FORT WORTH, Texas – University of North Texas at Dallas women's basketball overcame a slow start and held on at the end to capture a 70-69 victory over Oklahoma Wesleyan and finish the Texas Wesleyan Classic with a split over two days. The Trailblazers (1-1) won their first game of the campaign and the first under interim head coach
Shelia Davis.
After trailing by 10 through one quarter, UNT Dallas sliced the margin in half by intermission with a 21-16 second quarter. The highest scoring quarter for the Trailblazers came in the third with 25 points and a narrow one-point lead.
It was a competitive fourth quarter that saw UNTD push its largest lead of the night to eight as senior
Skye Dugan (Richardson, Texas) had the game-tying layup (62-62) with six and half minutes to go. Sophomore
De'Asia Johnson (Dallas, Texas) broke away on a fastbreak for the go-ahead layup a minute later that was assisted by classmate
Sanaa Murphy-Showers (Plano, Texas). Murphy-Showers followed with a trifecta and a layup by senior
Eryka Patton (Hutchins, Texas) and free throw by Dugan capped a span of 10 straight points and give UNTD a 70-62 advantage with two minutes in regulation. Those were the final points for the Trailblazers, as Oklahoma Wesleyan (2-3) answered with the last seven points. A foul with one second put the Eagles on the line, but a missed free throw on the second attempt landed in the hands of Patton to secure the last possession as time expired.
Dugan led all scorers and UNTD for the second straight game with 24 points. Patton notched a double-double from the bench with 18 points and 12 rebounds. She also had two steals and delivered half of her points in the third quarter. Johnson wrapped up a trio of double-digit performances for UNTD with 13 points. Dugan and Johnson each nearly had a double-double with the tandem hauling down nine boards. As a team, the Trailblazers won the battle on the glass 49-30.
UNT Dallas shot 45.5 percent (25-55) from the field and were 18-for-23 at the free throw line. Dugan was 12-for-14 alone at the stripe, and her 12 made shots were three shy of tying the single-game record by Zyunn Cormier against Southwestern Assemblies of God (12/16/22). Murphy-Showers and Dugan combined for seven of the team's 11 assists with four and three, respectively.
Oklahoma Wesleyan was led by Haley Meely with 18 points, five rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Zariah Tillman had 14 points, while Khassidy Warr chipped in 10.
UNT Dallas opens Sooner Athletic Conference play next and will have three games in five days with the league opener at Mid-America Christian on November 14 at 6:00 p.m. The Trailblazers will host Oklahoma City on Nov. 16 at 2:00 p.m. for their first game at Ellis Davis. They finish the busy stretch with a trip back to Texas Wesleyan on Nov. 18 against the host from this weekend.
