Drc Article On Womens Bb Win

[OldTimer]

Women's college basketball: UNT makes it look easy

Mean Green strolls past another Sun Belt power

12:14 AM CST on Friday, February 23, 2007

By Brett Vito/Staff Writer

North Texas did it again.

The Mean Green came into the week having lost four of its last five and didn’t appear to have a reason to be optimistic about a turnaround with games against two of the Sun Belt Conference’s top teams looming.

UNT overcame those long odds in stunning fashion with a pair of confidence-building wins, including a surprisingly easy 82-66 victory over Arkansas State at the Super Pit on Thursday night.

The win completed a week that saw the Mean Green (9-18, 6-11) also knock off perennial conference powerhouse Western Kentucky on Monday.

“It’s another confidence booster,” sophomore forward Amber Jackson said. “It’s all coming together. It’s not a fluke anymore. We are putting it together just in time for the conference tournament.”

UNT’s latest win came after the Mean Green came up with perhaps its most complete performance of the season in its last regular-season home game of the year.

Jackson led four UNT players who finished in double figures with 16 points and the Mean Green held ASU (18-10, 11-6) to just 26 points in the first half when it took control of the game.

The game represented a dramatic turnaround from the first meeting between the teams this season when ASU beat the Mean Green 57-51 in Jonesboro, Ark.

WKU came into the week in second place in the Sun Belt’s overall standings, while ASU was fourth.

“This win proves that we have been close all season long,” UNT head coach Tina Slinker said. “We are showing a lot of character late in the season to play like we have against some good teams.”

ASU spent the night scrambling to come from behind after the Mean Green took control of the game early on with a 9-0 run.

Junior center Talicia Sanders scored five points during the surge that gave the Mean Green an 11-4 lead.

UNT continued to build its lead throughout the first half by being aggressive and getting to the free-throw line. The Mean Green held an 18-3 edge in free throws in the first half on its way to a 35-7 advantage for the game.

UNT was in the bonus at the 12:06 mark of the first half and extended its lead to as many as 17 points before the break.

“It showed how much we attacked,” Jackson said of the free-throw differential. “It seemed to take them out of their game when we went to the basket and got to the free-throw line.”

UNT squandered several leads earlier in the season, but never let up in the second half against ASU.

Sophomore guard Tricia Lee converted a three-point play with 12:24 left to put the Mean Green up 58-38.

ASU pulled to within 70-59 with 4:23 left, but would get no closer the rest of the way.

“Once we got on top, we had to stay on top of them,” senior guard DiDi Wali said. “In past games other teams have made a run. We understand now that we can’t have a drought. We have to keep attacking.”

UNT’s aggressive nature helped offset a big night from ASU center Adrianne Davie, who finished with a game-high 28 points. The Mean Green also did a solid job on the rest of the Lady Indians players.

ASU point guard Rudy Sims scored 14 points and Caroline Starr added 11. No other Lady Indian scored more than four points.

“One person isn’t going to beat us,” Jackson said. “We made Davie work for her points. She wore down. We could see it.”

UNT had several players finish with big nights to help offset Davie’s big game. Wali finished with a career-high 15 points in her final home game.

Lee and fellow sophomore guard Sanetra Jackson added 14 and 13 points, respectively.

“It was fun,” Slinker said of Wali’s performance. “You always want that for a senior. It was a tremendous way for her to go out.”

More and more, it appears as if the Mean Green could finish off its season with a bang as a team.

“I feel like we are a different team now,” Slinker said. “We hit big shots, locked down defensively and played well.”

Briefly …

Freshman Brittney James went 0-for-8 from the field and did not score, breaking her streak of games scoring in double figures at five. … ASU had beaten the Mean Green six straight times.

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.

North Texas 82, Arkansas State 66