Since 1981, only two players had ever posted 30-30 games in US Division I women’s basketball. On Saturday night, December 6, Saint Lucia’s Megan Nestor became the third, putting up 34 points and 31 rebounds to power the University of North Texas past Texas Southern, 81–52, inside The Super Pit.
The senior from the fishing village of Canaries made 17 of her 22 shots, although she missed all three free throw attempts. Her 31 rebounds included 15 off the offensive glass. She was the only player in double figures in rebounds for either team, and one of just three players with double-figure points. She outrebounded the Lady Tigers on her own. They only had 26 boards. And just for good measure, Nestor also posted four steals and a blocked shot.
“I wasn’t satisfied with my rebounding performance in the last few games,” said the rising Saint Lucian star after the win. “I knew I had to crash and rebound today, and that’s what I did. I have a motor, and I used that today to crash the boards. That’s what I do.”
Coming in with a rebounding average of 9.8 per contest, Nestor had just come off two single-digit games on the boards. Her massive performance on the weekend vaulted her into first place in the conference and fifth in the nation with 12.1 rebounds per tilt.
After pulling down nine first-quarter rebounds and 16 by halftime, by the beginning of the fourth quarter, Nestor had already stitched together the first 20-20 game for her school since 1990.
She ended up surpassing the UNT Mean Green record (26) and the American Conference record (24) for rebounds in a game. While she was the only player in double figures for the Mean Green, the team shot 45% from the field – their best mark in nearly a month.
This win pushed the North Texas Mean Green to a 6-3 start to the season.
