Trio lead UNT women into SBC play

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Women's basketball: Trio leads UNT into SBC play

08:48 AM CST on Thursday, January 5, 2006

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

When they arrived nearly four years ago, North Texas’ trio of freshmen guards harbored dreams of making a run at the Sun Belt Conference title and maybe even the NCAA Tournament.

Three and a half seasons later, Erika Bobo, Mian Williams and Natalie Mireles appear to be on course as they prepare to open their final Sun Belt season today with a game at New Orleans (2-10).

UNT is off to its best start in school history at 10-2 and is living up to the expectations set when the Mean Green were picked to win the Sun Belt’s West Division title in the league’s preseason coaches poll. There are several reasons behind UNT’s early charge, including a solid frontcourt and a host of impact newcomers.

UNT coach Tina Slinker counts the play of her veteran backcourt among the most important of those factors.

“I feel like those three are doing what they should be doing as seniors, which is playing consistently,” Slinker said. “They are getting the most out of themselves as far as being complete players.”

The difference in the trio’s performance isn’t evident in the number of points it scores. The three averaged 25.2 points a game last year and are posting the exact same number this season.

The change can best be seen in their efficiency.

Bobo, Williams and Mireles have improved their combined shooting percentage from 32 to 40 percent over last season and have cut the number of turnovers they commit per game from 8.1 to 6.7.

The totals are all the more impressive considering UNT has faced Boston College and Texas, which are ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll, during its first 12 games.

“We complement each other,” Williams said. “After being together for four years, we have learned how to read each other. You get that camaraderie after you play together for so long.”

That familiarity has helped each player in the trio improve her performance in some aspect in the first half of the season.

Williams leads the team with an average of 10.8 points a game, which is more than three points better than her average last season. Mireles has cut the number of turnovers she commits per game from 2.6 to 1.2 while Bobo has upped her rebounding average from 5.4 to 6.2.

The statistical improvement each player has made is just one indication of her impact.

“All three of them are calm and confident,” Slinker said. “That allows our bench to come in and provide more because you have consistent seniors on the floor. I can plug in one younger player and we are still solid.”

The experience the trio provides has made a big difference for UNT, which has posted a series of impressive non-conference wins. UNT drubbed SMU 84-69, beat Stephen F. Austin for the first time in the 26-game series between the teams and also knocked off UTEP.

UNT’s start has put the Mean Green in position to make a run at the 20-win plateau during what Slinker expects will be a tight race for the Sun Belt West Division title in the last two months of the season.

Louisiana-Lafayette won the division title last season and has kept pace with UNT during non-conference play posting a 10-2 record as well. Denver (6-5) has won five of its last six games.

“The league is pretty solid,” Slinker said. “Lafayette has the same record we do and you can’t count Denver out. There is a lot of parity.”

UNT appears to have its best chance in several seasons of emerging from what appears to be an evenly matched group of teams in the Sun Belt to win the division title.

The opportunity is one the Mean Green’s veteran backcourt is hungry to capitalize on after three tough years that saw UNT finish under .500 twice before bouncing back to post a 14-14 record last year.

“We have been waiting four years for this,” Mireles said. “We all have positive attitudes about the end of the year and where we can be at conference tournament time.”