DRC Womens BB..NT owes La Laf

[OldTimer]

Women's basketball: UNT owes Louisiana-Lafayette

Lady Eagles seek revenge for one-point loss against Ragin’ Cajuns

02/27/2003

By Tim MacMahon / Staff Writer

The North Texas women’s basketball team is looking for a little payback against Louisiana-Lafayette.

DRC/Hiroyuki Komae

Forward Kim Blanton has led the Lady Eagles to two wins in their last three games.

The Lady Eagles suffered a 58-57 loss Jan. 30 to the Ragin’ Cajuns, snapping Louisiana-Lafayette’s 17-game losing skid in Sun Belt play. The teams meet again at 7 p.m. Thursday night at the Super Pit.

"We owe them a lot of something," UNT power forward Kim Blanton said.

UNT (10-14, 5-8) played without point guard Erika Bobo in the first meeting against the Ragin’ Cajuns, which the Lady Eagles lost on a four-point play with one second remaining. Bobo sat out the game because of a suspension for a violation of team rules.

"She’ll make a big difference," coach Tina Slinker said. "We’re more settled offensively with her at the point, and the matchups are much better."

The Lady Eagles, however, will have to replace senior wing Angel Lewis, who will miss at least the remainder of the regular season with a torn meniscus.

UNT, which will play at home for the first time since Feb. 6, has won two of its last three games in large part because of Blanton’s play. The 6-1 junior has averaged 21.0 points and 10.7 rebounds per game during that stretch.

"We’ve been playing better as a team," Blanton said. "Everybody thinks, ‘Kim’s taking over,’ but I wouldn’t score without my teammates passing me the ball. Everybody is playing their role."

Slinker said Blanton’s emergence as UNT’s go-to offensive threat has given the team confidence. The coach added that the Lady Eagles have shown signs of maturation recently.

"We’re starting to learn in tight situations how critical each possession is," Slinker said. "The difference between [a win at] South Alabama and [a loss at] New Orleans is that we hit those big shots down the stretch. We hit a lot of critical shots."

TIM MACMAHON can be reached at 940-566-6870.