Final Stats

By Michael Eldridge | @DFWSportsMike

Lafayette, La. - UT Arlington surged in the second half to win its third game in a row after defeating Louisiana 57-51 on Saturday at the Cajundome in Sun Belt Conference play.

The Lady Mavericks (12-9, 6-6) outscored the Ragin' Cajuns (12-8, 7-4) by 20 points in the second half and rode hot shooting by freshmen Rebekah Van Dijjk and Cierra Johnson and junior Toma Zaleckaite. Van Dijk earned her 11th double-double of the season with 14 points and 15 rebounds, while Johnson and Zaleckaite each had 13.

UT Arlington coach Krista Gerlich said the importance of every win down the stretch can't be overstated.

"Each game from this point forward is a big win," Gerlich said. "We are trying to position ourselves to get into the tournament and finish strong in the conference. Each win after this is our biggest win."

UTA shot over 62 percent from the field in the second half and finished at 46.8. The Lady Mavs came out of the break with a 16-2 run and didn't allow the Ragin' Cajuns to hit a second field-goal until nearly nine minutes into the second.

"We talked to them about sticking to the game plan," Gerlich said of her message to the team at halftime. "They got hot and shot it will but it was more about offensive looks. We had to bring more energy. I didn't like the way our heads dropped after the score and I just reminded them to do what we do and to play with tempo."

A 3-point barrage in the first half left the Lady Mavs with a double-digit deficit heading into the break. The Ragin' Cajuns knocked down six 3-pointers in the first and were 6-11 in the half.

Kia Wilridge knocked down two of the Louisiana's 3-pointers and had 11 points in the first, while Van Dijk led the Lady Mavs with six points.

UTA shot just 30.4 percent from the field and found itself down 32-18 at the half.

The Lady Mavericks stormed out of the gates to begin the second half. UTA went on a run to jump into a one-point lead with less than 10 minutes left in the game. Zaleckaite helped lead the charge with nine points during the run, besting a career-high she achieved in UTA's last game.

The teams went back-and-forth with neither picking up more than a two-point advantage through the final media timeout.

Amara Wainright changed that with a 3-pointer out of the break to put the Mavs up 50-47 at the three-minute mark. Wainwright followed it up on the next possession with a runner through the lane to put the Lady Mavs up five.

The Ragin' Cajuns were able to get within just three points, but that would be as close as the game would get with UTA putting the game away with free throws at the end.

NOTES: Chaun Williams played her 99th career game. She is expected to reach 100 at Texas State on Thursday.