Trojans Struggle in Loss at North Texas

Saturday, December 31

Denton, Texas

1:00 p.m.

Troy University

University of North Texas

Photo by: Kevin Glackmeyer

12/31/2011 3:03:00 PM | Basketball (W)

By: Matt Mays

Box Score

DENTON, Texas – The Troy women's basketball team struggled offensively as they put out a season-low 36 points in a 57-36 defeat at North Texas on Saturday afternoon.

The Trojans (1-12, 0-2) shot just 19.0 percent (10-of-51) on the day from the floor and turned the ball over 16 times while North Texas shot 34.0 percent (20-of-58) from the floor on the day.

Jasmine Pitts lead the Trojans with 10 points while Ash'Lynne Evans paced North Texas (9-6, 2-0) with 18. Because of the offensive struggles by the Trojans, the Mean Green out-rebounded Troy 53-31 on the night.

One bright spot for the Trojans was their second-half defense as they held North Texas to just seven made baskets and 25.0 percent (7-of-28) shooting in the half.

Troy returns to the floor on Thursday when they welcome Middle Tennessee to Sartain Hall. The Trojans are Blue Raiders are set to tip off at 5:15 p.m.

For more information on Troy women's basketball, visit TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find Troy on Twitter at @TroyAthletics or become fans on Facebook.

NORTH TEXAS 57, TROY 36

The first half was one of runs as North Texas jumped out early before the Trojans cut into the lead, but over the entire half the Trojans struggled offensively as they hit just four shots on 19.0 percent (4-of-21) shooting.

North Texas, on the other hand, shot 43.0 percent (13-of-30) on the half with just four turnovers as the Trojans turned the ball over eight times.

The Trojans got out to a very slow start as they didn't get a field goal until over seven minutes had passed. The Trojans were down 21-1 before Jasmine Pitts hit a three-pointer from the wing to make it 21-4.

At the 11:49 mark, the Trojans were just 1-of-11 from the floor while the Mean Green were 9-of-12. The Trojans began to cut into the lead after Pitts hit the initial three. North Texas went over seven minutes without scoring as the Trojans went on a 10-0 run to cut the lead to 21-11.

After ending the Trojans run, North Texas went on a run of their own as they scored nine straight to take a 30-11 lead with 4:48 to go in the first. Sarah McAppion stopped the run with a bucket at the 3:42 mark to cut the lead to 30-13.

The Trojans continued to struggle from the floor in the opening stages of the second half as they hit just 1-of-7 to open the frame. Despite making just two field goals in the first eight minutes of the half, North Texas hit eight free throws to build their lead to 45-22 when Jamesha Blake hit a jumper at the12:53 mark.

The Trojans played good defense in the second half as they held North Texas to 25.0 percent (7-of-28) shooting and just 25 points, but the Trojans struggled offensively all day as they managed just 23 points in the second half and fell by a final score of 57-36.