Women’s basketball erases 20-point deficit to defeat IUPUI
North Texas trailed by as much as 20 points during Saturday’s game against IUPUI before making a comeback in the second half. Matthew Brown | Senior Staff Photographer
Clay Massey | Staff Writer
A career high 18 points for junior guard Candice Adams and a clutch three with 45.9 seconds to play from junior Kelsey Criner capped off a 20-point second half comeback over Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis 68-67. It was the final game of the Hospitality Hill tournament at the Super Pit.
North Texas (3-4) trailed by 20 with 6:42 to play in the third quarter, and then Adams and Criner took control making the most of missed opportunities by the Jaguars (5- 2).
It did not look bright from the start for North Texas after head coach Jalie Mitchell rolled out a new starting line-up following the previous night’s loss to Weber State University. Mitchell sat Criner and leading scorer Terra Ellison and opted for senior guards Teadra Jones and Kasiney Williams instead.
Jaguars’ forward Akilah Sims(#30) scored 20 points but it wasn’t enough to stop North Texas from making a comeback in the second half of Saturday’s game. Matthew Brown | Senior Staff Photographer
After taking more than two minutes for the Mean Green to get on the board, the spotty scoring continued, as it ended the first quarter on a 3:09 scoring drought despite four points from Adams and senior Acheil Tac. The first quarter ended 21-15 in favor of IUPUI with sophomore guard Danielle Lawrence leading the way for the Jags with seven points. Lawrence continued to lead her squad on offense with 12 points in the first half, shooting 66.6 percent from the field.
After North Texas kept the ballgame close in the first, the Jaguars got hot from three, ending the first half 33.3 percent from beyond the arc. IUPUI outscored North Texas 20-11 in the second quarter, giving them a 41-26 lead going into half. The 41 points was the most points allowed by the Mean Green in the first half all season.
Things looked grim for North Texas as the second half started, as IUPUI got off to their largest lead of the afternoon. But Adams began to take over, scoring 12 points in the second half to fuel the comeback.
She was backed up by Criner, who hit the game winning three late in the fourth on the assist from Adams. Criner hit a similar shot from deep on Tuesday night against Southern Methodist University.
The comeback was nearly thwarted at the end, however, as Criner missed a couple of late free throws and Tac was called for traveling with less than 10 second left in the game. But the Jaguars only hit one of their final ten shots, including a missed lay-up at the buzzer to cinch the North Texas win.
The Mean Green return to action on Sunday, Dec. 13 as they hit the road to face Iona University. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
Featured Image: North Texas trailed by as much as 20 points during Saturday’s game against IUPUI before making a comeback in the second half. Matthew Brown | Senior Staff Photographer
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