VO: UNT medalists)
Next up was the Conference U-S-A meet, where the Mean Green won 11 medals with four being first place medals.
(VO: Antonio DeLaCruz clip)
The Mean Green’s own Antonio De-La-Cruz received the most points out of the whole meet.
(VO: Antonio DeLaCruz Champion Graphic)
He was named a Conference U-S-A champion for the second time.
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He made North Texas history by being the first to ever do so.
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But this wasn’t the only time U-N-T sports made history this year.
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The U-N-T basketball team had redemption on their mind coming into this season.
(VO: 2019-2020 champions celebration)
After winning the regular season Conference U-S-A title last year, both the conference tournament and N-C-A-A tournaments were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
(VO: CG “2020-2021 CUSA West Division Standings”)
Losses in their final two games of the year against U-A-B left North Texas at 9-5 in conference for the season. This left the Mean Green at third in the West division entering the conference tournament.
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In the tournament, they took down Middle Tennessee, Old Dominion, and Louisiana Tech before making it to the final round.
(VO: UNT vs WKU tip off)
The Mean Green faced a heavily-favored Western Kentucky team in the championship game.
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The team fell behind late in the championship, but head coach Grant McCasland (MICK-AS-LAND) said he did not want his team to feel like they were out of it.
(SOT: McCasland on team’s mentality vs WKU)
SOT: “We’re right where we want to be. It’s a couple possession game, let’s just figure out a way to get one in the hole.”
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McCasland said he told forward Thomas Bell to go make a shot at the end of the game.
(VO: Thomas Bell’s go-ahead shot)
Bell hit the go-ahead shot in overtime that ultimately gave the mean green the win.
(VO: UNT celebration after winning championship)
The victory punched U-N-T’s ticket to March Madness for the first time since 2010.
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North Texas entered March Madness as a 13 seed, their highest in program history. Their first opponent was four-seeded Purdue.
(VO: final seconds of UNT vs Purdue)
Despite a late push from Purdue in the second half, the mean green won 78-69 in overtime.
(VO: Hamlet scores vs Purdue)
Javion Hamlet put up a double-double for North Texas with 24 points and 12 rebounds in over 43 minutes of game time.
(SOT: Hamlet on UNT’s mentality vs Purdue; CG (lower 3rd) “Javion Hamlet - North Texas Guard”)
SOT: “It’s about just getting out there and having that underdog mentality and just come out on top. That’s what it’s about.”
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U-N-T was a seven point underdog to Purdue, and an upset victory just goes to show that anything can happen in March Madness. The win was the Mean Green’s first win over a ranked opponent in nearly 40 years. More importantly, the win was the first N-C-A-A tournament win in program history.
(SOT: Hamlet postgame interview after beating Purdue)
SOT: “It’s a great feeling just to be the first team in history, can’t nobody take that away from us, all the players that are playing on this team. Like I said we’re gonna go down in history and just showing the world that we’re gritty.
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While the team will go down in history for winning the game, it’s also notable that U-N-T only allowed two players from Purdue to score double digit points.
(VO: final seconds of UNT vs Villanova)
U-N-T’s season would come to an end in the second round in a blowout loss against Villanova.
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Despite the second round result, the 2020-2021 mean green basketball team will forever go down in the record books.
(SOT: Coach McCasland says this team is best in UNT history)
SOT: These guys just stepped up to the plate. It’s the reason what makes them special is how they handled adversity and how they continued to fight. And I love this crew, it’ll hang a banner in here that will never be taken away and they’ll always be remembered for the greatest team in U-N-T history.”
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U-N-T’s second straight Conference U-S-A Champions banner will be hung at the start of next season. Next year, the starting lineup will look a bit different as three senior starters will be graduating. At the start of the season, the N-C-A-A allowed an extra year of eligibility to all student athletes. Thomas Bell was the only senior who chose to stay another year.
(VO: clip of McBride and Bell)
Bell and Mardrez McBride will be the only two returning starters for the mean green next season.
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Also returning for next year and for years to come is coach Grant McCasland.
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After the conclusion of this season, McCasland signed a contract extension that will keep him as U-N-T’s head coach through the 2025-2026 season.
(VO: McCasland cuts down nets after CUSA Champ Game)
McCasland has coached the mean green to back-to-back Conference U-S-A basketball championships.
(VO: McCasland coaching during game)
He owns a 79 and 51 overall record in four seasons at North Texas.
(VO: McCasland celebrates Madness win)
And this year, he became the first coach in program history to win in March Madness.
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With incentives to his contract extension, McCasland will make over seven-hundred and sixty thousand dollars over each of the next five seasons.. North Texas fans can continue to expect success from the team, as coach McCasland is here to stay.
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While McCalsand will be in Denton for years to come, star player Javion Hamlet will not.
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Following the end of the season, Hamlet announced on social media that he would be entering the 2021 N-B-A Draft.
(VO: Hamlet draft announcement graphic)
In his draft announcement, Hamlet said in part thank you to mean green nation for embracing me these last two seasons. I will forever love you guys.
(VO: graphic: “Javion Hamlet 2020-2021 Player Stats”)
During his senior season with the mean green, Hamlet averaged nearly 16 points, just under four rebounds and over four assists per game.
(VO: full-screen graphic - “Hamlet Accolades at North Texas”)
Over the last two seasons at North Texas, Hamlet was named Conference U-S-A male athlete of the year, newcomer of the year, player of the year, tournament M-V-P, and was named first-team all conference two times.
(VO: Hamlet celebrates 2019-2020 CUSA title)
He led the mean green in both scoring and assists over the last two seasons and helped U-N-T win back-to-back conference championships.
(SOT: Hamlet looks back on career)
SOT: “I ain’t got nothing to hang my head over. I feel like the world knows who U-N-T is now, you know. I really ain’t got nothing to hang my head over. When I look back, when I first came here U-N-T was number seven in conference U-S-A. We went from seven, to one, to championship. Then we came back again, didn’t win the regular season. Won four games in a row, won the conference U-S-A championship to get here. Wasn’t supposed to be here and let everyone tell us. Came here and made it to the second round. That’s not something I came here to do, I came here to win it all, but there’s really nothing to be mad about.
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Hamlet leaves a legacy behind at North Texas. On July 29th, he could become the 15th player in mean green history to be drafted into the N-B-A. Hamlet set out a goal to get drafted from U-N-T, and he is now just one step away.
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It’s that time of year again where mean green sports are coming to an end. Despite the pandemic, many athletes are still going above and beyond to leave their mark on North Texas in hopes of joining the Hall of Fame.
(VO: UNT Hall of Fame)
The UNT Hall of Fame was created in 1981 to honor star players, coaches, and administrators whose achievements have brought prestige to the University of North Texas and have had a lasting impact on Mean Green athletics.
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Jaelon Darden and Javion Hamlet are two names to watch for on the ballot in the future. This year’s induction ceremony is set to take place in late October. Nominations must be submitted by April 15th.
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And with that, another year is in the books for mean green sports. The excitement will be building this summer as fans get ready to return to games next fall.
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Be sure to tune in with us next April for a recap of all the action here on U-N-T Sports Network.
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We hope to see everyone back at Apogee Stadium next fall starting September fourth when the Mean Green kick off their 2021 football season.
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And as always, go Mean Green.
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