DENTON – Charlene Shepherd posted a career-high 16 points and a team-high seven rebounds while Terriell Bradley was the leading scorer with 19 as North Texas women's basketball won its third straight with a convincing 75-50 win over FIU Saturday inside The Super Pit.
 
The Mean Green (14-11, 7-6 C-USA) once again set conference season-highs, including the 25-point winning margin along with 17 assists. The team also matched their high in steals with nine and rebounding margin of 13. Anisha George contributed eight points and six rebounds, and Brittany Smith handed out a game-high five assists. 
 
"There's a better flow offensively," head coach Jalie Mitchell said. "The ball is moving better, and there's more trust among teammates. That comes with practice, knocking down shots, and making that extra pass. Everybody has come through and made shots the past few games. We are working well together as a team."
 
It did take a bit for North Texas to get rolling. FIU (4-22, 1-12 C-USA) jumped ahead at 11-6 five minutes into the game before UNT rattled off 10 straight points, started by a Madison Townley 15-foot jump shot and concluding with a Townley layup on a no-look pass from Smith.
 
George opened the second quarter with a pair of scores in the paint, and Shepherd hit four from the free throw line for a 26-15 UNT advantage. Bradley drained a 3-pointer, and Deja Terrell made a reverse layup while drawing the foul to give the Mean Green a 33-17 lead with 3:35 to play until the half. UNT outscored the Panthers 25-8 in the quarter.
 
"Defensively we played really solid and got them to take the shots we wanted them to take. I'm proud of our team for executing on both ends of the floor and for the win. We understand that defense if what we feed off off," Mitchell said.
 
In the third, Shepherd hit a deep two and then nailed a 3 on the next offensive possession to increase the margin to 56-28 with under a minute left to play in the quarter. The Mean Green took their largest lead at 71-33 on an Orianna Shillow 3 from the right wing with 4:06 remaining in the contest.
 
"If we want to be the team we talk about being, we have to perform like that and take care of business," Mitchell said.
 
The Mean Green are back at home Saturday to host conference leader Rice at 3 p.m.