North Texas Daily

The women’s basketball team played against Southern Methodist University in the Super Pit on Friday at 6:30 p.m. and beat the Mustangs 84-58 after shooting 47 percent from the field.

“It was a big win in a lot of ways,” head coach Jalie Mitchell said. “[…] We also talked about playing 40 minutes consistently [and] I thought we executed our gameplan just about to a T for 40 minutes, or at least we worked our tail off to do so.”

This was the first time the Mean Green (5-2) played against SMU ( 3-4) since 2018, where they lost a close game 66-73. The only player left from the 2018 team is graduate student forward Madison Townley, who was pleased with how the team performed against their metroplex rival.

“It does mean a lot [to beat SMU],” Townley said. “[…] It means a lot to beat them and the way we did. I’m very proud at how we [responded] at half-time.

The Mean Green shot the ball well from all over the court. They shot 60 percent from three on 15 attempts with freshman guard Kendall McGruder shooting 4-4 from three in nine minutes of playing time. The team also shot 87.5 percent from the free-throw line, but most of the shots came from graduate student guard Aly Gamez who scored a game-high 21 points going 13-13 from the line.

“We shot the ball well,” Gamez said. “Obviously, our boards got us extra possessions, so I think overall offensively, we were hitting on all cylinders.”

The newest member to the starting lineup, junior forward Jaylen Mallard, was the biggest reason the Mean Green outrebounded the Mustangs 44 to 27, with Mallard grabbing 11 of their rebounds. Mallard credits the mindset and energy she brings to the starting lineup as the biggest reason for their recent rebounding success.

“When I see the ball, I just go get it,” Mallard said. “That’s what I pride myself on. Like, when I think about the game, I’m like just rebound the ball, and everything else is gonna come to me, so I think it just opens up a lot for the guards if I get an extra possession.”

With North Texas joining the American Athletic Conference in the coming years, Mitchell anticipates the rivalry becoming fiercer in the years to come and always appreciates getting a win over SMU.

“It’s always one of those games you really don’t have to say much before [the game],” Mitchell said. “You’re already up, you’re energized, you’re ready and I could tell our team was.”

Featured Image: North Texas guard Quincy Noble (0) shoots a three-point shot at the Super Pit in Denton in Nov. 20, 2021. Photo by Zach Del Bello