Tuesday, February 27
Denton, TX
6:30 PM CT
University of North Texas
21-7,11-5AAC
93
vs
91
East Carolina
15-12,8-8AAC
1
2
3
4
OT 1
OT 2
OT 3
OT 4
F
East Carolina
14
14
24
12
12
6
5
4
91
North Texas
22
19
12
11
12
6
5
6
93
WBB Ties Single-Season Wins Record in 4OT Victory Over ECU
2/27/2024 11:39:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Mean Green defated the Pirates, 93-91, in the longest game in program history
DENTON, Texas – The UNT women's basketball team outlasted East Carolina, 93-91, in the longest game in program history that went into four overtimes Tuesday night inside The Super Pit.
It was one of just three Division I games this season to be decided in a fourth overtime and delivered UNT its 21st win on the season, tying the program's single-season win record that was set in the 2001-02 campaign.
At halftime, the Mean Green led by 13 with their largest lead in the half being 15 points. However, an 11-2 run by East Carolina to start the third quarter erased UNT's lead. ECU star Danae McNeal entered the night leading the conference with 20.5 points per game. North Texas held her to eight points on 3-of-14 shooting in the first half, but she would find her groove in the third quarter to steer the Pirates comeback. McNeal scored 11 points in the quarter and would finish with a game-high 32 on 38 shots.
Up until the 3:05 mark in the fourth quarter when the Pirates tied the game at 61, North Texas had led for all but one minute of the game. The teams would go back and forth in the final minutes as UNT found itself trailing 64-63 with seconds to go. A foul sent Shamaryah Duncan to the line where she made her first to tie the game, but missed her second attempt. With 11 seconds to play, Tommisha Lampkin intercepted a pass from McNeal that sent the game into overtime.
In the first overtime period, North Texas went on a 6-0 run, highlighted by a 3-pointer in the corner from Duncan that gave the Mean Green the lead. After going up 76-71 with 44 seconds to go, UNT saw its lead disappear once again as Khia Miller knocked down a 3-pointer and made a wild layup on a fast break that beat the buzzer to tie the game at 76. Miller had 19 points on the night before fouling out with 2:55 left in the second overtime after averaging just 2.8 points on the season.
The second overtime period saw East Carolina lead for the majority of the time, but a pair of free throws from DesiRay Kernal tied the game at 82. The UNT defense got another needed stop without ECU getting a shot off as time ran out. North Texas was clutch from the free throw line in the overtime periods. The Mean Green converted 30-of-40 attempts from the charity stripe overall, including a 16-of-20 markin the four overtime periods.
Dyani Robinson made five of her six free throw attempts in the third overtime and was responsible for all of UNT's points in the period. With the game tied at 87, UNT had a chance to take the final shot, but a turnover resulted in a fastbreak and a contested layup that missed the mark for the Pirates as time expired.
As the game surpassed the three-hour mark, Kernal knocked down four free throws in the final 1:12 to seal the victory. The Mean Green defense held the Pirates scoreless for the final 3:47 of the North Texas' first ever four-overtime game.
Kernal finished with her fourth consecutive double double on 22 points and a career-high 19 rebounds. She played 55:57 in the game, which is the second-most minutes played by any Division I player in a game this season.
Lampkin also surpassed 50 minutes of action Tuesday and posted a double double, marking the third game in-a-row her and Kernal have both recorded double doubles. She led the Mean Green in scoring with 23 points and added 13 rebounds. Desiree Wooten added a career-high 16 points in the win, while Duncan made three 3-pointers and totaled 13 points.
With the win, UNT improves to 21-7 on the season and 11-5 in American Athletic Conference play. It will have a chance to set a new single season wins record and tie the 2001-02 squad for the most conference wins in a season on the road against Rice Saturday. Tip off is set for 2 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
Quoting Head Coach Jason Burton
Thoughts on the game:
"I have never been a part of anything like that ever. Playing these tight games, we are learning a lot about who we are and what to do in late game situations. I felt like our execution had been getting better, but then you add the fatigue element at the end of each overtime. We had to outlast that team."
It was one of just three Division I games this season to be decided in a fourth overtime and delivered UNT its 21st win on the season, tying the program's single-season win record that was set in the 2001-02 campaign.
At halftime, the Mean Green led by 13 with their largest lead in the half being 15 points. However, an 11-2 run by East Carolina to start the third quarter erased UNT's lead. ECU star Danae McNeal entered the night leading the conference with 20.5 points per game. North Texas held her to eight points on 3-of-14 shooting in the first half, but she would find her groove in the third quarter to steer the Pirates comeback. McNeal scored 11 points in the quarter and would finish with a game-high 32 on 38 shots.
Up until the 3:05 mark in the fourth quarter when the Pirates tied the game at 61, North Texas had led for all but one minute of the game. The teams would go back and forth in the final minutes as UNT found itself trailing 64-63 with seconds to go. A foul sent Shamaryah Duncan to the line where she made her first to tie the game, but missed her second attempt. With 11 seconds to play, Tommisha Lampkin intercepted a pass from McNeal that sent the game into overtime.
In the first overtime period, North Texas went on a 6-0 run, highlighted by a 3-pointer in the corner from Duncan that gave the Mean Green the lead. After going up 76-71 with 44 seconds to go, UNT saw its lead disappear once again as Khia Miller knocked down a 3-pointer and made a wild layup on a fast break that beat the buzzer to tie the game at 76. Miller had 19 points on the night before fouling out with 2:55 left in the second overtime after averaging just 2.8 points on the season.
The second overtime period saw East Carolina lead for the majority of the time, but a pair of free throws from DesiRay Kernal tied the game at 82. The UNT defense got another needed stop without ECU getting a shot off as time ran out. North Texas was clutch from the free throw line in the overtime periods. The Mean Green converted 30-of-40 attempts from the charity stripe overall, including a 16-of-20 markin the four overtime periods.
Dyani Robinson made five of her six free throw attempts in the third overtime and was responsible for all of UNT's points in the period. With the game tied at 87, UNT had a chance to take the final shot, but a turnover resulted in a fastbreak and a contested layup that missed the mark for the Pirates as time expired.
As the game surpassed the three-hour mark, Kernal knocked down four free throws in the final 1:12 to seal the victory. The Mean Green defense held the Pirates scoreless for the final 3:47 of the North Texas' first ever four-overtime game.
Kernal finished with her fourth consecutive double double on 22 points and a career-high 19 rebounds. She played 55:57 in the game, which is the second-most minutes played by any Division I player in a game this season.
Lampkin also surpassed 50 minutes of action Tuesday and posted a double double, marking the third game in-a-row her and Kernal have both recorded double doubles. She led the Mean Green in scoring with 23 points and added 13 rebounds. Desiree Wooten added a career-high 16 points in the win, while Duncan made three 3-pointers and totaled 13 points.
With the win, UNT improves to 21-7 on the season and 11-5 in American Athletic Conference play. It will have a chance to set a new single season wins record and tie the 2001-02 squad for the most conference wins in a season on the road against Rice Saturday. Tip off is set for 2 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
Quoting Head Coach Jason Burton
Thoughts on the game:
"I have never been a part of anything like that ever. Playing these tight games, we are learning a lot about who we are and what to do in late game situations. I felt like our execution had been getting better, but then you add the fatigue element at the end of each overtime. We had to outlast that team."
Team Stats
ECU
UNT
FG%
.398
.400
3FG%
.176
.200
FT%
.667
.750
RB
50
54
TO
20
24
STL
14
13
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
23
FGM
9
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
22
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
8
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
Guard
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/ Women's BasketballForward
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
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Thursday, February 27