Saturday, February 1
Denton
3 PM
University of North Texas
vs
Rice
Mean Green Vs Rice
1/31/2020 4:10:00 PM | Women's Basketball
About the Mean Green
North Texas split last week's contests with a 79-55 win at UTSA Jan. 23 and a 67-63 loss at UTEP Jan. 25 to move to 9-11 overall and 3-5 in Conference USA play. Anisha George averages team-highs of 12.9 points and 8.9 rebounds, and Destinee McDowell contributes 11.1 and 7.2, respectively. The Mean Green is putting up 65.6 points per contest and allowing 60.4 while outrebounding opponents by four.
About the Owls
Rice, the top team in C-USA, has yet to lose a league contest to stand at 8-0 and 13-6 overall. Erica Ogwumike, the C-USA Preseason Player of the Year, has racked up a pair of Player of the Week awards this season. Ogwumike averages a league-best 17.5 points along with 9.6 rebounds, and Nancy Mulkey leads the conference in blocks with 3.5 per game and adds 10.4 points.
History between the squads
The Owls have won 11 of the 15 meetings dating to the 1986-87 season. Rice has been the victor in nine of the last 10 since 2015-16, including a win over the Mean Green in the C-USA quarterfinals last season. Past matchups between North Texas and Rice have needed a single, double, and triple overtime to decide the outcome.
Last meeting
FRISCO (March 14, 2019) – Postseason play in the 2019 Air Force Reserve C-USA Championships came to an end for North Texas women's basketball in a 61-43 loss to 24th-ranked and top-seeded Rice in the quarterfinals at The Star.
Madison Townley and Terriell Bradley each scored a team-high 11 points, and Townley grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Mean Green (15-15, 7-9 C-USA). UNT and Rice (26-3, 16-0 C-USA) each recorded 20 field goals, but the Owls hit five 3-pointers compared to one from the Mean Green. Rice also sank 16 of 19 from the free throw line while North Texas was 2 of 6. UNT forced 17 Rice turnovers and turned those into 20 points.
George on target
Anisha George, the team's lone senior, is the most accurate field goal shooter in Conference USA as she leads the league at nearly 66 percent and ranks sixth in the country. The St. Croix, Virgin Islands, native has connected on 95 of her 145 shots and has knocked down at least 80 percent of her tries six times this season, with her best outing coming from a 10-of-12 showing against Louisiana Tech. George is also a force on the glass as her 26 rebounds in the season opener against Mid-America Christian is still the single-game high by a player nationally this year. George is ranked 24th nationally averaging 4.1 offensive rebounds per game.
Lineup combos
Finding just the right starting lineup can be very beneficial for a team to reach consistency and collect wins. The Mean Green have faced several injuries, along with a mix of new players, making it difficult to pinpoint the perfect combination this season. North Texas has employed 15 different starting lineups throughout the 20 games, has not used the same five more than three times, and every eligible member of the team has cracked the first five at least twice. The mixture of Jazion Jackson, Trena Mims, Callie Owens, Destinee McDowell and Anisha George has recorded the best mark at 2-0.
Working overtime
Two Mean Green contests within a week were decided by extra periods with an 84-78 double overtime loss at Florida Atlantic Jan. 11 and a 74-69 win over LA Tech Jan. 18 in Denton. North Texas is now 13-27 all-time in overtime games. Before the loss at Florida Atlantic, the Mean Green had won six straight contests involving extra periods. Last season, North Texas defeated Missouri State, 83-76, UNT's third win in program history inside The Super Pit in OT. Three seasons ago, North Texas pulled out wins in each of its four overtime contests and went one-for-one in 2017-18.
Boards, boards, boards
The Mean Green have done a nice job of securing rebounds this season as they lead Conference USA and rank in the top 25 nationally in several categories: total rebounds (855, #12), rebounds per game (42.8 RPG, #21), and offensive RPG (15.3, #24). UNT is outrebounding their opponents by an average of four a contest.
The 63 rebounds collected against Texas A&M-Texarkana Dec. 29 ranks as the seventh-highest output in NCAA Division I this season. Anisha George's 26 against Mid-American Christian Nov. 7 is the best performance in NCAA Division I this season and also tied a UNT record. Charlene Shepherd recorded 23 against WKU Jan. 2 to sit third in the country and second all-time at UNT.
