Katie Gross is one of five experienced seniors for the Mustangs. (John Schreiber)
The women’s basketball team improved to a six-game win streak after defeating North Texas on the road 68-62.
Improving to 6-1 overall, the Mustangs are on their longest win streak since the 2004-05 season when SMU saw an eight-game run. The Mustangs’ victory also marks the end of UNT’s three-game winning streak at home at the Super Pit.
Playing only their second game on the road, the Mustangs had a different type of challenge ahead of them.
“It’s kind of like when you come into the gym, you’re already down 10 to nothing,” explained head coach Rhonda Rompola. “I want them to understand that I don’t care what anyone else says. Sometimes with life on the road you don’t get some of the calls you get at home. You’ve got to play through, you have to be mentally tough.”
The Mean Green from UNT took an early lead, but the Mustangs battled back from the start, switching leads in almost every minute. SMU started its run five minutes in when senior post Janielle Dodds sunk her first three pointer of the night, followed by a lay-up by teammate sophomore forward Delisha Wills.
The Mustangs held their lead from then on, posting a game-high 16-point lead with just over four minutes left in the first half. SMU saw only one trip to line in the first half with Wills sinking both shots.
Going into the locker room at the buzzer, SMU led UNT 34-25. Wills and sophomore guard Jillian Samuels recorded eight points in the first half, while sophomore forward Brittany Gilliam led SMU with two assists and three steals. Shooting 48.3 percent in field goals and 44.4 percent in three-pointers, the Mustangs outshined the Mean Green who were only 27.3 percent in field goals and 33.3 percent in three pointers.
In the second half, SMU held on to its lead through the majority of the second half, but started slipping with just over six minutes left when UNT’s Talicia Sanders hit a jump shot to shrink SMU’s lead to 60-48. The Mean Green started to come back as a result of missed SMU shots, and a series of defensive rebounds by UNT.
Although UNT never managed to gain a lead for the remainder of the game, they got close, trailing the Mustangs by only six points several times in the last minutes of play. Dodds locked in the win for her team with one minute left after giving the Mustangs an eight-point lead with two successful free throws. Freshman guard LaShandra Hill followed by a final free throw shot to end the game.
Wills posted a game-high 17 points and secured a double double with 10 rebounds, three offensive and three offensive, to complement her point count. This marked Wills’ fifth time this season to reach double figures.
Samuels led her team with four assists against UNT, also posting double-digit scores along with Dodds contributing 11, and senior forward Sharee Shepherd adding 10.
Dodds now needs 10 more points to get into second place in SMU history for most career points.
Rompola said, “Janielle wasn’t as physical as she usually is. Even if she isn’t on top of her game, though, she still makes plays, and that’s the mark of a great player.”
While SMU’s bench contributed only 10 points, the Mustangs’ defense managed to hold UNT’s leading scorers Amber Jackson and Jo Hall to 10 and nine points, respectively.
“North Texas did a great job at getting themselves to the free-throw line. We’ve just got to get better at penetration, but when you’re on the road and you’re not in your comfort zone, you just have to play through, and play your game,” explained Rompola.
SMU was 13-35 in field goals, 1-8 in three-pointers and 10-14 in free throws to combine to an overall game total of 32.4 percent, 21.4 percent and 75 percent success rate in field goals, three pointers, and free throws. The Mustangs improved to 7-1, while UNT fell to 5-4. SMU will host the 4-5 Coppin State Eagles on Thursday night at 7, followed by the 5-2 University of Texas-Arlington Mavericks on Saturday at Moody Coliseum.
