North Texas Daily

On a night where North Texas paid homage to all the survivors of breast cancer, the only thing hotter than the bright pink jersey they wore was Terriell Bradley’s shooting. The junior guard finished the game with 26 points on 4-6 3-point shooting, helping push the Mean Green to their third win in a row, this time against the University of Southern Mississippi 71-62 Thursday night at home.

North Texas (14-10, 5-7) opened the game on a 7-0 run, looking like a poised team against the Golden Eagles (13-11, 5-6). As the offense began to stymie, though,  North Texas turned to their most productive player in Bradley.

Bradley had her 12th-straight game in double figures and finished the first half scoring 15 of North Texas’ final 17 points giving the Mean Green a 13 point lead heading into half.

“She’s been consistent for us the entire year, honestly, and when she had struggles we had players to pick her up,” head coach Jalie Mitchell said.  “She is our go-to [player] and I think she has handled that pressure very well. I think we have a great team that is full of people who [are] capable.”

After being up by as many as 22 points early in the third quarter, North Texas saw its lead diminish after watching Southern Miss go on a 27-10 run over the following 11:20 of game time, cutting the deficit to five. The Mean Green finished the third quarter making one out of their last eleven shots, putting more pressure on their defense.

In games this season where North Texas is ahead after one quarter, the Mean Green are 10-1 with their only loss of the season coming against Kansas State earlier in the year. After flirting with adding a number to two to the lost column, North Texas was able to weather the storm and protect the lead for the win.

“They just knocked down a few shots and got a couple stops and they were right back in the game,” freshman guard Trena Mims said. “I’m extremely happy how we handle that, we were able to stretch out the lead and keep it away from them and got a [win].”

With the win, North Texas is tied for eighth in the conference with Old Dominion University and holds the tiebreaker between the two programs after a win against them in January.  They now sit one win away from having their first winning season since 2005-06.

After bouncing back from a five-game losing skid to now to winning three-straight games, the team has regained momentum heading into a crucial contest next Thursday.

“We’re winning and we’re playing well together, and everything is clicking for us right now,” junior guard Brittany Smith said. “We’re finding the open person, moving the ball and executing the plays. Like I said, we’re playing together.”

Next up: North Texas will return to the road to face Old Dominion at 5 p.m. on Feb. 22.

Featured image: Junior guard Brittany Smith crosses Southern Miss defender before she drives the lane. Trevon McWilliams