Lydia Gonzales, Whitney Smith, and Brittany Brooks each scored in double figures as Sam Houston State lost its 2007-08 home opening women's basketball game to North Texas 68-52 Thursday night.

Brittney Jones scored 19 points and Amber Jackson added 13 to lead the Mean Green. North Texas evened its season record at 2-2 with the victory while the Bearkats stand 0-3.

North Texas led from wire to wire, jumping out to an 18-7 lead on a layup by Lyza Koublteb eight minutes into the game. Sam Houston bounced back to cut the margin to four points, 24-20, on a jumper by Whitney Smith with 5:54 to play in the period. But the Kats could come no closer and North Texas went into the locker room with a 35-22 lead.

Sam Houston cut the Mean Green margin to eight points three times in the second half, the last on a three point field goal by Gonzalez with 7:45 to play.

North Texas shot 39.7 per cent from the floor (27 of 68) while the Bearkats hit 29.9 per cent (20-67). North Texas scored  32 points over Sam Houston State's 27 turnovers. The Mean Green had 24 turnovers.

The Kats were outrebounded 68-52 by North Texas with Brittney James pulling down eight boards for UNT. Gonzales had nine rebounds for Sam Houston.

The Bearkat women hit the road again, playing Oklahoma State Saturday in Stillwater at 2 p.m.