Jan. 21, 2016

Final Stats | Photo Gallery

By Cassie Logan | @c4ssielogan

ARLINGTON, Texas - Arkansas State had four in double figures to help send UT Arlington to its third consecutive loss after a 78-71 defeat on Thursday at College Park Center.

The Lady Mavericks dropped to 7-9 on the season and 2-4 in Sun Belt play after being on the road since Jan. 2. Arkansas State remained a perfect 7-0 in conference with a 13-3 overall record. UTA is now 3-6 at home.

Rebekah VanDijk matched her career-high 20 points for the second game in a row, adding seven rebounds and three blocks. Amara Wainwright also contributed 20 points on 6-9 3-point shooting - two short of the single-game record.

Both teams shot 48.3 percent from the field, though UTA showed a better 52.6 percent from beyond the arc. The Red Wolves took advantage of their stay at the free-throw line and shot 80 percent (16-20). The Lady Mavs were hurt by 17 turnovers to Arkansas State's nine.

UTA opened the game on a 7-2 run including a pair of free throws from a foul on Wainwright. Three early turnovers added seven points and contributed to Arkansas State's 14-9 lead. A Wainwright 3 closed out the quarter with the Red Wolves ahead 21-15.

The Lady Mavs sharpened up their defense in the second quarter and refused to turn the ball over or force a foul. Back-to-back treys by Wainwright and LaShanda Green brought UTA within two with just over three minutes to play. An Arkansas State layup would send UTA into the locker room down 40-35.

The Red Wolves came out of the break shooting 63 percent and pulled away by nine with just under six minutes to play in the third. The Lady Mavs ran into trouble with sloppy ball handling and committed four more turnovers that stretched the deficit to nine points heading into the final stretch.

A 3-pointer followed by a VanDijk layup brought the Mavs back to life down 65-60 with 5:07 to play in the game. Two turnovers in a row kept UTA away by eight before Morgan Hunt downed a jumper to come back within five. Cierra Johnson's fifth foul sent Arkansas State to the free throw line to end the night.

Turning Point
The Lady Mavs came within six points of the Red Wolves on a layup from Rebekah VanDijk with 52 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Back-to-back turnovers extended Arkansas State's lead 74-66 as UTA wouldn't come back.

Key Stats
The Red Wolves found 10 points off Maverick turnovers in the first quarter with eight fast break points. Arkansas State totaled 24 points off of UTA's 17 turnovers.

Notable
The Lady Mavs now have three players averaging double-digit points (Johnson, Wainwright and VanDijk). ... UTA hadn't lost three in a row since Jan. 19-24 of last season. ... The second quarter was the first without a foul this season. ... This is UTA's fourth loss when outscored in the third quarter.

Up Next
The Lady Mavs play the second of a two-game homestand against defending Sun Belt champion Little Rock Saturday at 5 p.m. UTA then embarks on a five-game road trip beginning at Louisiana-Monroe Jan. 23.

Quotable
UT Arlington coach Krista Gerlich's opening statement:
"I thought our kids played extremely hard and gave themselves a chance to win. I am proud of their effort. They gave Arkansas State a scare. There were times we could have folded the tent and we didn't. We continued to battle back. Overall our effort was extremely well. We have just have to find ways to get stops and turn them over and get to the free-throw line more than anything. Arkansas state is undefeated for a reason."

Gerlich on playing as a team:
"We are a team of kids that have to play with each other to be successful. I told them that we usually win games when we have 20 assists. We have to help each other score. I am as honest as I am with them, we don't have a kid that is as athletic as their players. Cierra is an outstanding defensive player, but she still needs help. Our margin for error is tiny."

VanDijk on her season-high performance:
"We really tried to compete and got a big effort from a lot of people. It hurts to lose. I had 20 points but we still lose and it doesn't make me feel any better, but if we keep bringing it every day in practice and if we keep doing it, we will turn it into a win."

Gerlich on Saturday's matchup against Little Rock:
"They will be really tough and will be able to guard us. They are young and have six freshmen. What I am concerned about is the turnaround. We have a lot of kids that play a lot of minutes. We will have to be able to guard their motion offense. I challenged them in the dressing room, the only people that can change the season are the people in the room."