University of North Texas
UAB
Mean Green at UAB
1/23/2019 11:41:00 AM | Women's Basketball
About the Mean Green (10-7, 3-2 C-USA)
After beginning conference play 3-0, North Texas suffered losses to UTSA and Rice.
Terriell Bradley's scoring average of 18 leads the Mean Green and is fourth in Conference USA. Anisha George contributes 10.8 points per contest along with a team-best 7.6 rebounds to rank fifth in the league. Grace Goodhart averages 7.2 points, and Trena Mims hands out 3.5 assists per contest, sixth in C-USA, while her assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.2 ranks second.
The Mean Green are outscoring their opponents by 7.8 points per contest while shooting 39.3 percent from the field compared to 38.2 from their foes. UNT has put up a total of 1,068 shots this season as their rivals have fired up 918. However, the opponents have totaled 341 attempts from the free throw line compared to 302 from the Mean Green.
About the Blazers (17-2, 5-1 C-USA)
UAB's lone C-USA loss was against Louisiana Tech Jan. 10, and the Blazers have won three straight leading into the UNT game.
UAB is ranked second in the conference in scoring offense (77.3 ppg) and scoring defense (56.7 ppg) for a league-leading scoring margin of 20.6. The Blazers also dish out a conference-best 17.9 assists and hold the highest assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.6 and 3-point field goals made per game with 9.4.
The Blazers employ a balanced scoring attack led by Rachael Childress (15.3 ppg), along with Katelynn Thomas (13.2), Deanna Kuzmanic (12.6), and Miyah Barnes (10.0). Barnes leads C-USA with 5.5 assists per game and a 3.6 assist-to-turnover ratio. Thomas connects of over 60 percent of her shots to rank second, and a trio of Blazers sit within the top 10 in 3-point percentage in Lea Kerstein (43.6percent), Kuzmanic (41.8), and Childress (41.6).
History between the squads
The Mean Green own a 6-3 advantage, with the first meeting occurring during the 2000-01 season. The Blazers took both meetings last season, while the Mean Green won the three before.
Last meeting
DENTON (March 1, 2018) - North Texas women's basketball's leading scorer Terriell Bradley was held to her fewest points in conference play as the Mean Green fell 69-51 to UAB Thursday afternoon at the Super Pit.
Bradley, who entered Thursday averaging 21.5 points per game in conference, finished with 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting and was 0-for-3 from deep.
The Blazers' high-powered offense was on full display as they set the tone early. They opened the game with seven straight points and stretched out their lead to as many as 20 before settling on an 18-point win.
Conference numbers going up
Four games into the conference slate, several Mean Green have increased their numbers to help UNT to a 3-1 mark in league play. The biggest uptick has come by way of Anisha George, who averaged 9.8 points and 6.9 rebounds prior to C-USA play but has upped her output to 13.2 points and 9.4 rebounds versus conference opponents.
Charlene Shepherd is earning more playing time and has upped her numbers from 5.7 points to 7.0, within the past four contests. Grace Goodhart is knocking down 50 percent of her three-point attempts since Jan. 3, an upgrade of nearly 20 percent.
Stepping in for Bradley
The Mean Green found ways to make up for the absence of Preseason All-Conference selection Terriell Bradley for three contests this season as several players are made up the difference while she recovered from injury. Most noticeably, Charlene Shepherd posted 11 points and 6.3 rebounds, a big improvement over 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds while playing alongside Bradley. Deja Terrell came onto the scene and put up 9.3 points and 3.7 boards, whereas before she was tallying 2.2 and 2.6, respectively. Velma Mitchell went from 3.8 points to 8.7, including a career-high 14 against UTSA Jan. 12.
Mitchell notches 50 career wins
With the 70-51 win over UTEP Jan. 10, head coach Jalie Mitchell placed herself alongside former UNT coaches Judy Nelson and Tina Slinker in the 50-win club. Mitchell also became the fastest to achieve the honor in program history.
Mims taking care of the ball
Trena Mims sits second in C-USA in assist-to-turnover ratio with her 57 helpers and 24 miscues. Eleven of her turnovers have occurred in three contests, while Mims has registered three games with zero mistakes and also has seven games with only a single turnover.
She set a career-high in assists with nine versus Houston Baptist Dec. 5 and has twice dished out six. Her total against HBU is the third-best performance within C-USA this season.
Doubling up
The Mean Green have compiled four double-doubles in the 2018-19 season, with three from junior post Anisha George and the other by redshirt sophomore forward Madi Townley. George's trio of double-doubles ranks fourth in C-USA, and she has been shy one or two rebounds on three occasions for her fourth.
Throughout the 2017-18 season, the team amassed five, one each from current players Terriell Bradley and Micayla Buckner. Two seasons ago, six double-doubles were accomplished, half of them coming from Bradley.
Bradley enters top 10 in scoring
With her career-high 40-point performance against NDSU Nov. 24, Terriell Bradley has continued to show her offensive prowess with 30 points at SMU Nov. 28 and 36 versus Missouri State Dec. 1. She has elevated from 14thto eighth in the UNT career-scoring charts with 1,228 points. Head coach Jalie Mitchell's (1998-2002) record of sits at 1,764.
If Bradley continues her current 18 average throughout the regular season, she would move into fifth all-time with over 1,400 points.
Chart-topping Bradley
With 353 free throws made, Bradley sits in fourth place all-time in program history. She needs 12 more to tie Isalene Jones (1980-84) for third. Not out of sight is the No. 1 spot, held by head coach Jalie Mitchell, who sank 411 throughout her career. Bradley made 164 from the line last season and needs 58 to dethrone Mitchell, which comes out to 5.3 makes per game through the remainder of the regular season.
Bradley is sixth all-time in 3-pointers made with 115. Ashley Norris (1995-2000) occupies the top spot with 197.
Bring on the OT
The Mean Green have compiled a lowly 12-26 record throughout program history in overtime games, but following the 83-76 win over Missouri State Dec. 1, UNT has strung together six straight victories involving extra periods. The win over the Bears was just the third in program history UNT has found success inside The Super Pit in OT, as the team is now at 3-10 at home. Two seasons ago, North Texas pulled out wins in each of their four overtime contests, and went one-for-one in 2017-18.
Non-con results
Following the 93-52 win over Oklahoma Panhandle State Dec. 29, UNT finished their nonconference schedule two games above .500 at 7-5. Dating to the 2015-16 season, the Mean Green are 24-21 in games occurring before the start of C-USA play. The team posted a mark of 9-3 in pre-conference play last season.
Last outing for the Mean Green
HOUSTON (Jan. 19, 2019) – North Texas played Rice close after outscoring the Owls in the second quarter, but the Mean Green went without a field goal for nearly seven minutes after halftime before eventually falling, 64-52, Saturday afternoon inside Tudor Fieldhouse.
Terriell Bradley, returning from a two-game absence, scored a team-high 13 points as Grace Goodhart joined her in double figures with 10. Anisha George pulled down a career and game-high 14 rebounds while battling with Rice's 6-9 center, Nancy Mulkey. Brittany Smith handed out a game-high six assists for North Texas.
The Mean Green (10-7, 3-2 C-USA) struggled shooting below 32 percent (18-of-57) from the field, while Rice (14-3, 5-0 C-USA) was slightly better at 41 percent (22-of-54). The Owls recorded 42 rebounds whereas North Texas tallied 31, and UNT forced Rice into 17 turnovers while committing 14. Mulkey recorded six blocks at the expense of North Texas.
