NT Basketball Notes

MeanGreen61 · January 25, 2006

NORTH TEXAS BASKETBALL NOTES

Women move past distracting trip

By JEFF WILSONStar-Telegram Staff Writer

DENTON - The North Texas women enter a critical homestand this week, one that could make or break their run for the Sun Belt West Division title. But the Mean Green will embark on the five-game stretch with a lingering distraction from its most recent road trip.

Junior center Mia Ajekwu and sophomore guard Amanda Quattrocchi were suspended for Saturday's loss at Arkansas State after violating team rules Friday night. Coach Tina Slinker sent the duo home before UNT's 75-47 loss.

Quattrocchi has been suspended indefinitely after her second violation, but first-time offender Ajekwu will be in uniform this week.

"It was a pretty major violation of team rules," Slinker said. "At this time of the season, when we're getting down to where it's all coming together, it's the last thing you think any player would do."

Senior guard Mian Williams said the players support Slinker's decision and hope the fallout is minimal.

"It was an administration decision that she had to make," said Williams, who leads UNT with 9.9 points a game. "We'll just really try to put that behind us and focus on these five games we've got coming up."

The Mean Green (13-5, 3-3) hosts Troy on Thursday and South Alabama on Saturday.

Bobo ready

Senior guard Erika Bobo is expected to play Thursday, Tina Slinker said, after missing the second half Saturday after taking a blow to the head.

Bobo, who returned to practice Monday, was cleared to return in the second half, but Slinker said playing her when the game's outcome had been decided was too risky.

"She was real dizzy," Slinker said. "Losing Bobo at halftime really hurt us. We were six down, and she was scoring on the outside."

Ahead of schedule

Men's coach Johnny Jones said his team is further along than he had anticipated at the start of the season and is in good position to finish as one of the Sun Belt's top teams.

UNT (11-6, 4-2) is a half-game behind South Alabama, which visits the Super Pit on Saturday, in the West Division standings. The Jaguars will have to contend with the Mean Green's three-guard lineup, which features Isaac Hines, Lionel Brown and Kendrick Davis, who leads the team with 17.2 points a game.

Hines and Brown are point guards who make good decisions and take the right shots. Hines is shooting 52.8 percent from the floor, and Brown is shooting 42.4 percent..

"I knew early on in the season we had a chance because of the makeup of the team," Jones said. "What's been a little bit tougher for people to defend is our perimeter play. Because of the number of guys that we have on the perimeter, they can't play the speed that we have."

Edited January 25, 2006 by MeanGreen61