DRC-Women BB story..early start helps Lady Eagles

OldTimer · November 9, 2002

Early start helps Lady Eagles

Freshman point guard trio bright spot in 15-point win over Jaguars

11/08/2002

By Tim MacMahon / Staff Writer

There were flashes of potential and more than a few signs of youth during the North Texas women?s basketball team?s exhibition opener Thursday night at the Super Pit.

The Lady Eagles opened up a 20-point halftime lead and held on for a 70-55 victory over the Houston Jaguars.

Sparked by the play of freshman point guard Erika Bobo, who hit a 3-pointer and had three assists in the first few minutes, UNT shot 50 percent from the floor and made five of seven 3-pointers before the break. Forward Angel Lewis, the only senior to suit up for UNT, scored all eight of her points in the first half.

With Lewis sidelined most of the second half because of cramps in her leg, the Lady Eagles weren?t nearly as sharp. UNT allowed the Jaguars back in the game by shooting just 21 percent after halftime, relying way too much on the outside jumper. The Lady Eagles missed all 10 of their 3-point attempts in the second half.

"It was a good experience," said UNT freshman forward Jamie Armstrong, who scored a team-high 10 points. "We all went out and were focused and determined, but we have a lot to learn. There?s a lot of things we didn?t do well, but we?ll get better as the season goes on."

Added Lewis: "Now we know what we need to work on. We just have to keep our intensity up when we start the second half."

Coach Tina Slinker wasn?t too concerned with the drop-off after halftime, noting that it?s difficult to establish much of a rhythm when rotating 13 players. While there are plenty of mistakes made that she will point out to her team, Slinker also came away from the night with several positives.

She thought all three of her rookie point guards ? Bobo, Nahogany Brown and Natalie Mireles ? performed well. The trio combined for 14 points and seven assists. Armstrong lived up to her billing by leading the team in scoring off the bench. And freshman power forward Jasmine Williams was a pleasant surprise, grabbing a team-high 10 rebounds in 20 minutes.

"The younger kids weren?t intimidated," Slinker said. "You could at least see their potential."