BOCA RATON, Fla. (Interstat) — A dominant defensive performance and a career-high scoring effort from Aysia Proctor propelled the North Texas Mean Green to a decisive 81-56 victory over the Florida Atlantic Owls in an American Athletic Conference women’s basketball game Tuesday night at FAU Gymnasium.

The Mean Green, who improved to 7-6 overall, seized control with a suffocating third-quarter effort, holding the Owls to a mere six points while expanding a 10-point halftime lead into an insurmountable advantage. Florida Atlantic fell to 6-7 with the loss.

Proctor, a sophomore guard from Schertz, Texas, was the offensive catalyst for North Texas, scoring 22 points in just 30 minutes of action. She set the tone early, scoring the game’s first basket on a tip-in and consistently finding seams in the Florida Atlantic defense. Her backcourt partner, Jazzy Owens-Barnett of Plano, Texas, provided a crucial spark off the bench, adding 11 points in 15 minutes, including a key fast-break jumper during the third-quarter surge.

The game was competitive through the first half, with North Texas holding a 34-26 lead at intermission. The Owls, led by 14 points from Vivian Onugha of Lagos, Nigeria, and 11 from Destyne Jackson of Lexington, Kentucky, stayed within striking distance despite shooting struggles.

The contest turned irrevocably in the third period. North Texas locked down defensively, forcing Florida Atlantic into a series of rushed shots and shot-clock violations. The Owls managed only two field goals in the quarter, a three-pointer from Michiyah Simmons and a layup from Jess Moors. Meanwhile, the Mean Green methodically built their lead, with Proctor, Owens-Barnett, and forward Megan Nestor all contributing. A 20-6 quarter ended with North Texas ahead 54-32, effectively deciding the outcome.

Nestor, a 6-foot-3 post player from Canaries, St. Lucia, finished with 13 points and was a force on the interior. Cherie Spencer of Slidell, Louisiana, added nine points for a balanced North Texas attack that saw eight players score.

Florida Atlantic’s offense never found a consistent rhythm. While Onugha was efficient inside, the team’s perimeter game faltered. Moors, from Auckland, New Zealand, facilitated with five assists but was limited to four points. The Owls showed a brief burst in the fourth quarter, scoring 24 points, but by then the deficit was too large to overcome.

The most critical sequence of the game occurred early in the third quarter, encapsulating North Texas’s defensive dominance and transition efficiency. With the Mean Green leading 36-29, Florida Atlantic’s Madi Gewirtz blocked a layup attempt, but North Texas quickly regained possession. A missed three-pointer by the Owls led to a defensive rebound and a swift outlet. Aysia Proctor pushed the ball upcourt and found Jazzy Owens-Barnett for a pull-up jump shot on the fast break, stretching the lead to nine. On the ensuing possession, North Texas’s Allison Rickman blocked an Erin Rodgers layup attempt, leading to another transition opportunity that ended with Owens-Barnett draining a three-pointer off a Proctor assist. This rapid five-point spurt, fueled by consecutive defensive stops, extended the lead to 41-29 and forced a Florida Atlantic timeout, setting the stage for the rest of the quarter’s defensive clinic.

The announced attendance was 603. North Texas returns to action Saturday at South Florida, while Florida Atlantic hosts Rice on the same day. The two teams are scheduled to meet again in Denton, Texas, on Jan. 31.