Final Stats

By Michael Eldridge | @DFWSportsMike

MOBILE, Ala. - UT Arlington was unable to knock down the big shot on Saturday, falling 59-55 to South Alabama for its second consecutive loss.

The Lady Mavericks (7-8, 2-3) had their opportunity late in the contest as the teams went into the final minute tied at 55 apiece. The Jaguars (6-9, 2-4) converted a pair of free throws with 39 seconds left to regain the lead before UTA had its chance. Two 3-pointers bounced off the rim, each grabbed by the Lady Mavs. However, the third inbound pass was turned over and USA put the game away at the other end.

Rebekah VanDijk matched her career-high with 20 points. She added 12 rebounds to earn her second consecutive double-double and fourth of the season. VanDijk was the lone UTA player in double figures.

UTA struggled to find consistency in its shooting in the first half. The Lady Mavericks shot just 30.3 percent (10-33), while the Jaguars were slightly better at 35.7 percent. VanDijk and Zaleckaite were the main threat for UTA attack.

VanDijk had seven points and five rebounds at the break, while Zaleckaite had six points to go along with seven rebounds. However, South Alabama's Chyna Ellis was 4-for-8 from the field with nine points to help South Alabama to a 28-27 halftime advantage.

The Lady Mavericks were helped to a quick 7-0 run out of the break with all seven coming from VanDijk. USA responded right back with a run of its own to regain the lead, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer that banked in to give the Jaguars a six-point advantage going to the fourth.

Cierra Johnson picked up three steals during a three-minute stretch that saw USA turn the ball over on five consecutive possessions. The run tied the game at 55 apiece to head into the final minute.

Turning point
After tying the game at 55 with 3:06 on the clock, UTA would miss six consecutive shots, including three 3-point attempts. LaShanda Green had two open looks with less than 32 ticks. South Alabama managed to knock down four free throws late to hold onto its late advantage.

Key Stats
South Alabama's bench outscored UTA 18-7. … VanDijk's 20 points was a season high. It was UTA's second consecutive game to have a scorer reach at least 20. … Cierra Johnson had six steals for the third time this season. Johnson entered the day sixth in the nation in steals per game.

Notable
UTA used a different starting lineup for the first time in five games. … After winning three straight on the road, UTA has lost its last two.

Up next
UT Arlington returns to College Park Center for the first time since Jan. 2 when it hosts Sun Belt leader Arkansas State. The contest is the first of two at home before UTA goes to the road for a five-game trip.

Quotable

UTA coach Krista Gerlich on the team's performance:
"I thought our effort was good, South Alabama played really hard and they fought to the end. We let the third quarter get away from us again. We didn't make buckets and didn't shoot the ball well at all. It got physical and we couldn't score with contact. We have to be physically and mentally tougher."

Gerlich on VanDijk's season-high performance:
"She did a nice job. Our kids did a nice job in feeding her. She kept working hard and finding ways to score, as well as crashing the boards. I hate that she gets roughed up in there so much and didn't really get the calls. I thought that she held her own."

Gerlich on the team's focus this week in practice:
"Our kids have to be focused every single day for every single day. We have to have everyone sharp every single night. We have to have a team effort for us to be successful. Everybody has to be firing on all cylinders. It is really early in the season, we have to keep getting better, keep working on our game and try to get tougher."