On a bitter cold Saturday afternoon (Jan. 15) with high winds whistling against the Singing Hills Rec Center windows, there was a warm feeling inside among the followers of the University of North Texas at Dallas basketball fortunes.
     The women Trailblazers eased past Sooner Athletic Conference foe Oklahoma Panhandle, 72-66, and the men's team closed out the doubleheader with a 73-65 win.  For Rodney Belcher's women, it appeared the third quarter problem had been solved, and for Josh Howard's men, it was obvious they were ready to get as physical as their opponent wished.
     The wins left both UNTD teams with 4-7 records in conference play.  For the season, the men are 8-10 and the women, 10-8. The men visitors fell to 4-7 and 7-9 and the women to 2-9 and 4-9.
     With the roster still missing a trio of veterans, Vernon Johnson shouldered much of the scoring load for the UNTD men with 27 points while Larry Rusk and Desmond Vaughn added 13 each and Hysheam Weston had 12.
     A key factor in the host's win was an 11 rebound margin and a 25-11 edge from the free throw line.
     While Panhandle State battled throughout, tying the score at 30-all late in the first half and narrowing the margin to two (52-50) midway through the second period, the Trailblazers never relinquished control enroute to their first win in the new UNTD venue.
     On numerous occasions during the season, Belcher's women's team had experienced a slump in the third quarter of their games. To remedy the problem, Belcher shortened the locker room talk intermission and provided more warmup time for the third quarter.  On Saturday, the Trailblazers outscored Oklahoma Panhandle 22-15 in the third 10-minute stretch.
     Newcomer Delyssa Miller continued as the go-to scorer for the Trailblazers, contributing 24 points (and 10 rebounds).  Mykayla Dumas had 16 points and Zyunn Cormier 15.
     "Delyssa," said Coach Belcher, "is settling in as a very solid player and a great leader for us."
     The women Trailblazers entered the game with a nine-player roster, thanks to the return of veteran guard Brooke Lopez who had earlier been considering leaving the team to concentrate on her heavy academic load.
      The Trailblazers go back on the road for their next game, facing Southwest Assemblies of God Tuesday (Jan. 18) evening.