DENTON, Texas–North Texas used a commanding edge on points in the paint to build a sizeable lead in the first half and in the second half used quick scoring spurts to keep Louisiana from getting any closer in a 75-63 victory here Saturday evening the The Super Pit.

The Mean Green (8-15, 4-8 Sun Belt) scored 18 points in the paint and had 12 rebounds in the game’s first eight minutes to open a 22-6 lead.

Louisiana (3-20, 0-12 Sun Belt) worked the lead down to 51-37 with 11:13 remaining on a Mercedes Johnson basket. The Mean Green responded 15 seconds later with a three-point play by Tricia Lee which made it 54-37.

The Cajuns put together a five-point run by the 9:59 mark to cut the deficit to 54-42. North Texas stretched the lead out again, getting two layups by Brittney James at 9:42 and 9:18 to extend its lead to 58-42.

The Ragin’ Cajuns crept within 13 points, 62-49, and had an opportunity to get closer until a missed layup by Alexis Green and turnover by Jessica Sigue led to NT’s Amber Jackson making two free throws for a 64-49 edge.

Jasmine Barnes hit a jumper out on the right wing at 5:54 and UL was down 64-51. The Mean Green had another quick response getting a triple from Yari Escalera at 4:53 to extend the lead to 67-51.

The Cajuns would get within 13 or 14 points the rest of the way, but the Mean Green continued to find an answer. A triple by James at 2:04 increased the hosts lead to 71-55.

Green led Louisiana with 20 points. Johnson scored all 18 of her points in the second half and joined Green in double figures. Green and Johnson combined to score 30 of UL’s 40 second half points.

Four Mean Green players reached double figures led by 19 points from James. Escalera and Jackson scored 12 apiece, while Lee scored 10.

With the win, North Texas sweeps the season series. The Ragin’ Cajuns lost their 10th straight game.

Green hit a jumper out on the left wing at 16:13 of the first half to help UL drop the deficit to 6-4. North Texas then heated up scoring eight points over a 1:21 time span to stretch its lead to 14-4 by the 14:34 mark.

Nicole Morris scored for the Cajuns at 14:15 to end the Mean Green run. Jeanee’ Thompson answered for NT 18 seconds later to kick off an 8-0 run which pushed the hosts lead to 22-6.

The Mean Green held a 12-6 edge in rebounds in the first eight minutes which helped the squad hold an 18-0 edge on points in the paint at that point in the contest. UL could only get two field goals during the stretch, while NT fired off 19 field goal attempts.

The Mean Green lead grew to 19 points at 28-9 and then the Cajuns got four points from D’Mya Clay to get within 15. Clay made a pair of freebies at 8:39 and on the ensuing UL possession it was Morris feeding Clay for a stop-and-pop jumper at 7:38 which made it 28-13.

Louisiana missed its next four field goal attempts and the Mean Green scored four points off the hands of Jo Hall to extend the margin back to 19 points with 6:04 left in the first half.

Neither team did anything offensively following Hall’s layup at 6:04. Only four points were scored through the 1:54 mark and they were all Louisiana’s which allowed the Cajuns to get within 15 points again (32-17).

As with times before, the Mean Green responded with quick points to keep UL at arms length. With the shot clock winding down Kelli Buckley found Lee in the left corner for a three-point make with 1:54 remaining which upped the advantage to 35-17.

Johnson drove inside and scored a quick basket for UL, just four seconds into the second half to make it 39-25. Amber Jackson countered for NT with a jumper at 19:40.

It was a sluggish period of basketball over the next four minutes of play. A combined three points were scored while the two teams combined to shoot 1-of-11.

The Mean Green came out of the 15-minute media timeout and thanks to a pair of free throws from James at 15:30 and a basket at 15:02 moved their lead over 20 points for the first time at 47-26. The Ragin’ Cajuns responded with five points on back-to-back possessions capped off by a Johnson jumper at 14:10 which made it 47-31.

Louisiana would draw within 13 and 14 points twice, but the Mean Green retaliated with quick point spurts or key baskets similar to the first half which kept the Cajuns at bay.

Louisiana remains on the road visiting in-state rival ULM on Wednesday, Feb. 11 for a 7 p.m., contest at Fant-Ewing Coliseum on the ULM campus. In the earlier meeting this season, ULM took an 81-71 victory in the CAJUNDOME on Dec. 21.

The Cajuns’ next home game is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 14 against Arkansas State at the CAJUNDOME. Tipoff is 5 p.m., and the game is the first part of a doubleheader with the UL-ASU men’s teams.

RaginCajuns.com