DENTON (1/17/07) Brittney James scored 16 and Yari Escalera recorded a season-high 15 points to lead the North Texas women’s basketball team to a 62-53 victory against New Orleans at the Super Pit on Thursday night.
The Mean Green (8-10, 3-3) has won its last two games and evens its conference mark at 3-3. The Privateers falls to 9-8 and 3-3 in the Sun Belt. NT takes a 12-6 lead in the series.
North Texas rebounded from a slow start to take a second half lead. The Mean Green outscored NO in the second half, 38-26, after being down by as many as 15 points in the first period.
Escalera scored 12 of her 15 points in the second half. The point guard and James combined for all five of NT’s three-pointers. James hit two back-to-back three-pointers in the final two minutes of the first half to cut New Orleans’ lead to three.
North Texas opened the second period on a 9-2 run to take a lead a lead it would not relinquish. After New Orleans tied the game for the third time, 38-38, Escalera led the Mean Green on a 20-10 run to put North Texas ahead by 10 points, 58-48 with 51 seconds left in the game. Escalera scored 10 points in the run.
New Orleans jumped out to a 19-4 start. Le’Delle English scored 11 of the Privateers’ 19 points, including three three-pointers.
North Texas shot only 23.8 percent from the field in the first half but increased that to 38 percent in the second period. The Mean Green held the edge in rebounds, 53-36.
Amber Jackson joined Escalera and James in double figures with 12. Ten of those points were scored in the first half. The junior scored eight of NT’s first 16 points.
North Texas returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 17 when it faces Florida Atlantic on the road.
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