North Texas Daily

Tim Cato / Senior Staff Writer

The Mean Green women’s basketball team will put its sole possession of first place in the Sun Belt West Division and its four-game win streak on the line against Florida International tonight.

For UNT (6-10, 5-2), this is unfamiliar water. The last time the squad took four straight games was in the 2007-08 season, and the last time it won that many consecutive games against conference opponents was the 2001-02 season.

Even with its win streak, the Mean Green will have to prove it can win on the road. It is 1-2 in conference games away from home and 2-7 overall.

“I want to go on the road and play well,” head coach Mike Petersen said. “If we go on the road and play well, we’re going to have every opportunity to win games.”

Thanks to its win streak, the Mean Green has mustered up some confidence as it prepares to face FIU (10-6, 4-3).

“We’ve won a couple of these games by a large margin so we definitely have confidence that we can take care of business,” junior guard Laura McCoy said.

Freshman guard Loryn Goodwin has been a key player in the team’s success. She is second on the team in scoring and three-pointers made and also ranks ninth in the nation with 3.4 steals per game. As a freshman, she said she knows she has to stay grounded.

“That’s my biggest thing,” Goodwin said. “Sometimes I’ll come out and be completely focused and be 100 percent on my game. Other practices I’ll come out being flat. I think that’s just about being young. I have to grow up.”

FIU’s  biggest strength is Jerica Coley, who leads the Sun Belt with 23.8 points per game. She has put up double figures in 15 of her 16 games this season and is third in the country in scoring. In her last game – a nationally televised game against Arkansas-Little Rock – she scored 37 points in the 55-53 victory.

“Florida International has the best offensive player in the conference, for sure,” Petersen said. “Coley is really, really good. You’ve got to guard her. She’s just a really good player.”

The game will be played at 4:30 p.m. tonight and can be watched online with Mean Green Premium.