DRC: womens BB pleased with LSU effort, mens BB

[OldTimer]

College basketball: UNT coach pleased with effort against LSU

01:17 AM CST on Friday, December 3, 2004

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

North Texas women’s basketball coach Tina Slinker was hoping for a much better result, but she couldn’t have been happier with the Mean Green’s effort in a loss to LSU on Tuesday.

LSU cruised to an easy 77-51 win over the Mean Green after rising to the top spot in the Associated Press poll. The game marked the first time the UNT women’s basketball team has taken on the top-ranked team in the country.

“Actually I was pleased with the way we played against LSU,” Slinker said. “We competed and were never really out of it. We showed composure, handled the opportunity and were fearless.”

The performance is one UNT hopes to build on Sunday in a game at regional rival SMU. The Mean Green has lost to SMU by four points in each of the last two seasons.

A solid performance against LSU has convinced UNT’s players that they have a chance to break through against their rival.

“I was very encouraged,” sophomore forward Kelsie Edwards said of UNT’s outing against LSU. “We never laid down and died. We kept fighting.”

Talicia Sanders posted 12 points and six rebounds and was one of the bright spots in the game for UNT. The freshman doubled her previous career high of six points in a game against Binghamton earlier this year.

Sanders’ size and physical style were assets for UNT in its game against LSU, Slinker said.

“We needed another post player to step up and she has been playing well the last couple of games,” Edwards said. “She is a physical presence inside.”

Hines pulling down rebounds

Junior point guard Isaac Hines has played a key role in helping the UNT men’s basketball team move toward the top of the Sun Belt Conference’s list of the top rebounding teams in the league.

Hines, 6-0, 175, is averaging 6.0 rebounds a game to rank second on the team and is tied for 17th in the Sun Belt.

UNT entered Thursday’s games ranked third in the 11-team Sun Belt with a rebounding margin of plus three. Only Arkansas State and Middle Tennessee ranked ahead of the Mean Green.

UNT receiving votes in poll

The UNT men’s basketball team is receiving votes in the Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.

The Mean Green garnered four votes in the poll that rates teams that play in 22 conferences. Coaches in several mid-major leagues around the country vote in the poll.

UNT playing solid defense

The UNT women’s basketball team showed signs of improving defensively in its first three games of the season.

The Mean Green held two of its first three opponents to less than 20 points in the first half and ranked sixth in the Sun Belt Conference in scoring defense with an average of 67.0 points allowed a game heading into Thursday’s games.

The Mean Green also ranks third in the league in steals with an average of 9.5 a game.

UNT struggled defensively at times last season and finished the year ranked 10th out of 11 teams in the Sun Belt with an average of 66.5 points allowed a game.

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com