Doubling up
The Mean Green have already compiled 12 double-doubles in 2019-20, with half of them from Anisha George, two each from Charlene Shepherd and Destinee McDowell and Callie Owens. Last season, the team registered a total of seven – six from George and one by Madison Townley.
Getting to the line
The Mean Green has made 356 trips to the free throw line this season compared to 295 from their opponents. Against Texas A&M-Texarkana, the team sank a season-best 16-of-18 (89 percent). Beginning with the Rainbow Wahine Showdown Nov. 29-Dec. 1 through the FIU contest Jan. 9, they had gone a combined 82-of-20 (68.2 percent) before faltering at Florida Atlantic Jan. 11 with a 22-of-38 (57.9 percent) showing. The Mean Green also struggled early on by only converting 46-of-89 (51.7 percent) throughout the first five games. Destinee McDowell has been almost a sure bet at the line by knocking down nearly 83 percent of her tries.
Three-point woes
The Mean Green has encountered shooting trouble from beyond the arc by connecting on just 26.9 percent of their attempts, ranking them 310 of the 348 teams in NCAA Division I. The team had a breakout against WKU Jan. 2 by knocking down a season high 10-of-18 from deep, the seventh best performance in school history, and sank 10 again at UTEP Jan. 25. In 2018-19, the squad concluded the season at 30.4 percent while knocking down 5.1 per game compared to 4.9 this season.
Start of C-USA play
The win over WKU Jan. 2 marked the second season in a row the Mean Green began conference play with a win. In 2018-19, the team compiled a 3-0 start in C-USA play for the first time in program history. Under head coach Jalie Mitchell, UNT also opened the conference slate with a victory in 2015-16.
Flurry of season-highs
The Mean Green closed out the non-conference schedule on a high note with a barrage of season team-highs in the convincing win over Texas A&M-Texarkana Dec. 29. The squad set season-highs in points (114), rebounds (63), field goal percentage (50.5), free throw percentage (88.9), assists (20) and steals (18) as well as a program-best 46 field goals against the Eagles.
Non-con results
UNT evened its overall record to 6-6 in non-conference with the dominant 114-54 win over Texas A&M-Texarkana Dec. 29. Dating to the 2015-16 season, the Mean Green is 29-29 in games occurring before the start of C-USA play. The team posted a mark of 7-5 in pre-conference play last season.
UNT versus top 25
The final opponent for North Texas at the Rainbow Wahine Showdown, No. 12 NC State, was the latest top 25 team to face the Mean Green in program history. Following the 76-65 UNT loss Dec. 1, the Mean Green are 1-18 all-time against the top 25 teams, with that one win coming over No. 17 Oklahoma in 2015 – Jalie Mitchell's first win as a college head coach.
Put it on lockdown
Jalie Mitchell's teams have always been regarded for their defense, and that won't change this season. What will change is the pace at which the Mean Green play. Showing more pressure defense than in past seasons, thanks to a change in philosophy and some new assistant coaches. In the Nov. 11 win over Alcorn State, UNT's defense set a program record as it allowed just 31 points to the Lady Braves. The Mean Green then tied the mark Nov. 20 with the win over Xavier (La.). The previous low in a game was when UNT allowed 33 points in a win at New Orleans on Jan. 5, 2006. Through five games, the Mean Green are allowing 60.4 points per game.
Going for five
In her fifth season at the helm of her alma mater, head coach Jalie Mitchell, who is UNT's all-time leading scorer, has seen her teams improve their win totals in each of her four past seasons, culminating with last year's 18-win campaign that saw UNT make it to the final of the WBI postseason tournament, collecting the first postseason wins in program history along the way.
Last Mean Green outing
SAN ANTONIO (Jan. 23, 2020) – North Texas women's basketball improved to 3-4 in Conference USA play with a 79-55 win over UTSA, aided by Summer Jones dropping a career-high 21 points and Anisha George recording her sixth double-double of the season Thursday afternoon.
The win moved head coach Jalie Mitchell into second all-time in wins at North Texas.
North Texas had four players score in double figures. Jones with her 21, and George with 17 to go along with 12 rebounds. N'Yah Boyd added 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Randi Thompson contributed 11 points.
