March 9, 2005
Box Score
ARLINGTON, Texas - Sophomore guard Terra Wallace scored 19 of her career-high 27 points in the first half as Texas-Arlington continued its run through the O'Reilly Auto Parts Southland Conference Tournament with a 74-45 victory over Northwestern State in a semifinal game at Texas Hall on Wednesday evening.
The victory was the Mavs 20th of the season, marking just the 20-win season in school history and the first since 1981-82.
NSU (17-12) took its only lead of the game as Chassidy Jones started the scoring with a turn around jumper from the right baseline. The lead lasting only 27 seconds as Wallace hit her first three-pointer and followed it up with a jumper in the lane. Wallace would score the first eight points for the Mavs as she would hit her second straight three-pointer to give UTA an 8-4 advantage with 15:35 to play.
In fact, the only thing to stop Wallace in the first half was a steal and a missed break away layup. She would finish the first half by going 7-for-10 from the field and 3-for-4 from long range.
Wallace was not the only UTA player to have a strong first half as freshman post Tiffeny Riles surpassed her career-high with six points on 3-for-3 shooting from the floor, including a putback with 8:36 remaining in the half to put UTA ahead 23-12.
Wallace would take over down the stretch of the first half as she would score nine points in the final eight minutes to send the Mavs to recess with a 39-23 advantage.
The second half started as the first half ended as Wallace hit back-to-back three-pointers including one from 24-feet as the shot clock expired. Tamesha Graves got in the scoring act in the second half as she scored nine of her 11 points in the second stanza and her three-pointer form the left wing gave the Mavs a 60-35 advantage.
NSU would get to as close as 19 points on a Sheronda Bell layup before Graves would dish out two great assists, including one through the legs of a Lady Demon defender that Ashley Bobb put up-and-in to push the lead to 23 points.
UTA (20-9) would clear the bench, but the offense would not let off the clutch as Tojjinay Thompson would score three points and Maryann Abanobi would hit a basket for a 74-45 victory.
Bobb was the third player in double figures as she had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Diamond Cosby led the Lady Demons with 20 points.
The Mavs will go for their first SLC Tournament Championship on Saturday, March 12, when they travel to take on Louisiana-Monroe. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. at Fant-Ewing Coliseum and will be televised live on Fox Sports Net.
