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DENTON (2/03/07) - The North Texas basketball teams will be in action tonight against Western Kentucky, with the men at home and the women on the road in Bowling Green, Ky. Catch all the men's action on 100.7-FM The Word, and the women on 88.1-FM KNTU starting at 7:00 p.m.
Coming off one of the largest conference wins in school history, the North Texas men (15-7, 6-5) look to extend its home winning streak to 10 games against Western Kentucky. The Mean Green, winners of 10 of 11 games at The Super Pit, is tied for the fifth longest home winning streak in school history. Tipoff against the Hilltoppers is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Saturday and can be heard on the Mean Green Radio Network. The game is also being broadcast by the Hilltopper Sports Satellite Network in the Bowling Green area.
The Mean Green is the nation’s 19th ranked offensive club, averaging 79.7 ppg and 47.5 shooting percentage. North Texas sits at 151 in the official RPI Ratings following the 41-point win over Troy. NT, 1-0 against the RPI’s top 100 teams, earned a Sagarin rating of 149. Two of the nation’s most potent offenses will face off when the Hilltoppers head to The Super Pit. WKU ranks 21st in the nation in scoring offense at 79.6 ppg, and 12th in 3-point field goal percentage.
The Mean Green recorded its first ever win over Western Kentucky in December, knocking off the Hilltoppers 86-85 in Bowling Green. Keith Wooden’s layup with just seconds remaining knocked WKU’s all-time record over the Mean Green to 7-1, including a 2-0 clip in Denton. A nail-biting series, three of the last four games have been decided on last minute shots, including a near-half-court buzzer beater by former Hilltopper great Anthony Winchester in 2005.
North Texas has a chance to do what only one team has done since the 2000-01 season - sweep a regular season series with Western Kentucky. In that span, only UALR (2004-05) has managed to take two regular season games from the Hilltoppers. The Mean Green won in Bowling Green, 86-85, on Dec. 19.
The North Texas women begin the month of February on a high note after a 15-point win over Troy. The Mean Green plays three of its next four games on the road beginning with Western Kentucky. The Lady Toppers, one of the hottest teams in the Sun Belt, are riding a five-game winning streak heading into the game.
Youth is definitely being served by three North Texas sophomore’s. Sanetra Jackson, Amber Jackson, and Tricia Lee rank 1-2-3 in scoring for the Mean Green. The trio is combining to score half of the North Texas points. In 16 of the 20 games this season one of the three players has led North Texas in scoring.
While the scoring exploits of the sophomore’s has been chronicled, one that is quite encouraging is history. The last time that three sophomore’s led North Texas in scoring was the 1999-2000 season. That year the Mean Green won 17 games and laid the foundation for what would be a 19-win season and a 21-win year the next two seasons.
Talicia Sanders needs only four more rebounds to have 500 for her career. Nine more rebounds will put her into the top 10 all-time at North Texas. With the four more rebounds she will become only the 11th player in North Texas history to have 500 rebounds. Sanders will also join a very elite group. She is fifth all-time in blocked shots at NT with 72 and will become only the second player in school history to have at least 500 rebounds and 70 or more blocked shots. Clara Campbell is the other player to accomplish that feat. Four other players along with Sanders are in the top 10 all-time at North Texas in rebounding and blocked shots.