North Texas split last week's contests with a 79-55 win at UTSA Jan. 23 and a 67-63 loss at UTEP Jan. 25 to move to 9-11 overall and 3-5 in Conference USA play. Anisha George averages team-highs of 12.9 points and 8.9 rebounds, and Destinee McDowell contributes 11.1 and 7.2, respectively. The Mean Green is putting up 65.6 points per contest and allowing 60.4 while outrebounding opponents by four.
About the Owls
Rice, the top team in C-USA, has yet to lose a league contest to stand at 8-0 and 13-6 overall. Erica Ogwumike, the C-USA Preseason Player of the Year, has racked up a pair of Player of the Week awards this season. Ogwumike averages a league-best 17.5 points along with 9.6 rebounds, and Nancy Mulkey leads the conference in blocks with 3.5 per game and adds 10.4 points.
History between the squads
The Owls have won 11 of the 15 meetings dating to the 1986-87 season. Rice has been the victor in nine of the last 10 since 2015-16, including a win over the Mean Green in the C-USA quarterfinals last season. Past matchups between North Texas and Rice have needed a single, double, and triple overtime to decide the outcome.
Last meeting
FRISCO (March 14, 2019) – Postseason play in the 2019 Air Force Reserve C-USA Championships came to an end for North Texas women's basketball in a 61-43 loss to 24th-ranked and top-seeded Rice in the quarterfinals at The Star.
Madison Townley and Terriell Bradley each scored a team-high 11 points, and Townley grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Mean Green (15-15, 7-9 C-USA). UNT and Rice (26-3, 16-0 C-USA) each recorded 20 field goals, but the Owls hit five 3-pointers compared to one from the Mean Green. Rice also sank 16 of 19 from the free throw line while North Texas was 2 of 6. UNT forced 17 Rice turnovers and turned those into 20 points.
George on target
Anisha George, the team's lone senior, is the most accurate field goal shooter in Conference USA as she leads the league at nearly 66 percent and ranks sixth in the country. The St. Croix, Virgin Islands, native has connected on 95 of her 145 shots and has knocked down at least 80 percent of her tries six times this season, with her best outing coming from a 10-of-12 showing against Louisiana Tech. George is also a force on the glass as her 26 rebounds in the season opener against Mid-America Christian is still the single-game high by a player nationally this year. George is ranked 24th nationally averaging 4.1 offensive rebounds per game.
Lineup combos
Finding just the right starting lineup can be very beneficial for a team to reach consistency and collect wins. The Mean Green have faced several injuries, along with a mix of new players, making it difficult to pinpoint the perfect combination this season. North Texas has employed 15 different starting lineups throughout the 20 games, has not used the same five more than three times, and every eligible member of the team has cracked the first five at least twice. The mixture of Jazion Jackson, Trena Mims, Callie Owens, Destinee McDowell and Anisha George has recorded the best mark at 2-0.
Working overtime
Two Mean Green contests within a week were decided by extra periods with an 84-78 double overtime loss at Florida Atlantic Jan. 11 and a 74-69 win over LA Tech Jan. 18 in Denton. North Texas is now 13-27 all-time in overtime games. Before the loss at Florida Atlantic, the Mean Green had won six straight contests involving extra periods. Last season, North Texas defeated Missouri State, 83-76, UNT's third win in program history inside The Super Pit in OT. Three seasons ago, North Texas pulled out wins in each of its four overtime contests and went one-for-one in 2017-18.
Boards, boards, boards
The Mean Green have done a nice job of securing rebounds this season as they lead Conference USA and rank in the top 25 nationally in several categories: total rebounds (855, #12), rebounds per game (42.8 RPG, #21), and offensive RPG (15.3, #24). UNT is outrebounding their opponents by an average of four a contest.
The 63 rebounds collected against Texas A&M-Texarkana Dec. 29 ranks as the seventh-highest output in NCAA Division I this season. Anisha George's 26 against Mid-American Christian Nov. 7 is the best performance in NCAA Division I this season and also tied a UNT record. Charlene Shepherd recorded 23 against WKU Jan. 2 to sit third in the country and second all-time at UNT.
