On The Road Again

Dec. 3, 2016

TULSA, Okla. — The Mean Green are at the University of Tulsa Saturday, in hope of getting back on the winning track after a loss at SMU on Wednesday ended a two-game winning streak. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.

For the sixth time in seven games, North Texas (2-4, 0-0 C-USA) is away from its home in Denton. They’ll take on a Hurricane (2-5, 0-0 AAC) team Saturday that is filled with high volume 3-point shooters. Tulsa averages 20.5 3-point attempts per game. 

Despite the loss, the Mean Green have a lot to build from. Sophomore Terriell Bradley continues to emerge as the team’s go-to scorer. She finished with a career-high 22 points against SMU. It’s her third game this season with 17 or more points. Bradley, who is adjusting to now playing time at point guard position, had a career-high three assist in the game, all of which came in the second half. Lastly, she made a career-best eight free throws in the game. She is the team’s leading free throw shooter on the season at 80 percent. 

Senior Candice Adams has adjusted nicely to her role change. In half of the Mean Green’s games this season, she has come off the bench after starting 29 games a year ago. No matter if she’s started or came off the bench, Adams has been in the zone since the first game of the season when she went 3-of-3 from beyond the 3-point line. Her 48 percent 3-point percentage ranks 39th in country and is the second highest of Conference USA players. She’s made a 3-pointer in every game this season and has made at least two in four of the six games. She made a career-high 49 3-pointers a season ago, which ranks eighth in program history for most in a season.

Through six games, Adams is on pace to make 60 3-pointers this season, which would tie her for third most and is just five shy of the most. 


 

 

Against SMU, senior Terra Ellison continued her hot shooting. Ellison made 3-of-5 shots, mostly mid-range jump shots. In the last three games, Ellison has made 14-of-21 baskets. She’s also been a force on the boards. She entered the season averaging just fewer than three rebounds per game for her career. Six games in and she’s averaging six rebounds per game for the season. 

Preventing the Hurricane from getting hot from 3-point land will be important. It burned North Texas three games ago versus Omaha when the Mavericks nailed 11-of-24 3-pointers to beat the Mean Green 85-57. However, on the season opponents have only averaged 4.5 3-pointers per game against North Texas.

The Mean Green shouldn’t expect Tulsa to be a team that beats themselves either.

The Hurricane’s average of 12.7 turnovers per game is the lowest from an opponent North Texas has played this year. 

Ellison is the only current player to ever play against Tulsa. In a 2014 game at Tulsa, she scored two points, had two rebounds and two steals in just five minutes of playing time.

North Texas will lean on its seniors to set the tone early and to finish the game strong. They’ll use its depth to its advantage, as it’s been one most of the season and look to leave Tulsa with the program’s first win against the Hurricane.

HOW TO LISTEN
KNTU 88.1 FM will have the broadcast of Saturday's game starting 15 minutes before the 2 p.m. tipoff.

MEAN GREEN QUICK HITTERS

  • North Texas freshman Jada Poland and Tulsa freshman Shug Dickson are natives of St. Louis and played AAU basketball together as adolescents and are still close friends.
  • Wednesday, North Texas recorded a season-high seven blocks versus SMU. Their previous high had been four. Against the Mustangs, six different Mean Green players recorded a block. Freshman Hannah Hopkins was the only player to have more than one block. She had two blocks.
  • In five of North Texas’ six games this season they have had a different starting five. The only starting five to start twice is Kelsey Criner, Terriell Bradley, Tyara Warren, Terra Ellison and Micayla Buckner.

 

 

 

 

North Texas Mean Green