Ellison Scores Career-High, Mean Green Win 84-61
North Texas Scores 31 points In The Fourth Quarter
Dec. 10, 2016
DENTON - Senior Terra Ellison scored a career-high 19 points as the Mean Green won 84-61 over the Incarnate Word Cardinals on Saturday afternoon at the Super Pit.
The Mean Green outscored UIW 31-16 in the fourth quarter and hit their last twelve consecutive field goals to polish off the win. The 31 points are the most points the team has scored in a single quarter this season.
Head coach Jalie Mitchell attributed positioning and confidence to Ellison's performance.
"I think Terra's in a great spot as far as her positioning is concerned," Mitchell said. "She's finding herself in places where she likes to score. Usually when we get it to her she's wide open and she's able to knock it down. She's really active and she tries to out work her opponent every day so I appreciate her consistency. It shows up on the stat sheet."
North Texas (3-6, 0-0 CUSA) used transition scoring in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Kelsey Criner (13 points), Terriell Bradley (17 points) and Tyara Warren (13 points) all reaped the benefits of playing team basketball late in the game.
"I would've liked to see some more energy out of halftime," Mitchell said. "But we got a couple of rotations and subs in there and we were able to turn it on. That led to transition buckets and we feed off of that. It's exciting because you want to go down there and do it again."
The Mean Green shot 50 percent (30-for-60) from the field and went 15-for-19 from the free throw line.
Ellison and Bradley both scored seven points in the opening quarter, while Criner poured in six to give North Texas a 23-18 lead. The Cardinals' (0-7, 0-0 Southland) Celia Garcia Paunero poured in seven of her own and her four rebounds helped UIW keep the contest close through halftime.
Bradley's three at the end of the second quarter gave her ten points at the break and helped the Mean Green take a 34-29 lead into halftime.
North Texas continued to control the game through the third quarter, four different players had recorded at least four rebounds and the Mean Green had out-rebounded UIW 31-19. The rebounding barrage helped North Texas outscore the Cardinals 19-16 in the frame and carry momentum into the fourth quarter.
The Mean Green have a week off before they hit the road again for Missouri State on Saturday Dec. 17.
"I'm excited about it because we'll have a chance to work on us," Mitchell said about the week break. "There's a lot we need to work on and it's difficult to do that when you're preparing for opponents. Now it's time to perfect us and do the things we need to do to become a better team as we approach conference play."
Mean Green Quick Hitters
- Freshman Madi Townley made her first career start.
- The Mean Green's 50 percent shooting is a new season-high for a single game.
- Nine different players scored for North Texas. It's the seventh time this season they've had at least nine players score in a single game. Last year they only accomplished that twice.
Up Next
North Texas is on the road to face the Missouri State Lady Bears on Saturday, Dec. 17, at 2:05 p.m. The Game will be aired on KNTU 88.1 FM.
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