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UNT Dallas

Photo Recap WBB vs. USW
Photo Courtesy of Candice Nichols
66
Southwest SOUTHWES 4-3, 0-1
86
Winner UNT Dallas UNT DALL 2-1, 1-0
Southwest SOUTHWES
4-3, 0-1
66
Final
86
UNT Dallas UNT DALL
2-1, 1-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Southwest SOUTHWES 12 23 16 15 66
UNT Dallas UNT DALL 27 20 16 23 86

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | nathanyacovissi

Trailblazers Right at Home in RRAC Opener

CEDAR HILL, Texas – University of North Texas at Dallas women's basketball made a great first impression to the Red River Athletic Conference, claiming an 86-66 victory over University of the Southwest on Saturday afternoon. The Trailblazers were also making their debut in a new home, Trinity Leadership Public School. This venue will be home to UNT Dallas the remainder of the 2025-26 season.
 
The Trailblazers improved to 2-1 on the season and 1-0 in RRAC play, while Southwest fell to 4-3 and 0-1. This is the second win in a row for UNT Dallas, who won its first game under Head Coach Otis Nicksion last week at Paul Quinn, 74-73. The Trailblazers won consecutive games once in 2024-25, which came on January 20 and 25 to University Science and Arts (76-66) and Nelson (78-77).
 
UNT Dallas erupted for 27 points in the first quarter, tying a season-high in the young campaign and never trailed in this contest. They build a lead as large as 23 late in the fourth quarter and were in command throughout the triumph.


 
13 players saw action with 10 finding the scoring column and mustering at least four points. It was a balanced offensive attack as a quartet scored double figures led by ShanDrea Yeldell (Dallas, Texas). Yeldell had her best performance this season with 15 points, 4-of-6 from three-point territory, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Jade Myles (Dallas, Texas) chipped in a season-high 13 points thanks to 3-of-5 from downtown and had a pair of steals. De'Asia Johnson (Dallas, Texas) nearly had a double-double with 12 points and matched a game-high with Allysa Pendley (Waco, Texas) with nine boards. Johnson dished a game-high six assists. Kayden Riley (Dallas, Texas) tallied a personal-best 10 points from the bench.
 
There were so many notable performances on the little things throughout the box score. Ke'Liyah Anderson (Dallas, Texas) swiped four steals to lead all players and was part of a starting five that combined for 13 of the squad's 15 thefts. Channing Beauvais (Paradise, Texas) posted nine points and seven rebounds, while Sanaa Murphy-Showers (Plano, Texas) added seven points. Khalaizah Martin (Dallas, Texas) scored her first collegiate points with four.
 
The Trailblazers shot over 50 percent in the opening and closing 10 minutes, which were their best quarters to outperform the Mustangs, 27-12 in the first and in the 23-15 fourth. UNTD outscored the Mustangs 21-9 on points off turnovers, 21-7 off second chance points, and 44-20 on points in the paint. The Trailblazers held a 15-4 advantage on fast break points, 15-4, which included 9-0 in the last stanza.
 
A layup by Anderson started the game on the first play and Yeldell followed with a trifecta to open a 5-0 lead. The lead stretched to 11 during the midway point of the quarter, as Riley had a layup to make it 15-4. Yeldell had made another three and scored seven points in that run, while Johnson had four points with two free throws and a jumper. The gap remained in double figures as it reached 14 points on a steal and layup by Murphy-Showers to make it 19-5. Murphy-Showers put together a few more points with a layup and free throw. She missed the second attempt in that run, but an offensive rebound by Riley was kicked out to Myles for a triple that ballooned the score to 18 (25-7) with two minutes before the first break.
 
The Mustangs did work their way back into the game in the next quarter, as layups by Seniya Wilson and Karinna Ortiz slashed the deficit to seven on two occasions around midway through the frame. A 15-8 UNTD run closed the quarter to make it 47-35 at halftime. Six of the Mustang's final eight points came from a pair of threes.
 
In the third quarter, the teams matched total points through the duration. USW got within single-digits on a trey by Macie Werdel, but Yeldell followed a steal by Johnson by countering with a triple of her own to keep the margin in double-digits.
 
This was the tightest the game was the rest of the way, as Johnson came up with another steal and layup on the breakaway to start the quarter. After Southwest scored, Myles hit a triple and an old fashioned three-point play by Beauvais lifted the lead to 16 (71-55). Anderson found a layup for an 18-point spread. The Mustangs kept finding triples to remain in the game, but a scoring streak from Riley and Beauvais stretched the margin to 23 with two minutes left and it was an easy route to the horn. Beauvais did score seven points in the final stanza.
 
Oritz, Montoya, and Wilson were the top Mustang scorers with 16, 15, and 13 points, respectively. The team did connect on 11 three-pointers, but were at 30.4 percent overall and 32.4 percent from downtown. Both teams made exactly 13 free throws.
 
UNT Dallas is off for Thanksgiving and will return to action in December on its first RRAC road swing. The Trailblazers play at Texas A&M-San Antonio on Dec. 4 at 5:30 p.m. and Our Lady of the Lake on Dec. 6 at 1:00 p.m.
 
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