Mean Green puts it on line

[MeanGreen61]

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/colleges/13528778.htm

Posted on Sun, Jan. 01, 2006

Mean Green puts it on line

By JEFF WILSON

Star-Telegram Staff WriterDENTON --

The three-referee crew for Saturday afternoon's game at the Super Pit took the "whistle while you work" thing a little too seriously -- and North Texas was the beneficiary.

The Mean Green scored its first 15 points from the free-throw line and hit 32 of a school-record-tying 46 attempts during a foul-filled 72-59 victory over Northwestern State.

The win moved the women to 10-2, the best start in school history.

"It's awesome," UNT coach Tina Slinker said. "That's not an easy task, as we look at it. There's a lot of games in there that show the difference in this team this year as opposed to this team last year, and that's the most exciting part to me."

The free-throw attempts matched the mark set against Oral Roberts in 1997 and Texas A&M in 1998, and the free-throws made percentage (69.6) was fifth all time. The Demons (7-4) were whistled for seven fouls in the first 4:04 of the game, 29 overall, and were assessed three technicals.

The foul shot was the Mean Green's No. 1 source for offense in the first half. UNT was 20-of-29 in the first 20 minutes while missing 21 of 29 field-goal tries. UNT didn't record a field goal until Natalie Mireles drained a 3-pointer almost nine minutes into the game.

"I told them before the game that the free-throw line would be a very important place, because this team was a very physical team," said Slinker, who won for the first time in 15 games against the Demons.

"I don't like a game like that, but at least we took advantage of it."

The Mean Green shot 31 percent from the field, the second-lowest effort of the season, although the players attributed that to their eight-day holiday layoff.

The start-and-stop flow to the game also didn't allow UNT to get into its offense, Slinker said.

Still, the lead hit 30 points when Erika Bobo stole a pass and raced the length of the floor for a layup and a 66-36 lead with 10:41 remaining.

Northwestern State closed the gap to 68-51 against UNT's reserves, and the comeback led Slinker to insert the starting five with 3:46 to play. The Demons finished the game on a 23-6 run.

Mian Williams scored a game-high 16 points for the Mean Green, which opens Sun Belt play Thursday at New Orleans. UNT expects the best from its conference opponents.

"It's going to put a target on our back," said Mireles, a senior who scored 13 points. "Every one in the conference has seen how well we are playing, so we need to be ready for them."

UNT WOMEN 72, NORTHWESTERN STATE 59

IN THE KNOW

Breakdown

Why North Texas won:

Free throws were the difference. The Mean Green made nine more than Northwestern State attempted (32 makes to 23 attempts. UNT was outrebounded 53-46 and made 18 field goals to 22 by Northwestern State.

Why Northwestern State lost:

The Demons pulled a disappearing act in the second half, being outscored 27-12 in the first 10 minutes. Add in a 13-point halftime deficit, and the result was a lead too big to overcome.

Notable

Senior point guard Natalie Mireles' 13 points were one away from a career-high 14, which she set in UNT's previous game, an 84-52 win at Prairie View.

Demons coach Jennifer Graf, 27, is the youngest Division I coach in the NCAA. She is a 2000 graduate of Northwestern State.

Up next: UNT at New Orleans, 7 p.m. Thursday

Edited January 1, 2006 by MeanGreen61