Jan. 20, 2005

Box Score

HUNTSVILLE, Texas - Terra Wallace scored a game-high 21 points and added seven assists as the Texas-Arlington women's basketball team used a 16-4 run to start the second half and ended the game on a 22-8 run to break open a close game in a 66-43 victory over Sam Houston State Thursday evening in Huntsville.

With the team trailing by one at the start of the second half, Krystal Buchanan hit two field goals to spark the 16-4 run over the first 6:56 of the half. Defensive pressure was the key to the run as Wallace picked the pocket at mid-court and went coast-to-coast for the layup. Rola Ogunoye followed with a putback before Tamesha Graves stole the ball and fed Wallace for an uncontested shot for the final points of the run.

SHSU (5-10, 2-2 SLC) would not go away as a six-point run of their own trimmed the lead to just six points with 7:22 remaining. That run was put to an abrupt end as Buchanan hit a three-pointer from the left wing as the shot clock wound down.

Buchanan's triple ignited the 22-8 run over the final 6:58. Crystal Jackson hit a jumper for the Kats before Wallace hit a jumper and Tabitha Wesley hit a triple to push the advantage back to 12 points. Wells cut the deficit to 10 points with a shot inside.

UTA (10-6, 5-0 SLC) would score the next 15 points as Wallace scored five points, followed by a Wesley three, four points from Ogunoye and a three-pointer by Tojjinay Thompson. Tiffeny Riles would hit the final points for UTA with a jumper from the foul line for the 66-43 final.

The Mavs had their best shooting half of the season as they hit 60 percent of their shots on 18-of-30 from the field, culminating in the highest scoring half of the season (45 points).

The game started as a free throw contest as Rola Ogunoye hit one and Terra Wallace hit a pair, while Shauna Singleton hit a pair to put UTA ahead 3-2 just under two minutes in.

After the Bearkats took a one-point lead, Ogunoye hit a field goal to put UTA ahead by one. The teams would go back-and-forth over the next couple of minutes before Wallace hit a three to give the Mavs a one-point lead. UTA would be forced to play shorthanded as Ogunoye picked up her second foul with 13:49 remaining.

UTA would live by the three the reminder of the half as their next three field goals would be from long range with Krystal Buchanan's three putting them ahead 19-14 with 8:34 to play in the half.

The Kats continued to claw back and found themselves down just one on a Rachel Rivera basket. Alesheia White hit the Mavs third two-point field goal of the half with 4:25 to play before Adah Wells scored the final four points of the half to send the teams to recess with SHSU ahead 22-21.

Both teams struggled mightily from the field in the first half as UTA shot just 7-for-36 (.194) compared to 8-for-15 (.533) from SHSU. The Mavs played the majority of the half from beyond the arc as the team shot 22 three-pointers in the half, connecting on only four.

Wallace was joined in double figures by Ogunoye with 13, Wesley with 11 and Buchanan with 10. Buchanan also had seven assists and Wesley pulled down a career-best nine rebounds. As a team, UTA outrebounded SHSU 20-3 on the offensive end and forced 22 Bearkat turnovers, while committing only six of their own. Wells led SHSU with nine points

The Mavs return to action on Jan. 22 when they welcome Louisiana-Monroe to Texas Hall. Game time is set for 1:30 p.m. at Texas Hall.