Saturday, February 24
Birmingham, AL
2:00 PM CT
University of North Texas
at
UAB
Women's Basketball Heads to UAB for Pivotal Matchup
2/23/2024 6:39:00 PM | Women's Basketball
DENTON, Texas – UNT women's basketball (19-7, 9-5 AAC) will look to get back on track following a pair of home losses when it faces UAB (18-9, 9-6 AAC) Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. CT in Bartow Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.
The teams previously met on Jan. 28 with sole possession of first place in the American Athletic Conference on the line. North Texas defeated UAB in that game, 87-72, behind a career-high 28 points from DesiRay Kernal. The North Texas defense was able to contain UAB's star guards Mia Moore and Denim Deshields to 15 points apiece on a combined 13-of-32 from the field.
Since then, both teams have fallen on hard times as UNT is 2-4 its last six games, while UAB is 3-4 in its last seven. Following losses to UTSA and Charlotte, the Mean Green find themselves out of first place in the conference standings for the first time since Jan. 21.
The last time out, UNT dropped an overtime contest to Charlotte despite double doubles from Kernal and Tommisha Lampkin. An Olivia Porter 3-pointer from the corner with two seconds left in the extra period stunned the Mean Green and gave the 49ers a 70-69 win.
Saturday's game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Curt Bloom and Lynden Blake on the call. The game can also be heard on the Varsity Sports Network with Zac Babb.
WHAT 2 WATCH 4
• North Texas travels to UAB to face the Blazers for a second time this season.
• Having lost two in a row, the Mean Green find themselves out of first place in the AAC standings for the first time since Jan. 21.
• North Texas is one win away from breaking the program's record for regular season wins. At 19 wins, UNT is currently tied with four other teams who reached the mark.
• DesiRay Kernal led UNT to an 87-72 victory over UAB in the first meeting on Jan. 28. Kernal's 28 points matched a career high, while the win gave UNT sole possession of first place in the conference.
SERIES HISTORY
• North Texas and UAB will meet for the 20th time in series history on Saturday.
• The Mean Green hold an 11-8 advantage in the series after winning the first meeting this season, 87-72, in Denton.
• North Texas holds a 5-4 series lead in Birmingham, with wins in three of the last four contests at UAB.
• DesiRay Kernal had a career-high 28 points against the Blazers on Jan. 28. She also added nine rebounds in the win, while Tommisha Lampkin added 19 points.
CAUSE YOU'RE LOOKING AT A WINNER
• Both Dyani Robinson and DesiRay Kernal are two of the winningest players in the country regardless of the division.
• Kernal has won 101 games she has appeared in over her five seasons of college basketball. In total, she has played in 139 of 140 career games, making her career winning percentage 72.6%.
• Robinson is not far behind her teammate with 93 career wins. Of note, Robinson missed the final 16 games of the 2022-23 season with a torn ACL.
THE MAGIC NUMBER IS 70
• With the UNT offense averaging 74.3 points per game, getting to 70 has proven to be an indicator of success for the Mean Green.
• North Texas is 17-1 this season when scoring 70 or more points.
• The lone loss came on Feb. 4 when North Texas fell to Tulsa 79-74.
The teams previously met on Jan. 28 with sole possession of first place in the American Athletic Conference on the line. North Texas defeated UAB in that game, 87-72, behind a career-high 28 points from DesiRay Kernal. The North Texas defense was able to contain UAB's star guards Mia Moore and Denim Deshields to 15 points apiece on a combined 13-of-32 from the field.
Since then, both teams have fallen on hard times as UNT is 2-4 its last six games, while UAB is 3-4 in its last seven. Following losses to UTSA and Charlotte, the Mean Green find themselves out of first place in the conference standings for the first time since Jan. 21.
The last time out, UNT dropped an overtime contest to Charlotte despite double doubles from Kernal and Tommisha Lampkin. An Olivia Porter 3-pointer from the corner with two seconds left in the extra period stunned the Mean Green and gave the 49ers a 70-69 win.
Saturday's game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Curt Bloom and Lynden Blake on the call. The game can also be heard on the Varsity Sports Network with Zac Babb.
WHAT 2 WATCH 4
• North Texas travels to UAB to face the Blazers for a second time this season.
• Having lost two in a row, the Mean Green find themselves out of first place in the AAC standings for the first time since Jan. 21.
• North Texas is one win away from breaking the program's record for regular season wins. At 19 wins, UNT is currently tied with four other teams who reached the mark.
• DesiRay Kernal led UNT to an 87-72 victory over UAB in the first meeting on Jan. 28. Kernal's 28 points matched a career high, while the win gave UNT sole possession of first place in the conference.
SERIES HISTORY
• North Texas and UAB will meet for the 20th time in series history on Saturday.
• The Mean Green hold an 11-8 advantage in the series after winning the first meeting this season, 87-72, in Denton.
• North Texas holds a 5-4 series lead in Birmingham, with wins in three of the last four contests at UAB.
• DesiRay Kernal had a career-high 28 points against the Blazers on Jan. 28. She also added nine rebounds in the win, while Tommisha Lampkin added 19 points.
CAUSE YOU'RE LOOKING AT A WINNER
• Both Dyani Robinson and DesiRay Kernal are two of the winningest players in the country regardless of the division.
• Kernal has won 101 games she has appeared in over her five seasons of college basketball. In total, she has played in 139 of 140 career games, making her career winning percentage 72.6%.
• Robinson is not far behind her teammate with 93 career wins. Of note, Robinson missed the final 16 games of the 2022-23 season with a torn ACL.
THE MAGIC NUMBER IS 70
• With the UNT offense averaging 74.3 points per game, getting to 70 has proven to be an indicator of success for the Mean Green.
• North Texas is 17-1 this season when scoring 70 or more points.
• The lone loss came on Feb. 4 when North Texas fell to Tulsa 79-74.
Players Mentioned
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