DRC womens BB must solve UTEP posts from Poland

[OldTimer]

Women's basketball: UNT must solve UTEP pair from Poland

08:47 AM CST on Sunday, December 11, 2005

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

In college athletics, it isn’t all that unusual to have high school teammates continue their careers at the same university.

The pair of players North Texas will face today when it takes on Texas-El Paso at the Super Pit is a little out of the norm, though.

Kasia Krezel and Izabela Piekarska are unique not because they are impact players from the same high school, but because that school is located in Poland.

Krezel, a 6-1 forward, leads the duo from SMS Sport High School with an average of 15.5 points a game. Piekarska, a 6-5 center, isn’t too far behind with an average of 14.3.

The pair will start along UTEP’s front line and present a rather large stumbling block between the Mean Green and their goal of knocking off the Miners (3-3) and improving to 7-1 heading into a showdown with Texas on Dec. 18.

UNT’s lone loss of the season thus far came against Boston College, a team that features a pair of 6-4 post players.

“The girls asked me today who UTEP was like,” UNT head coach Tina Slinker said. “Boston College and SMU are good examples. They are starting to understand personnel and how to play certain types of teams and players better than they have in the past.”

The progress UNT has made was most apparent between the Mean Green’s games against Boston College and SMU. UNT struggled to find a way to stop 6-2 forward Brooke Queenan and 6-4 forward Kathrin Ress in a 62-46 loss to the Eagles in the Mean Green’s third game of the season.

UNT had a second chance to face a powerful front line when the Mean Green took on SMU and ran the Mustangs ragged in an 84-69 win. SMU’s interior players Sarah Davis and Janielle Dodds combined for 39 points, but the Mean Green out-rebounded the Mustangs 48-37 and used their size and quickness to run away with the win.

The result is one the Mean Green would like to duplicate against Krezel and Piekarska.

“We definitely want to run, get them tired and try to get them out of the game,” UNT guard DiDi Wali said. “SMU was a good example of how we want to play. Other teams may be bigger, but we are athletic and have to take advantage of that.”

UNT has size, but its strength is the athleticism of its front line. The Mean Green have been successful using Mia Ajekwu, Talicia Sanders, Erica Howard and Amber Jackson in various combinations throughout the season.

All four stand at least 6-2 and have the ability to get up and down the floor with a host of quick guards.

UNT sees its athletic ability as a way to get past UTEP and head into a showdown with Texas on a five-game winning streak.

“This is exactly where we wanted to be,” Wali said. “We have a chance to finish the pre-conference season with only one loss. Texas is a very worthy opponent. We want to go out there and give them a run for their money.”

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