North Texas Daily

After facing an eight-point deficit at halftime, The North Texas Mean Green women’s basketball team (11-10, 4-5 Conference USA) rebounded to outscore the Charlotte 49ers (12-10, 4-6 C-USA) by 13 points in the final two quarters to win 68-63 and end their five-game skid.

“I’m really proud of this team for the way they performed in the second half,” head coach Jalie Mitchell said. “We turned our energy around and took quality shots. I also thought we had some huge stops down the stretch.”

Both teams came into the matchup needing a win to propel themselves back into the middle of the C-USA standings.

North Texas won despite giving up 28 points to Charlotte guard Mariah Linney, who entered the afternoon scoring 11 points per game.

Junior guard Anisha George recorded her second double-double in as many games with just eight minutes remaining in the third quarter. George finished the afternoon with 15 points and 16 rebounds.

George said the key to playing at a high level the past two games has been her patience.

“I learned to not force anything and just let the game come to me,” George said. “I’ve been setting great screens to get open on the roll, or I’ve been kicking it out to the corner when I need to.”

Mean Green leading scorer Terriell Bradley came into the game averaging 17.4 points per game, tied for fourth in C-USA. Against Charlotte, Bradley scored a team-high 20 points while shooting 8-of-17 from the floor.

Bradley hit what Mitchell said was a “huge momentum” shot with just under three minutes left to play. With the Mean Green up by one point, Bradley drove to the bucket and made the shot with her left hand while being fouled. She sank the free throw to give North Texas a 66-62 lead.

“[Bradley] expects that of herself,” Mitchell said. “She expects to make big plays like that.”

The Mean Green held the lead through the first 15 minutes of the game but hit just one of their last ten field goals before the half. During the cold streak, Charlotte finished the second period on 14-4 run to take a 42-34 halftime lead.

Charlotte guard Laia Raventos swished her first four 3-pointers and finished the half with 16 points. The entire 49er team went 7-of-12 from the 3-point line in the first half, but they only shot the ball twice from beyond the arc in the second half and missed both of them.

Down by eight points, North Texas showed up with new energy to start the second half, scoring the first eight points while going on a 15-6 run to take a one-point lead.

“We just had to take control,” George said. “We talked in the locker room at halftime about coming back out and setting the tone when we come back out.”

Both teams traded shots throughout the rest of the second half, but it was Bradley’s three-point play and Trena Mims dagger from the elbow that gave North Texas the separation they needed for a “hard-fought win.”

UP NEXT: The Mean Green will play Marshall (13-9, 7-2 C-USA) at 5 p.m. in Huntington on Feb. 7.

Featured Image: Mean Green head coach Jalie Mitchell thanks the fans after a 68-63 victory against the Charlotte 49’ers at the Super Pit on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019. The Mean Green are now 11-10.