Alabama
North Texas
Women's Basketball Topped by North Texas, 69-63
12/7/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 7, 2011
Crimson Tide Basketball Central
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DENTON, Texas - The women's basketball team (7-3) dropped a 69-63 decision at North Texas (7-2) on Wednesday. Junior Kyra Crosby, in her first appearance since Nov. 15, led the Crimson Tide in scoring with 13 points, while junior Erin Hogue had a team-high six rebounds.
"We have to grow up, be more consistent and have it every night," said Alabama head coach Wendell Hudson. "Some players that have been playing well, didn't play well tonight. You can't go out on the road, play that way and expect to win. It's too important to the other team when they're playing at home and have the energy. North Texas did a good job making its free throws, but tonight we didn't control the things we could control."
The game started out close before a 12-3 run midway through the half put Alabama in front 19-10. From there, the Mean Green went on a run of its own, outscoring the Tide 12-2 over the next four minutes and would continue to hold the edge at halftime, leading 32-30 thanks to a last-second layup.
"When we talked to the team at halftime, we told them they have to control the things they can control," explained Hudson. "You can't control the whistles, but you can control a team like North Texas from getting offensive rebounds. You have to step up to the line and make free throws, and the layups. We missed 11 layups in the first half, and they're not a shot-blocking team."
In the second, Alabama would manage to grab a brief one-point lead after scoring the first three points, before North Texas embarked on a 16-5 run that put the Mean Green up by 10, its largest lead of the game, with 12:24 to play. The Tide was able to even the score at 56 at the 5:26 mark, thanks to a pair of free throws from junior Meghan Perkins, but Alabama would not be able to pass the Mean Green down the stretch.
Joining Crosby with double-figure points was junior Jessica Merritt and Perkins, with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Sophomore Shafontaye Myers had a game-high four assists, while Merritt came up with a team-best two steals.
Alabama shot 40.7 percent (24-59) from the floor, but was hampered by poor free throw shooting, making just 42.3 percent (11-26) of its attempts. In addition, the Tide was outrebounded 45-31 by the Mean Green, giving up 17 offensive boards to North Texas.
"It's frustrating because it took us too long to get things together to go and win the basketball game," added Hudson. "It's hard to compete in a game when North Texas is in the bonus with 14 minutes remaining in the half. When we look at the stats, we took 26 free throws and shot 42 percent. If we make our free throws, then it's a totally different game."
Next up, Alabama will play its second of three straight road contests at NC State on Sunday, Dec. 11. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT.
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