Box Score Rodney Belcher allowed the slightest smile to cross his face as he looked up at the still-lit Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship scoreboard that announced Saturday (Nov. 13) afternoon's final score.  His University of North Texas at Dallas women had just defeated NCAA Division III Southwestern University, 68-53, to improve their record to 5-0.

And the Trailblazers' coach praised the effort:  "I thought we played very good defense, especially in the second half," he said.  Then he issued a warning:  "We're pleased with our record so far, of course," he said, "but we've not seen any competition to compare with what's ahead in (Sooner Athletic) conference play."

For the moment, however, it can be safely said that few expected a team that struggled through a 2-8 season a year ago to have an unblemished record at this point. And the outcome was never really in doubt as the 2-3 visitors spent most of the afternoon battling a double figure deficit

With a pair of quick three-pointers from veteran captain Brooke Lopez, the Trailblazers jumped out to a 10-point advantage in the first quarter, leading Southwestern, 23-13.

Then, the aggressive UNTD defense took over the spotlight and paraded in it for the remainder of the game. By halftime, the Trailblazers' advantage was still 10 points, at 39-29. The third period was more of the same before junior Kaiyla Payne sank a pair of free throws at the end of the period to give the hosts a 54-43 advantage.

The determined UNTD defense and Southwestern's labored shooting down the stretch allowed the margin to widen to 15 before the final buzzer.

ShanDrea Yeldell led the Trailblazers scoring with 16 points, followed by Lopez who had 14, and Mykayla Dumas who contributed 11. Dumas also had 15 rebounds for the winners.