Final Stats

By Michael Eldridge | @DFWSportsMike

MONROE, Louisiana - UT Arlington connected on a season-high 30 free throws to snap a four-game losing streak and upend ULM 60-50 Thursday at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

The Lady Mavericks improved to 8-10 overall and 3-5 in the Sun Belt with their first victory since Jan. 7. UTA's previous season's best for free throws made was 19 at UTSA on Dec. 21.

The Lady Mavs reached that total by halftime and finished with exactly half of their points at the charity stripe. Morgan Hunt led the way with eight of her 14 points at the line to match a career high. Rebekah VanDijk, with seven free throws made, earned her fifth double-double of the season with 13 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.

After a slow start saw UTA to a 5-4 lead at the first media timeout, the Lady Mavs used a 15-5 run to close the opening quarter with their first double-digit lead.

Morgan Hunt continued the effort into the second quarter as UTA got hot from the free-throw line. Hunt knocked down a perfect 7-of-7 from the charity stripe. The Lady Mavs knocked down 19-21 attempts, their best game performance of the season with a half to play.

UTA built its lead to 14 points with five free throws early in the third quarter. However, ULM would trim the lead down by taking advantage of cold shooting and turnovers.

The Warhawks closed the third on a 10-0 run behind four UTA turnovers and a nine consecutive missed shots.

Turning point
After the lead was trimmed to four, it was VanDijk that stepped up to help UTA pull away. VanDijk led the Lady Mavs to a 10-2 surge, converted on three consecutive trips down the floor.

Key Stats
Entering 0-5 when losing the third quarter in SBC play, UTA earned its first win after being outscored 15-9 in the frame. … UTA ended a four-game skid to the Warhawks. ULM holds a 19-9 advantage in the all-time series. … The Lady Mavs had just two 3-pointers, its fewest in a win this season.

Notable
Hunt finished with a career-high eight free throws - her previous best was four. … UTA's 28.6 shooting percentage was its second lowest in a win this season.

Up next
The Lady Mavericks continue their five-game road trip on Saturday at Louisiana. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.

Quotable

UTA coach Krista Gerlich on the team's performance:
"I really liked our mental toughness at the free-throw line. We talked about our mental poise and how much we had to have it at the free-throw line and I thought our kids did a nice job getting to the line too."

Gerlich on the play of Hunt:
"I love her confidence right now. She just needed an opportunity and she has worked her way into that and I love how patient and determined she has been with it. She gave us some athleticism on the boards and attacked the basket to get them into some early foul trouble."

Gerlich on the team's bounce back from third quarter:
"We did a nice job of sticking to our game plan and staying focused. They went on a bit of a run in the third quarter, but our kids handled that a lot better and started the fourth quarter with a bang."

Hunt on her performance:
"It was a lot of fun. I wanted to come in and do my job to help us win. If that set a spark, then its great. We had a lot of fun getting after them and I am glad it turned out well."

Hunt on the team's focus on the free-throw line in practice:
"We have been talking and focusing on it on practice, but it comes down to mental toughness and more than the free throws themselves. The coaches have been preaching to us about mental toughness as a whole, and knowing that you can step up to the line and knock it down is all you have to do."