Thursday, February 20
Houston
7 PM
University of North Texas
at
Rice
Photo by: Jon Mitchell
Mean Green At Rice
2/19/2020 9:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
About the Mean Green
North Texas is 3-10 in Conference USA contests and 9-16 overall following a 71-66 loss at Old Dominion Feb. 15 where Jazion Jackson posted a career-high 19 points. Anisha George averages team-highs of 13.2 points and 8.4 rebounds, and Destinee McDowell contributes 11.1 and 7.2, respectively. The Mean Green is putting up 63.9 points per contest and allowing 62 while outrebounding opponents by two.
About the Owls
Rice suffered its first two league losses last week at Old Dominion and Charlotte to drop to 11-2 in C-USA and 16-8 overall. The Owls are led by a pair of C-USA Preseason Team selections in Erica Ogwumike and Nancy Mulkey. Ogwumike leads the conference in scoring at 18.2 points per game, while Mulkey is tops in blocked shots at 3.3 and adds 11.2 points and 6.1 rebounds.
History between the squads
The Owls have won 12 of the 16 meetings dating to the 1986-87 season. Rice has been the victor in 10 of the last 11 since 2015-16, including a win over the Mean Green earlier this month and 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
DENTON (Feb. 1, 2020)– An inefficient second half doomed the North Texas women's basketball team in a 67-52 loss to Rice at The Super Pit.
The Mean Green shot 48% from the field in the first half, which kept them within striking distance of the Owls heading into halftime. However, Rice (14-6, 9-0 in C-USA) began the third period on an 8-0 run before going on to outscore UNT 22-6 in the third quarter.
While the Mean Green (9-12, 3-6 in C-USA) struggled to shoot the ball as a team, freshman N'Yah Boyd caught fire from the field. Boyd finished with 20 points on 9 of 13 shooting and played an instrumental part in keeping the Mean Green within striking distance heading into the break.
George on target
Anisha George, the team's lone senior, is one of the most accurate field goal shooters in Conference USA at over 64 percent and ranks sixth in the country. The St. Croix, Virgin Islands, native has connected on 129 of her 200 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 31st nationally averaging 3.7 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, has not used the same five more than four 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 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 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 421 trips to the free throw line this season compared to 390 from their opponents. Against Rice Feb. 1, the team sank a season-best 11-of-12 (91 percent) and also had a good showing against Texas A&M-Texarkana Dec. 29 by going 16-of-18 (89 percent). However, prior to an 11-of-14 performance at ODU Feb. 15, UNT had shot a combined 20-of-51 (39 percent), including 0-for-8 against UAB Feb. 8. 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 316 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 4.6 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 62 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
NORFOLK, Va. (Feb. 15, 2020) – A 25-point third quarter and a career-high 19 points from freshman Jazion Jackson were not enough to overcome a 71-66 loss to Old Dominion at Chartway Arena.
Jackson's efficient offensive performance resulted in 7-of-12 shooting from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line. Senior Anisha George, who fouled out with over a minute left in the game, finished with nine points and 10 rebounds. George was one point short of her seventh double-double this season.
North Texas is 3-10 in Conference USA contests and 9-16 overall following a 71-66 loss at Old Dominion Feb. 15 where Jazion Jackson posted a career-high 19 points. Anisha George averages team-highs of 13.2 points and 8.4 rebounds, and Destinee McDowell contributes 11.1 and 7.2, respectively. The Mean Green is putting up 63.9 points per contest and allowing 62 while outrebounding opponents by two.
About the Owls
Rice suffered its first two league losses last week at Old Dominion and Charlotte to drop to 11-2 in C-USA and 16-8 overall. The Owls are led by a pair of C-USA Preseason Team selections in Erica Ogwumike and Nancy Mulkey. Ogwumike leads the conference in scoring at 18.2 points per game, while Mulkey is tops in blocked shots at 3.3 and adds 11.2 points and 6.1 rebounds.
History between the squads
The Owls have won 12 of the 16 meetings dating to the 1986-87 season. Rice has been the victor in 10 of the last 11 since 2015-16, including a win over the Mean Green earlier this month and 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
DENTON (Feb. 1, 2020)– An inefficient second half doomed the North Texas women's basketball team in a 67-52 loss to Rice at The Super Pit.
The Mean Green shot 48% from the field in the first half, which kept them within striking distance of the Owls heading into halftime. However, Rice (14-6, 9-0 in C-USA) began the third period on an 8-0 run before going on to outscore UNT 22-6 in the third quarter.
While the Mean Green (9-12, 3-6 in C-USA) struggled to shoot the ball as a team, freshman N'Yah Boyd caught fire from the field. Boyd finished with 20 points on 9 of 13 shooting and played an instrumental part in keeping the Mean Green within striking distance heading into the break.
George on target
Anisha George, the team's lone senior, is one of the most accurate field goal shooters in Conference USA at over 64 percent and ranks sixth in the country. The St. Croix, Virgin Islands, native has connected on 129 of her 200 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 31st nationally averaging 3.7 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, has not used the same five more than four 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 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 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 421 trips to the free throw line this season compared to 390 from their opponents. Against Rice Feb. 1, the team sank a season-best 11-of-12 (91 percent) and also had a good showing against Texas A&M-Texarkana Dec. 29 by going 16-of-18 (89 percent). However, prior to an 11-of-14 performance at ODU Feb. 15, UNT had shot a combined 20-of-51 (39 percent), including 0-for-8 against UAB Feb. 8. 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 316 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 4.6 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 62 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
NORFOLK, Va. (Feb. 15, 2020) – A 25-point third quarter and a career-high 19 points from freshman Jazion Jackson were not enough to overcome a 71-66 loss to Old Dominion at Chartway Arena.
Jackson's efficient offensive performance resulted in 7-of-12 shooting from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line. Senior Anisha George, who fouled out with over a minute left in the game, finished with nine points and 10 rebounds. George was one point short of her seventh double-double this season.
Players Mentioned
Point Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Post
/ Women's Basketball
Point Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Point Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
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