University of North Texas Athletics
University of North Texas
Rice
Women’s Basketball Faces League-Leading Rice in Nationally Televised Game
2/9/2026 4:22:00 PM | Women's Basketball
DENTON, Texas – The UNT women's basketball team concludes its two-game road trip with a marquee matchup at league-leading Rice Tuesday night. The contest is slated for an 8 p.m. CT tip-off at Tudor Fieldhouse and will be televised on ESPNU, marking UNT's second time ever to be featured on a linear broadcast.
North Texas (13-10, 7-4 American) is riding high into Tuesday with wins in back-to-back games. The most recent came on Saturday at Temple, as UNT overcame a 13-point first half deficit and secured its biggest comeback victory of the season, 69-66. A 16-0 UNT run throughout the second and third quarters brought it back into the fold before Megan Nestor slammed the door over the final 10 minutes. She accounted for all 13 Mean Green points in the fourth quarter and scored back-to-back late baskets to tie and then take the lead for good.
Nestor finished the afternoon with 20 points, 13 rebounds and four steals, earning her American Conference Player of the Week honors. It was her 14th double double of the season, good for most in the league.
Winners of 15 in a row, Rice currently sits atop the American standings at 20-3 overall and 10-0 in league play. With one of the conference's top defenses, the Owls lead the American in scoring defense (58.9) and rank second in opponent field goal percentage (38.0).
Krista Blunk and Andrea Lloyd will be on the call for ESPNU while Sam Kaman provides radio coverage through the Varsity Network App.
WHAT 2 WATCH 4
• North Texas completes its two-game road trip Tuesday night with a crucial American Conference matchup at league-leading Rice.
• UNT has won seven of its last nine road games against American opponents.
• Tuesday's game will be televised on ESPNU, marking the second time in UNT women's basketball history to be featured on a linear broadcast.
• Megan Nestor has maintained her dominance in the paint since making national headlines with her 34-point, 31-rebound performance against Texas Southern on Dec. 6. She leads the nation in both total rebounds (13.7) and offensive rebounds (5.6) per game and is the American's only player averaging a double double on the season.
BIG MEG POSTING BIG NUMBERS
• Megan Nestor has been a difference maker down low as one of two Division I players averaging 13+ points and 13+ rebounds per game. Her 14 double doubles on the season also lead the American and rank top 10 in the entire country.
• She is best rebounder in the sport, leading the NCAA in total rebounds (316), offensive rebounds (129), rebounds per game (13.7) and offensive rebounds per game (5.6)
• Nestor is the country's only player to have recorded 20+ rebounds in four different games this season and the American's first player to ever do so.
• With rebound outings of 31, 27 and 24, Nestor has accounted for the three of the five highest rebounding games in the NCAA this season. She is one of our four players in the last decade to have reached 24 rebounds three times in a single season.
• At 13.7 rebounds per game, she is pacing to break the program and American Conference's single-season rebounding record. Her 27- and 31-rebound games already claimed the top two spots for single-game rebounds among UNT and American players.
PROCTOR IN CONFERENCE PLAY
• Aysia Proctor has been on a tear since joining the starting lineup for the American Conference opener on Dec. 30.
• Through 11 conference games, Proctor leads the team in scoring at 14.2 PPG while sinking 43.1% of her 5.3 three-point attempts per game.
• Proctor enters Tuesday as one of four players in the league averaging 12+ points per game and shooting at least 38% from behind the arc on the year.
DEFENSIVE DATA
• The Mean Green's defense has been crucial to their success this year, ranking top three among American teams in scoring defense (61.5), opponent field goal percentage (38.5), turnovers forced per game (19.7) and steals per game (9.6).
• UNT has held its opponent under 60 points 11 times this season, the second-highest total in the American. North Texas holds an 9-2 record in those instances.
A WIN WOULD...
• Improve North Texas to 14-10 and 8-4 against American competition.
• Give North Texas wins in eight of its last 10 conference road games and improve it to 17-8 in such instances under head coach Jason Burton overall.
• Give Burton 62 career wins at North Texas, just four shy of matching Judy Nelson for third-most in program history.
• Give North Texas its eighth win over Rice in the past 11 meetings.
• Snap Rice's 15-game win streak for its first loss of conference play.
