Bradley’s double-double leads women’s basketball to third straight win
After leading Florida International University by 14 in the first quarter, North Texas was on the brink of relenting their hold on the game early in the third when the Golden Panthers pulled within 32-29.
That was until the Mean Green’s leading scorer took over for the home team. Sophomore guard Terriell Bradley sunk a jumper, then two 3-pointers to give the Mean Green (9-14, 6-6) a double-digit lead they never conceded.
The final result was a North Texas 69-49 victory over Florida International (5-18, 3-9) Saturday afternoon, giving the Mean Green their first three-game winning streak since December of 2015.
“[I’m] really proud of our teamwork, I think this is our high as far as assists are concerned,” Mitchell said. “For us to get 17 [assists] and for our turnovers to be 12, I have no real complaints today.”
17 assists was a season-high for the Mean Green, but perhaps the more impressive numbers came on the other end of the court. North Texas held FIU to just four assists and forced the Panthers to commit 22 turnovers.
FIU failed to score over 14 in any quarter and was 1-for-12 from the 3-point line. Senior guard Candice Adams was active on the defensive end and, just as she always does, led the team by taking three charges.
“Anytime we can stop the offense from getting a possession that’s great,” Adams said. “I just have a knack for it, I see it coming and just take it.”
Bradley posted her first career double-double with 19 points and 13 rebounds, along with chipping in four assists. She set the tone for the team on the offensive end and on the glass.
“I think it’s a little bit of [luck and being aggressive],” Bradley said. “I’m essentially playing the four already so I’m kind of around the rim, so that makes [getting rebounds] easier.”
Bradley started the game at the four position for the third consecutive game. Mitchell has turned to a unique smaller lineup over the last three games and has reaped the benefits with three wins.
The starters were a plus-15 in just 13 minutes of action together and North Texas is averaging 75 points per game with the starting five of Kelsey Criner, Tyara Warren, Adams, Bradley and Terra Ellison.
“It’s all of our high scorers, our top five scorers,” Mitchell said. “That’s why we get our best offensive production. This is the first time we’ve started this lineup and we were undersized.”
Another advantage the Mean Green held was in the rebounding as they outrebounded the Panthers 39-31 overall and 18-4 on the offensive boards. Much of the credit went to the guards, who all crashed the glass more than usual.
The Mean Green are now at .500 in C-USA play and have a chance to put their momentum to the test as their next four games are all on the road.
A week ago, the focus was just on making the tournament. Now, the Mean Green are looking for the highest possible seed.
“I want us to keep building on [this momentum] and give us confidence but definitely not arrogance,” Mitchell said. “We’re all playing for something, not just a tournament bid, but a tournament seed, so you want to win as many as you can.”
Next up: North Texas heads to El Paso to take on the University of Texas – El Paso at 8:05 p.m. Thursday night.
Featured Image: North Texas sophomore guard Terriell Bradley (23) looks to pass to the paint against Southern Mississippi. Colin Mitchell
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