University of North Texas
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Oklahoma Christian
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3-Point Barrage Leads Women’s Basketball to 106-36 Victory in Season Opener
11/3/2025 8:54:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Hammond, Lidge post career highs in UNT debuts
DENTON, Texas – It didn't take long for the 11 newcomers on the UNT women's basketball team to bond on the court as the Mean Green blew out Oklahoma Christian 106-36 in Monday's season opener at The Super Pit.
Six of the newcomers scored in double figures, led by Tiffany Hammond's career-high 22 points. Megan Nestor added 17 points and 10 rebounds, Tionna Lidge also set a career high with 16, while Andi Schissler had 13 and Jazzy Owens-Barnett and Cherie Spencer each posted 12 points of their own. It marked the first time since the 2018-19 season that North Texas had six players score in double figures.
"We have a variety of players that can score the ball at a high level and should be confident in how they can score," head coach Jason Burton said. "I think we have a great balance of players that can stretch the floor, and then we have some bigs inside that can really score."
The Mean Green began to stretch the floor during a 38-point second quarter, which tied the program record for most points in a single period. UNT's 12 3-pointers for the game was the most since Nov. 11, 2021, and the third-most in program history.
Hammond was the catalyst for UNT's attack from behind-the-arc, making six of her seven attempts on the night while playing a well-rounded game. She became the first player with 20 points and 5 assists in a game since DesiRay Kernal against East Carolina on Feb. 27, 2024.
The offensive explosion was the second time under Burton that the Mean Green have exceeded 100 points. His teams now hold the highest-scoring game in program history, which came in his UNT debut in 2023 when North Texas scored 117 on UNT Dallas, and the fifth-highest mark in Monday's 106-point outing. UNT has also posted two of the three largest margins of victory in program history in the past three seasons, including the 70-point victory against OC.
After the first quarter, UNT outscored Oklahoma Christian 88-23, while holding the Lady Eagles under 10 points in each of the final three quarters. Burton credited the Mean Green's defense in fueling the offense.
"We want to be a team that doesn't just rely on our abilities to score the ball, but we want to show that we can play defense and get stops," Burton said. "Everything changed when we started pressuring the ball and focused on blocking out."
North Texas will return to action Friday night at 6 p.m. CT against Grambling State in the second of four games to open the season at The Super Pit.
