If what transpired Thursday (Dec. 13) evening in the Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship gym is a valid measure, a few days of holiday season rest is in order for the University of North Texas at Dallas men's basketball team.  They ran themselves ragged, enroute to a 119-67 victory over outmanned North American University.

     And it could  have been worse.

     Enroute to a school record point total, Coach Josh Howard was already clearing his bench midway through the first half.  And why not?  The margin continued to widen as the evening progressed. The Trailblazers jumped out to a 23-2 lead with 14 minutes still left before intermission and at one point late in the game, the hosts, now 4-6 on the season, held a 57 point advantage in the non-conference affair.

     Which begs the question: What's to be gained by such a one-sided victory? "It offered us an opportunity to see what some  of our backup people looked like," Howard said. The fact his Trailblazers backups contributed 61 points in their first real opportunity for extended play this season would indicate they earned a passing grade.

     UNTD shared the wealth as five players scored in double figures. Hysheam Weston and Curtis Coleman led the way with 17 points apiece while Jevon Burton came off the bench to contribute 14.  Vernon Johnson had 11 and Rodrick Gaines added 10. For the night, the Trailblazers had 13 players in the scoring column as the team hit a season high 66.7 percent from the floor. Rebounding? The Trailblazers won that battle, 47-15.

     For the Stallions, now 3-11 on the season, Kainte Kizziel led the scoring with 28 points.

     Next up for the Trailblazers is a visit to Paul Quinn College Thursday (Dec. 16) for a 7 p.m. non-conference game.

     While their male counterparts were coasting, the UNTD women were visiting winless Texas A&M Texarkana where they pulled away in the final quarter to post a 82-72non-conference  victory. Coming on the heels of Sunday's 45-point exhibition game defeat at the hands of NCAA member Abilene Christian, the Monday win improved Coach Rodney Belcher's squad's season record to 7-3.

     Zyunn Cormier enjoyed a career night with 25 points with Shandrea Yeldel contributing 20.  Brooke Lopez scored 15, matching her output Sunday against ACU, and Kelcy McHenry had 10, along with her 14 rebounds. Reserve Kaiyla Payne pulled down a dozen rebounds.

     The final women's game before the holiday break is Thursday (Dec. 16) when they host Friends University in a 7 p.m. encounter at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship.