Led by a career day from Terra Ellison, women’s basketball snaps three-gaming losing streak

[Skipper]

With under six minutes left in the fourth quarter, North Texas and the University of the Incarnate Word were separated by ten points.

But the game felt closer than the scoreboard indicated.

While the Mean Green (3-6) led for over 38 minutes of the 40-minute game, the Cardinals (0-7) found ways to keep it close.

That is, until the Mean Green scored three times over a 37-second span, blowing the game open. The 23-10 run gave North Texas women’s basketball their third win of the year, defeating Incarnate Word 84-61 on Saturday evening at the Super Pit.

“I thought it was a great fourth quarter,” head coach Jalie Mitchell said. “I thought that we played defense the way we need to play defense [with] us picking up our energy.”

While the defense was inconsistent throughout the contest, the offense was able to open up and have an impressive game against the Cardinal’s zone and occasional press.

The team was led in scoring by senior forward Terra Ellison, who posted a career-high 19 points while also sinking her first three of the season.

“I guess [it was] just the energy from the team and I was getting a lot of offensive boards and putting them back,” Ellison said. “[I also] got the easy buckets like running the floor and knocking down my shot as well.”

The Mean Green were unable to outscore Incarnate Word by over five points in any of the first three quarters, but in the fourth, they put it together on both ends of the floor for a 31-16 advantage.

“We just had a lot more energy and a lot more ball pressure, that was really it,” Bradley said.

Ellison’s career high night was accompanied by three other double-digit scorers in sophomore guards Terriell Bradley (17) and Tyara Warren (13), and senior guard Kelsey Criner (13).

“We’re a pretty balanced squad, so it’s typical for us to be in the same area as far as attempts go,” Mitchell said. “We had five people with eight to 12 shots, so I think that’s pretty normal.”

Ellison led North Texas in rebounds, with eight, which has been the team’s primary focus since the Indiana game. The Mean Green outrebound the Cardinals 39-21, including a 15-6 edge on the offensive glass.

“This past week we’ve been really focused on rebounding, especially to improve that from last game,” Ellison said. “I guess we’ve been a lot more focused on that so we could improve on it.”

The win halted a three-game losing skid by the Mean Green and appeared to be a step to getting their footing before Conference USA play begins at the end of the month.

And while outside of the Arizona win North Texas has not put it together for a full 40 minutes, they are starting to look more comfortable on both ends.

“A win is a very important step,” Mitchell said. “Gaining some confidence and finding out who we are, what we look like, and what we should look like is big and will be great for us.”

Next up: The Mean Green travel to take on Missouri State at 2:05 p.m. Saturday. 

Featured Image: North Texas senior guard Kelsey Criner (3) drives the lane against Incarnate Word. The Mean Green improved to 3-6 on the season after the 84-61 win. Colin Mitchell

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