MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (1/26/08) North Texas couldn’t withstand a Middle Tennessee second-half storm, falling to the Blue Raiders 89-50 at the Murphy Center on Saturday.

MTSU (13-8, 8-2) opened the second half on an 18-2 run, triggering a 22 point lead that the Mean Green (9-11, 4-4) couldn’t overcome.

North Texas held the nation’s leading scorer, Amber Holt, relatively in check, but couldn’t contain the Blue Raider team effort. Holt came into the game averaging 27.5 points per game, but managed just 20 points on 7-of-25 shooting.

Seven Middle Tennessee players finished with at least eight points, including a game-high 24 points from 24 Chelsia Lymon.

Amber Jackson grabbed her first double-double of the season, and the third of her career. The junior racked up 16 points and 11 rebounds in the loss. Brittney James led the Mean Green with 17 points, just two under her season high.

Turnovers doomed NT, as the Blue Raiders cruised to 36 points off 28 Mean Green giveaways, a new season high for North Texas.

North Texas gave the Blue Raiders all they could handle in the opening frame. Jackson knocked down her first 3-pointer of the season and moments later Talicia Sanders gave the Mean Green its first lead of the night with just under eight minutes remaining in the first.

Jackson and Sanders sparked an 11-0 North Texas run as the Mean Green defense stifled Amber Holt and the Blue Raiders. NT led by as many as seven points in the in the half.

The Mean Green outshot MTSU to 52.0 percent to 38.5, but still trailed 35-29 at the half.

North Texas heads back to the Super Pit to face South Alabama on Thursday. Tip off is scheduled for 5 p.m., followed by the Mean Green men at 7 p.m.