DENTON (10/26/04)- The North Texas women’s basketball team was picked to finish third in the Sun Belt Conference West Division in the 2004-05 Preseason Coaches Poll. North Texas, which finished last season in second place in the West Division,  received 43 points.

Middle Tennessee and  South Alabama have been selected by the Sun Belt Conference women’s basketball coaches to win the divisional conference titles in 2005. 

The Lady Raiders, under the direction of Stephany Smith, finished last season with a 24-8 record and won its first conference tournament crown in the Sun Belt.  

The Jaguars, led by Rick Pietri, finished last season with a 22-7 record and the No. 1 seed in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. 

The 2004-05 Sun Belt Conference Tournament will be held March 4-8 at The Super Pit in Denton, Texas. The coaches selected Middle Tennessee senior Patrice Holmes as the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Player of the Year.

North Texas returns eight letterwinners and two starters from last year’s squad that finished at 11-17 and 7-8 in Sun Belt Conference play.

Junior’s Erika Bobo and Kennethia Wilson along with rising sophomore’s Mia Ajekwu and Kelsie Edwards will anchor the North Texas lineup this season.

North Texas begins the exhibition season on Wednesday, November 3 against the Houston Jaguars. The regular season will begin for the Mean Green on November 19 at home against Binghamton.

East Division

1. Middle Tennessee 54 (10)

2. Western Kentucky 41 (1)

3. Arkansas State 35

4. Florida International 22

5. Arkansas-Little Rock 13

West Division

1. South Alabama 66 (11)

2. Louisiana-Lafayette 47

3. North Texas 43

4. Denver 39

5. New Mexico State 23

6. New Orleans 13

2004-05 Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Team

1st Team

Patrice Holmes, Sr., G, Middle Tennessee

Krystle Horton, So., F, Middle Tennessee

Anna Petrakova, Sr., P, Louisiana-Lafayette

Tiffany Porter-Talbert, Jr., G, Western Kentucky

Whitney Woodard, So., F, South Alabama

2nd Team

Amber Abraham, Sr., G, Arkansas State

Alicia Cash, Sr., F, Arkansas-Little Rock

Adrianne Davie, So., C, Arkansas State

Leslie Logsdon, Sr., G, Western Kentucky

Milena Tomova, Sr., F/C, Florida International

3rd Team

Genevieve Delk, Sr., F/C, South Alabama

Tasha Jones, Sr., G, Denver

Rudy Sims, So., G, Arkansas State

Tia Stovall, Jr., F, Middle Tennessee

Donyel Wheeler, Sr., G, South Alabama

Preseason Player of the Year: Patrice Holmes, Middle Tennessee