North Texas Daily

Jennie Simms of Old Dominion University is second in the country in scoring, averaging 25.1 points per game. She accounts for nearly 38 percent of her team’s points, and is the engine behind the Monarch’s (6-7, 1-1) offense.

But she just wasn’t herself Sunday afternoon in Denton.

North Texas senior guard Kelsey Criner had a lot to do with it, suffocating her both on and off the ball from the opening tipoff. Simms ended the game with 14 points, nine turnovers and four fouls.

And despite keeping Simms under wraps, the Mean Green (4-9, 1-1) still trailed for most of the game. That is, until North Texas exploded for 25 fourth quarter points en route to a 65-55 victory, its first since Dec. 10 against the University of the Incarnate Word.

“This is where I think the experience paid off,” Mitchell said about their fourth quarter run. “Dealing with adversity and maybe not handling it well in those [past] games pays off here. I thought we really buckled down in the fourth quarter and did exactly what we needed to do.”

While Criner took over on the defensive end, she also managed to put up 16 points and three assists in a complete effort to lead the team to a win. Criner was aided by fellow guard Tyara Warren, who was the other player who defended Simms occasionally.

“I thought [Criner] and Tyara both did an excellent job on [Simms],” Mitchell said. “She’s a tough guard, so for them to limit her touches and make it really tough for her, those two really stepped up.”

On the offensive end, the team was inconsistent throughout the game, scoring just 40 points through three quarters before their explosion in the final frame.

Individually, sophomore guard Terriell Bradley tied her career high with 22 points and also grabbed six rebounds. Warren chipped in 10 points of her own, starting in place of senior guard Candice Adams yet again.

And even though she did not score a single point, freshman forward Madii Townely had a huge impact on the game, especially on the glass. Townley led the team in rebounds with nine, and essentially played center for the majority of the second half and held her own despite being just six-feet tall.

“Madii is tough, extremely tough,” Mitchell said. “She knows how to defend and she did an excellent job on their big. I’m extremely proud of her and she led us in boards today, that’s huge for a freshman.”

With a win on New Year’s Day, North Texas snaps a three-game losing streak and improves to .500 in Conference USA Play.

“I think the way we played today, that’s the team that we are,” Bradley said.

Up Next: The Mean Green travel to take on UAB at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

Featured image: North Texas senior guard Candace Adams (14) looks to pass out of a double team. The Mean Green fell to 2-6 on the season after losing to Indiana. Colin Mitchell