Feb. 16, 2013
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ARLINGTON, Texas -- UT Arlington's second half rally fell short Saturday night when the Mavericks lost 78-64 to Western Athletic Conference foe Seattle U at College Park Center.
The Mavericks (5-19, 3-11 WAC) rallied from 17 points down to climb back to within eight, but could not hold off a surge from the Redhawks (15-9, 12-3) late. Seattle U's Kacie Sowell had a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Ashley Ward had 24 points. UTA was led by Leila Suleiman and Kelsey Willson, who both had 11 points.
"In the first half we were very passive," UT Arlington interim coach Karen Blair said. "I don't know if it was because of their pressure. But I wish we would have started off with some better energy. I think maybe as the coach I need to do something differently as the coach to get them fired up. When they put 40 minutes together the things that they can do are really special."
An 11-0 run midway through the opening half broke open what was a closely contested start. The Mavericks shot just 26.9 percent to open the half and were 1-8 from the 3-point line. Willson led UTA on offense with five points while Kiara Parker picked up five rebounds and three points.
Seattle U broke open the game with 7:52 to go in the opener. The Redhawks took advantage of back-to-back Maverick turnovers and capitalized on each to begin the rally. Ashley Ward and Kacie Sowell both added 11 points for Seattle U and the Redhawks led by 15 going into the break, 35-20.
The Mavericks came out strong in the second half from beyond the arc. UTA hit three consecutive 3-pointers, including two from Suleiman. The Redhawks responded right back with a 3-pointer of their own and then added four more points on turnovers from the Mavs.
UTA closed the gap to under 10 points in the second half. Jordan Holub put in two field goals, Rosalyn Thrope added a bucket and Malaika Green hit a 3-pointer to bring the Mavs to within just eight points after trailing by as many as 17 in the half.
The response came quickly though for Seattle U from the free-throw line. The Redhawks hit four consecutive free throws and went on a 8-2 run to expand their lead back to double-digits.
The Mavericks take a break from WAC play on Wednesday when they host New Orleans at noon at College Park Center.
