Nov. 15, 2008
Box Score
Dallas, Texas - A Maverick team effort led to a 85-79 road victory against SMU at the Moody Coliseum on Friday, November 14, 2008.
Four Mavericks finished in double figures including senior Candice Champion who recorded a game-high 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field, 6-of-10 from the charity stripe, to go along with eight rebounds, two assists and two steals in 36 minutes of action.
Junior Meghan Nelson wasn't far behind, collecting 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor, 1-of-2 from behind the arc, including 4-of-9 from the free throw line to go along with three boards and four assists.
"I think for the exception of our last few minutes we executed our game and we played very well," said head women's basketball coach Samantha Morrow. "We had some people get in foul trouble and we had people come off the bench and really helped us a lot. I was real proud of our defensive effort and we came out there and competed."
The first 20 minutes of the half was a back and forth contest between both squads, neither one backing down.
SMU's Jullian Samuels led the Mustangs to a 3-0 advantage at the 19:17 mark following a three-pointer but a hard drive down the lane by senior Champion put UTA within one, making the score 3-2 with 19:00 remaining in the first half.
A defensive rebound by Brittany Gilliam made way for a Haley Day jumper, putting the Mustangs up 5-2. Shalyn Martin fired right back, tying the game at 5-5 with a steal and two made free throws with 17:07 left on the clock.
The Mavs took their first lead of the game following a field goal by junior Nelson, to make the score 11-10 at the 13:27 mark. Erin Dixon had the hot hand from behind the arc, connecting on three treys. Dixon recorded her first three of the first half at the 12:27 mark, giving the Mavericks a 14-10 advantage.
A LaShandra Hill jumper cut the Mavericks lead to two but a pair of Champion free throws put UTA back on top, 16-12 with 12:19 left on the clock.
The Mustangs didn't let the score get out of hand, tying the game at 16-16 following a layup by Delisha Wills with 9:50 remaining in the first period.
It was a hard-fought battle throughout the rest of the first half, as the Mavericks tied the game three times before heading into the locker rooms with the game even at 35-35.
The Mavericks finished the first half shooting 55.6 percent (15-of-27) from the field, 50 percent (4-of-8) from behind the arc and a perfect 100 percent (1-of-1) from the charity stripe.
Wills opened the second half with a layup and free throw, giving the Mustangs a 38-35 advantage over UTA. Martin connected on an easy layup, which led to an 8-0 run by the Mavericks.
That was all the cushion UTA needed to run away with the game leading by as many as 18 points with 6:05 left in regulation. A player technical foul by SMU and three free throws by Kiarra Shofner sealed the game for the Mavericks, as they captured a 85-79 road win.
For the game, the Mavs finished shooting 50.9 percent (28-of-55) from the field to the Mustangs 38.6 percent (27-of-70) from the floor.
Dixon recorded her first double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds while Martin added 15 points and six boards.
Four Mustangs finished in double-digit scoring including Wills, who posted 19 points and 10 rebounds in 15 minutes of action.
The three game road trip continues for the Mavs with a stop in Fort Worth, Texas where they will take on TCU on Thursday, November 20 at 6:30 p.m.
