BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- There was something awfully familiar about the way North Texas’ game against Western Kentucky unfolded on Saturday at E.A. Diddle Arena.

UNT jumped out to a big lead in the first half before the Lady Toppers came storming back for an 80-66 win that washed away the memories of the good start the Mean Green had put together.

For a UNT team loaded with veterans, it felt a lot like a second-round game in the Sun Belt Conference tournament a year ago. UNT (7-14, 3-7) had a 10-point lead in the first half and led by eight late in the second only to see the Lady Toppers (12-8, 6-4) come back for a win that ended its season and the tenure of former coach Tina Slinker.

“I have to get my team to believe,” said Shanice Stephens, who took over as UNT’s head coach after last season. “We are still victims of the past and can’t get past it. That is my charge. I have to work on getting them out of the past. If we can do that, good things will happen.”

For a while, it appeared as if UNT would break out of its funk at Diddle, where the Mean Green has lost all six games it has played. UNT played one of its better halves of the season and had a 40-34 lead at the break.

Those hopes were dashed in a matter of minutes when WKU opened the second half on a 24-3 run. UNT didn’t hit its second shot from the field in the second half until Jo Hall converted a three-point play with 10:08 left in the game.

WKU had long since taken control behind an efficient offense that produced transition points and easy baskets in the paint. The Lady Toppers shot a sizzling 56 percent from the field in the second half.

“We fell apart,” UNT junior guard Brittney James said. “Western Kentucky is a good team. You can’t play like we did and beat a team like that. We didn’t play like we did defensively in the first half.”

WKU scored eight of its 16 fast break points in the second half against a shorthanded UNT team that was missing two players.

Stephens indefinitely suspended backup point guard Yari Escalera for a violation of team rules before the WKU game. The Mean Green was already missing backup forward Brittani Bailey, who is academically ineligible for the second semester of the school year.

All five of UNT’s starters played at least 27 minutes. James refused to attribute the Mean Green’s collapse to a short bench, saying that UNT’s players are in shape and handled the situation.

James led UNT with 21 points, while Hall and senior forward Amber Jackson added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

James scored 15 points in the first half, when she exceeded her season average of 10.9.

James went 5-for-7 from the line and helped make up for an off night by Jackson, who came into the day averaging 17.5 points a game. Jackson scored a career-high 30 in UNT’s last game, a loss to Troy, but went just 4-for-15 against the Lady Toppers.

Arnika Brown helped shut down Jackson and also finished with a double-double that included 19 points and 13 rebounds.

“Arnika played well defensively against Amber,” Stephens said. “We didn’t have anyone else other than [James] step up offensively.”

Brown powered WKU’s comeback after UNT ran out to a 32-20 lead. The Lady Toppers began their comeback with a 7-0 run and pulled to within 36-32 when Brown hit one of two free throws after UNT guard Kelli Buckley was called for a technical foul for knocking Brown to the floor.

WKU continued its comeback behind Kenzie Rich, who scored all but five of her 21 points in the second half while helping fuel WKU’s rally.

“We fell apart,” Stephens said. “The game is effort. When it goes fast, you have to buckle down. If you don’t do that, things will continue to slide.”

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.

Western Kentucky 80, North Texas 66

NORTH TEXAS (7-14, 3-7) – Jackson 4-15 2-4 10, Lee 2-10 4-4 9, Hall 4-7 3-3 11, James 6-15 9-13 21, El 1-7 3-4 6, Thompson 1-1 0-0 2, Buckley 0-0 1-2 1, Goodman  0-0 1-2 1, Torru 1-6 1-1 3, Timms 1-2 0-2 2. Totals 20-65 24-35 66.

WESTERN KENTUCKY (12-8, 6-4) – A. Brown 6-9 7-8 19, Magley 1-4 0-0 2, McNear 7-14 0-1 14, Rich 9-20 0-0 21, H. Brown 3-7 3-4 9, Thomas 3-6 1-2 7, Owens 0-0 0-0 0, Obafemi 0-2 2-2 2, House 2-3 2-3 6, Johnson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 31-65 15-20 80.

Halftime – UNT 40-34. 3-point goals – UNT 2-12 (Lee 1-2, James 0-4, El 1-4, Buckley 0-1, Torru 0-1), WKU 3-13 (Rich 3-8, H. Brown 0-3, Obafemi 0-2). Fouled out – Lee. Rebounds – UNT 39 (Jackson 13), WKU 47 (A. Brown 13). Assists – UNT 7 (El 2), WKU 15 (McNear 7). Total fouls – UNT 16, WKU 21. Technical fouls – WKU (Coach Mary Taylor-Cowles), UNT (Kelli Buckley). A – 1,391.