OGDEN — For one half Tuesday night North Texas had its way with Weber State, including a lead of 11 points on several occasions. But in the second half, the altitude caught up with UNT, allowing the Wildcats to capture a 70-65 win in front of 710 fans at the Dee Events Center.
Weber State (2-6) scored the first basket of the game, but then the Eagles ripped off 13 straight points to take a lead they wouldn't relinquish until a Brooke Nelson free throw with nine minutes left in the game finally put the 'Cats on top.
"We were a little shaken by their pressure," said Wildcats coach CarlaTaylor. "We got a little rattled at the point (guard position), and we didn't start the game real well. But we didn't lose our composure completely, and we just kept plugging away and coming back."
Down the stretch, WSU's Julie Gjertsen took over, scoring 10 of her game-high 16 points in the final 4:25.
"Julie tends to do that," Taylor said. "She's the type of kid that wants the ball in her hands at the end, and she's going to step up and take the team on her shoulders."
Sheila Robertson, Becky O'Neil and Angela Sampson also had big second halves to boost the Wildcats. The win was only WSU's second of the year but should go a long way to building the Wildcats' confidence for the rest of the season.
"That's a great win for us against a very good North Texas team," said Taylor. "We've gotten better. From the BYU game (on Nov. 21) until now, we've gotten a lot better. Our objective is to be ready by conference, and this game gives us that little bit of confidence that we need."
In addition to leading the team in scoring, Gjertsen was also tops in rebounding with 10. Sampson added 15 points and eight boards, while Robertson chipped in with 11 points and six assists. Kristen Hesselbach was also a big contributor with nine points in 23 minutes. Kim Blanton led North Texas (3-5) with 15 points and eight rebounds. Jill Medlock and Kelsie Edwards added 13 points each.