Jan. 5, 2013
By Melissa Cebold | UTAMavs.com
Final Stats
RUSTON, Louisiana - UT Arlington lost a close Western Athletic Conference battle, 65-58, at Louisiana Tech Saturday night.
The Mavericks (3-10, 1-2) shot 42.9 percent from the field. Kiara Parker led the Mavericks with 14 points and Laila Suleiman scored 10. Aron Garcia finished the game with three blocks against the Lady Techsters.
"Overall I'm very proud of how the team played," UT Arlington coach Samantha Morrow said. "LA Tech is a very fast team and we rebounded well for about the first 15 minutes of the first half, but lost the rebound battle the last five minutes.
"The game could have gone either way."
Louisiana Tech (6-7, 2-1) started off the game with a 3-pointer from Jelena Vucinic, followed by an easy layup from Whitney Frazier giving the Lady Techsters a 5-0 lead.
Parker tied it up 7-7 with a steal and a jump shot. Louisiana Tech regained the lead as the score continued to go back and forth throughout the half. The Lady Techsters pulled ahead with a 12-2 run to end the first half.
Despite shooting 45.8 percent from the field, the Mavericks headed into the locker room down 38-27.
Desherra Nwanguma and Parker each had six points for the Mavericks, while Garcia grabbed six rebounds in the half. The Mavericks defense was able to shut out Louisiana Tech's leading scorer as Kelia Shelton was 0-5 shooting.
The Lady Techsters carried their momentum into the second half as La Tech started with a 4-0 run.
Kelia Shelton saw her first points with 12:50 to play after she hit a 3-pointer to extend the Lady Techsters lead to 12.
Shelton found her rhythm and finished the game with a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds. Whitney Frazier and Kanedria Andrews also scored in double figures, combining for 22 Lady Techsters points.
The Mavericks are back at College Park Center Thursday, January 10 to take on the Roadrunners of UTSA at 7 p.m.
