FW*Telegram BB Notes-women and men

[OldTimer]

NORTH TEXAS BASKETBALL NOTESUNT's run lifts confidenceBy JEFF WILSONStar-Telegram Staff WriterDENTON - The path taken to the West Division championship of the Sun Belt Conference wasn't ideal for the North Texas women's team, but how the West was won could lead to more good things.

The Mean Green won games at Troy and South Alabama last week to secure the title, a No. 1 seed in the conference tournament and a first-round bye. UNT (19-8, 9-6) enters its tourney opener this weekend full of confidence after completing the tough assignment.

"There were a lot of people, maybe even ourselves, that said, 'Can North Texas win the big games?'" coach Tina Slinker said. "Our destiny was always in our hands, and sometimes kids respond to that."

Arkansas State likely will be UNT's opponent Saturday in the quarterfinals at Murfreesboro, Tenn. The Indians, who play Troy in the first round, routed UNT 75-47 on Jan. 21 in a game that might have been the low point of the season for the Mean Green.

Two players were suspended for violating team rules and did not play, and senior point guard Erika Bobo suffered a concussion and sat out the second half. UNT trailed by only five at halftime.

One of the suspended players, junior center Mia Ajekwu, has responded to her penalty by becoming UNT's go-to player. She combined for 47 points in the two victories last week, including a career-high 24 against South Alabama.

She was selected as the Sun Belt's player of the week on Tuesday, and Slinker said Ajekwu has been one of the league's top post players since the suspension.

Ajekwu is averaging 14.7 points over the past nine games.

"Everybody makes a mistake, and how kids respond to things like that says a lot about who they are," Slinker said. "She's a responsible young lady, and she said, 'Hey, let's move forward, and this is what I can do for this team and this program.'"

Slinker said a victory over Arkansas State could solidify UNT's résumé for a berth in the Women's NIT. She said victories over Middle Tennessee State and SMU are also attractive to the selection committee.

"I think we should be considered," Slinker said. "We're on their board right now. They're aware of what our league has done in the NIT."

'New season' for men

UNT men's coach Johnny Jones said his team feels energized entering the conference tournament after snapping a five-game league skid at Troy last week.

The Mean Green (14-13, 6-9) finished fifth in the West and will play Arkansas-Little Rock at 5 p.m. Friday. Jones said a first-round victory, which would be UNT's first since Jones was hired in 2001, would ensure UNT's first season above .500 since 2001-02.

"We're going there to win the tournament," Jones said. "You see stability in our program. We need to take a step to 17 or 18 wins."

ONLINE: meangreenathletics.com

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Jeff Wilson, (817) 390-7953 jwilson@star-telegram.com