Hoops Rivalry Renewed When Women Face SMU Tonight
Mean Green Eyes First Home Win In 46th All-Time Meeting with Mustangs
Dec. 1, 2015
DENTON - The North Texas women's basketball team continues its homestand with a showdown against SMU at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 1, from the Super Pit. The Mean Green will take on its metroplex rival for the 46th time in the primetime contest, and it will be the second of a four-game home stretch for North Texas. The home team is still seeking its first home win of the season, while the Mustangs will be on the road for the first time of 2015-16.
A Look at SMU
The Mustangs claimed the title at its own Thanksgiving Classic over the weekend, sweeping a field that included Cal State Fullerton and Kansas. SMU is 3-2 on the year and is averaging 71.4 points per game. A balanced scoring team includes five players that average at least nine points per contest, led by Alicia Froling’s double-double statline of 16.2 points, 10.8 rebounds per game. As a team, SMU is shooting 41.3 percent from the field.
The North Texas-SMU Series
The program’s oldest rivalry will be renewed when NT faces SMU for the 46th time on Tuesday. Since the first matchup in 1977,The Mean Green has a 15-30 record in the all-time series. NT fell in last year’s contest, 62-55, and hasn’t beaten the Mustangs since the 2011-12 season.
Last Time Out
Arizona held North Texas to a season-low scoring output and outlasted the Mean Green by a score of 49-44 on Friday afternoon at the Super Pit. Defensively, Arizona limited North Texas to 38 percent shooting and forced 26 North Texas turnovers, a season-high for the Mean Green. The Wildcats also turned that defense into offense, scoring 24 points off North Texas miscues en route to a 51-44 win. Acheil Tac neared another double-double with 12 rebounds and eight points.
A.-Tac’ing the Competition
Senior Acheil Tac is nearly averaging a double-double with her 10.8 points, 9.5 rebounds per game. She has been a model of efficiency on both sides of the court while leading C-USA in three categories: FG percentage (63.0), rebounds (9.5 rpg) and defensive rebounds (7.8 rpg).
Terra’s Time
Junior Terra Ellison has emerged as perhaps the top offensive option on the Mean Green roster this season. After averaging only 5.5 points per game last year, the guard is leading North Texas by scoring 13 points per contest. Additionally, she is shooting 43.4 percent from the field and has scored in double digits in three of the team’s four games so far on the season. Her 36.5 minutes per game is second in the league.
Third-Quarter Force
North Texas tends to respond after halftime. In fact, the Mean Green hold a 54-42 scoring edge in the third quarter this season, the only frame where NT has outscored opponents on the year. The Mean Green and its opponents have each combined for 65 points in the first quarter of games this year. Overall, the team’s scoring margin is -3.2.
Added to the Mix
Coach Mitchell and staff added walk-on freshman Orianna Shillow to the Mean Green roster on Nov. 21 against Texas State. Before the addition, NT was left with only nine able bodies for the season. Shillow was a first-team all-district pick for Stony Point High during her senior season while finishing second in team history for three-pointers made in a season (75). She has yet to play in a collegiate game this year.
Defensive Mindset
Coach Mitchell doesn’t hide the fact that she plans on winning with defensive intensity, and it seems like the perfect fit considering the team’s high-ranking D from a year ago. NT allowed only 61.7 points per game in 2014-15. This year, the Mean Green is giving up 60.2 points per game, which would be the team’s second-best total ever and is currently the fourth-best mark in C-USA.
Senior Acheil Tac leads Conference USA in three statistical categories. (Photo by Rick Yeatts)
| North Texas Women's Basketball vs. SMU | |
| Date | Time | Tuesday, December 1 | 7:00 p.m. CT |
| Location | Denton, TX | The Super Pit |
| Live Stats | GameTracker |
| Stream | Mean Green All-Access ($) |
| Radio | Mean Green Radio Network - 88.1 KNTU-FM |
| Steven "Poppy" Bartolotta (Play-by-Play), Scott Sidway (Color) | |
| @MeanGreenWBB | |
| Game Notes | North Texas | SMU | Conference USA |
The Last Meeting
| North Texas | 55 |
| SMU | 62 |
December 3, 2014
Dallas, TX
Dallas, TX
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SMU Charges Past Women's BBall in Final Minutes Looking for its first win at SMU since 1989, the Mean Green was not able to knock off the Mustangs December 3, as they lost by a score of 62-55. |
A Look at SMU
The Mustangs claimed the title at its own Thanksgiving Classic over the weekend, sweeping a field that included Cal State Fullerton and Kansas. SMU is 3-2 on the year and is averaging 71.4 points per game. A balanced scoring team includes five players that average at least nine points per contest, led by Alicia Froling’s double-double statline of 16.2 points, 10.8 rebounds per game. As a team, SMU is shooting 41.3 percent from the field.
The North Texas-SMU Series
The program’s oldest rivalry will be renewed when NT faces SMU for the 46th time on Tuesday. Since the first matchup in 1977,The Mean Green has a 15-30 record in the all-time series. NT fell in last year’s contest, 62-55, and hasn’t beaten the Mustangs since the 2011-12 season.
Last Time Out
Arizona held North Texas to a season-low scoring output and outlasted the Mean Green by a score of 49-44 on Friday afternoon at the Super Pit. Defensively, Arizona limited North Texas to 38 percent shooting and forced 26 North Texas turnovers, a season-high for the Mean Green. The Wildcats also turned that defense into offense, scoring 24 points off North Texas miscues en route to a 51-44 win. Acheil Tac neared another double-double with 12 rebounds and eight points.
A.-Tac’ing the Competition
Senior Acheil Tac is nearly averaging a double-double with her 10.8 points, 9.5 rebounds per game. She has been a model of efficiency on both sides of the court while leading C-USA in three categories: FG percentage (63.0), rebounds (9.5 rpg) and defensive rebounds (7.8 rpg).
Terra’s Time
Junior Terra Ellison has emerged as perhaps the top offensive option on the Mean Green roster this season. After averaging only 5.5 points per game last year, the guard is leading North Texas by scoring 13 points per contest. Additionally, she is shooting 43.4 percent from the field and has scored in double digits in three of the team’s four games so far on the season. Her 36.5 minutes per game is second in the league.
Third-Quarter Force
North Texas tends to respond after halftime. In fact, the Mean Green hold a 54-42 scoring edge in the third quarter this season, the only frame where NT has outscored opponents on the year. The Mean Green and its opponents have each combined for 65 points in the first quarter of games this year. Overall, the team’s scoring margin is -3.2.
Added to the Mix
Coach Mitchell and staff added walk-on freshman Orianna Shillow to the Mean Green roster on Nov. 21 against Texas State. Before the addition, NT was left with only nine able bodies for the season. Shillow was a first-team all-district pick for Stony Point High during her senior season while finishing second in team history for three-pointers made in a season (75). She has yet to play in a collegiate game this year.
Defensive Mindset
Coach Mitchell doesn’t hide the fact that she plans on winning with defensive intensity, and it seems like the perfect fit considering the team’s high-ranking D from a year ago. NT allowed only 61.7 points per game in 2014-15. This year, the Mean Green is giving up 60.2 points per game, which would be the team’s second-best total ever and is currently the fourth-best mark in C-USA.
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