Doubling up
The Mean Green have already compiled 12 double-doubles in 2019-20, with half of them from Anisha George, two each from Charlene Shepherd and Destinee McDowell and Callie Owens. Last season, the team registered a total of seven – six from George and one by Madison Townley.
Getting to the line
The Mean Green has made 356 trips to the free throw line this season compared to 295 from their opponents. Against Texas A&M-Texarkana, the team sank a season-best 16-of-18 (89 percent). Beginning with the Rainbow Wahine Showdown Nov. 29-Dec. 1 through the FIU contest Jan. 9, they had gone a combined 82-of-20 (68.2 percent) before faltering at Florida Atlantic Jan. 11 with a 22-of-38 (57.9 percent) showing. The Mean Green also struggled early on by only converting 46-of-89 (51.7 percent) throughout the first five games. Destinee McDowell has been almost a sure bet at the line by knocking down nearly 83 percent of her tries.
Three-point woes
The Mean Green has encountered shooting trouble from beyond the arc by connecting on just 26.9 percent of their attempts, ranking them 310 of the 348 teams in NCAA Division I. The team had a breakout against WKU Jan. 2 by knocking down a season high 10-of-18 from deep, the seventh best performance in school history, and sank 10 again at UTEP Jan. 25. In 2018-19, the squad concluded the season at 30.4 percent while knocking down 5.1 per game compared to 4.9 this season.
Start of C-USA play
The win over WKU Jan. 2 marked the second season in a row the Mean Green began conference play with a win. In 2018-19, the team compiled a 3-0 start in C-USA play for the first time in program history. Under head coach Jalie Mitchell, UNT also opened the conference slate with a victory in 2015-16.
Flurry of season-highs
The Mean Green closed out the non-conference schedule on a high note with a barrage of season team-highs in the convincing win over Texas A&M-Texarkana Dec. 29. The squad set season-highs in points (114), rebounds (63), field goal percentage (50.5), free throw percentage (88.9), assists (20) and steals (18) as well as a program-best 46 field goals against the Eagles.
Non-con results
UNT evened its overall record to 6-6 in non-conference with the dominant 114-54 win over Texas A&M-Texarkana Dec. 29. Dating to the 2015-16 season, the Mean Green is 29-29 in games occurring before the start of C-USA play. The team posted a mark of 7-5 in pre-conference play last season.
UNT versus top 25
The final opponent for North Texas at the Rainbow Wahine Showdown, No. 12 NC State, was the latest top 25 team to face the Mean Green in program history. Following the 76-65 UNT loss Dec. 1, the Mean Green are 1-18 all-time against the top 25 teams, with that one win coming over No. 17 Oklahoma in 2015 – Jalie Mitchell's first win as a college head coach.
Put it on lockdown
Jalie Mitchell's teams have always been regarded for their defense, and that won't change this season. What will change is the pace at which the Mean Green play. Showing more pressure defense than in past seasons, thanks to a change in philosophy and some new assistant coaches. In the Nov. 11 win over Alcorn State, UNT's defense set a program record as it allowed just 31 points to the Lady Braves. The Mean Green then tied the mark Nov. 20 with the win over Xavier (La.). The previous low in a game was when UNT allowed 33 points in a win at New Orleans on Jan. 5, 2006. Through five games, the Mean Green are allowing 60.4 points per game.
Going for five
In her fifth season at the helm of her alma mater, head coach Jalie Mitchell, who is UNT's all-time leading scorer, has seen her teams improve their win totals in each of her four past seasons, culminating with last year's 18-win campaign that saw UNT make it to the final of the WBI postseason tournament, collecting the first postseason wins in program history along the way.
Last Mean Green outing
SAN ANTONIO (Jan. 23, 2020) – North Texas women's basketball improved to 3-4 in Conference USA play with a 79-55 win over UTSA, aided by Summer Jones dropping a career-high 21 points and Anisha George recording her sixth double-double of the season Thursday afternoon.
The win moved head coach Jalie Mitchell into second all-time in wins at North Texas.
North Texas had four players score in double figures. Jones with her 21, and George with 17 to go along with 12 rebounds. N'Yah Boyd added 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Randi Thompson contributed 11 points.
Players Mentioned
Point Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Post
/ Women's Basketball
Point Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Point Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
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