North Texas Women Top FIU

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MIAMI – Behind Briesha Wynn’s career-high 21 points, North Texas women’s hoops withstood a late charge by FIU, and beat the Golden Panthers on the road, 66-59.

“It’s hard to win on the road, it just is, and I thought we were outstanding in the first half,” head coach Mike Petersen said. “At the end of the day, we made some plays, and our big lineup with Briesha, Shelly and Lex made some plays for us.”

A slow-starting unit of late, the Mean Green came out firing early against the Golden Panthers.

Behind Janis Peterson’s 12 first-half points, North Texas led by as many as 17 before FIU superstar Jerica Coley caught fire late in the first frame, scoring nine points, and closed the gap to eight before the first-half buzzer.

FIU continued its comeback in the second half.

Utilizing Coley, whose jersey was recently raised into the rafters at U.S. Century Bank Arena, the Golden Panthers overtook the lead with 17 minutes remaining and extended it to a seven-point advantage at the 12-minute mark.

North Texas clawed its way back late, and the turning point came when sophomore Alexis Hyder knocked down a 3-pointer off the glass to give the Mean Green the lead for good with two minutes left to play.

Hyder finished the contest with 18 points and five boards, and Wynn tacked on eight rebounds to go with her newfound career high of 21 points.

The Mean Green women’s hoops crew heads 30 miles north for its next game against Florida Atlantic. Tip is at 4 p.m. CST on Saturday, Jan. 25, in Boca Raton, Fla.