North Texas was right where it wanted to be Thursday in the waning moments against Middle Tennessee, a team that has given the Mean Green fits over the years.
UNT just couldn't quite get over the hump.
Icelyn Elie hit a layup with 1:20 left at the Super Pit to put MTSU up for good, and the Blue Raiders hung on to beat UNT 70-68.
MTSU has beaten UNT eight straight times, but there is little doubt the latest win in that streak was a bit different.
MTSU had beaten UNT by an average of 40.3 points a game in the first seven games of the streak.
Jasmine Godbolt became the 13th player in UNT history to score 1,000 career points, but it was clear the loss stung for the junior and her teammates.
"It hurts," said Godbolt, who couldn't muster much else to say about the loss.
UNT head coach Karen Aston said her players just didn't make enough plays at the end while MTSU did. The Blue Raiders (18-5, 10-0 Sun Belt) have been to the last three NCAA tournaments.
"The biggest difference between them and us is that they have been in so many games that matter and they know that practice matters," Aston said. "It creates habits that cause you to not take plays off. We took a couple of plays off down the stretch. That team understands how to play every play."
That approach paid off in a game that UNT (13-10, 6-4) had a chance to win late.
UNT pulled to within 68-67 on a layup from Brittney Hudson with 24 seconds left. Shanice Cason hit a free throw for MTSU with 15 seconds left to push MTSU's lead to 69-67.
Hudson went to the line with 7.4 seconds left with a chance to tie the game, she but made just one of her two shots.
MTSU's Kortni Jones made the second of two free throws with 2.9 seconds left, leaving UNT a chance to win the game with a 3, but Sara Stanley's shot from halfcourt was off.
"It went both ways," UNT guard Laura McCoy said of the plays both teams made in the final minutes. "There just wasn't enough time at the end for us."
Stanley led UNT with 14 points and was one of four Mean Green players in double figures. McCoy added 13, while Godbolt and Hudson scored 12 apiece. Godbolt has 1,007 points for her career.
Elie led MTSU with 22 points and was one of four players who scored in double figures for the Blue Raiders. Ebony Rowe added 18 points, Shanice Cason 16 and Kortni Jones 11.
MTSU jumped on UNT early, scoring the first six points of the game. The Mean Green showed its latest game against the Blue Raiders would be different than the past several by going on an 11-0 run.
McCoy scored nine of UNT's points in the run on 3-pointers.
"It helped our confidence," McCoy said of her early 3s. "We could have gone south."
The Mean Green got on a roll after McCoy's early run and led by as many as eight points before MTSU closed to within 35-31 at halftime.
UNT led by as many as seven in the second half, but couldn't put MTSU away and snap the Blue Raiders' hold on the series.
The key for UNT now is how it responds to the disappointment of coming up short against MTSU again.
"I think we are a good basketball team," Aston said. "We are playing good basketball and I'm proud of the way we are playing. The challenge is to keep playing like this. We are going in the right direction. We can't look at this as the end-all and wonder what we do next."
Catchings visits with Mean Green players
WNBA standout Tamika Catchings spoke to UNT's female athletes, including the Mean Green basketball team, on Wednesday.
Catchings' appearance at UNT coincided with National Girls & Women In Sports Day.
"I am going to talk about Title IX, the importance of where we are at and all the accomplishments we have had," Catchings said Wednesday before addressing the team. "Women are being recognized. We are going to talk about all the pioneers who got us to this point."
BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com .
 
MIDDLE TENNESSEE 70, NORTH TEXAS 68
MIDDLE TENNESSEE (18-5, 10-0) - Elie 6-7 9-10 22, Rowe 7-11 4-8 18, Cason 4-7 6-9 16, Jones 4-16 2-5 11, Leonard 0-3 0-0 0, Brinkley 0-0 0-0 0, Stewart 1-2 1-2 3. Totals 22-46 22-34 70.
NORTH TEXAS (13-10, 6-4) - Blakely 1-2 2-2 4, Godbolt 3-9 6-11 12, McCoy 4-7 1-2 13, Nelson 2-9 1-2 5, Torru 2-6 1-2 6, Brown 0-0 0-0 0, Hankins 0-0 0-0 0, Hudson 4-10 4-6 12, Foreman 0-2 2-2 2, Stanley 6-7 1-1 14. Totals 22-52 18-28 68.
Halftime - UNT 35-31. 3-point goals - MTSU 4-12 (Elie 1-1, Cason 2-3, Jones 1-6, Leonard 0-2), UNT 6-14 (McCoy 4-7, Nelson 0-3, Torru 1-3, Stanley 1-1). Fouled out - none. Rebounds - MTSU 31 (Rowe 8), UNT 37 (Godbolt, Stanley 8), Assists - MTSU 9 (Cason, Jones 3), UNT 11 (Nelson 5). Total fouls - MTSU 22, UNT 25. A - 884.
