Final Stats

By Michael Eldridge | @DFWSportsMike

LAFAYETTE, Louisiana - Louisiana used an 11-0 outburst in the final minutes to down UT Arlington 63-52 on Saturday at the Cajundome.

The Lady Mavericks (8-11, 3-6 SBC) shot 60.0 percent in the game, the best performance under UTA coach Krista Gerlich, but turned the ball over 25 times. The Ragin' Cajuns capitalized on the mishaps to outscore UTA 29-9 in points off of turnovers.

Rebekah VanDijk earned her second consecutive double-double as she led UTA with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Toma Zaleckaite knocked down a season-high 11 points, her first double-digit scoring effort of the season.

Turnovers plagued UTA early and allowed UL to jump out to a quick lead. The Lady Mavs turned the ball over six times in the first, 11 times in the half to help Louisiana to a double-digit lead. The Ragin' Cajuns took advantage with a 13-5 advantage in points off of turnovers in the half.

VanDijk helped lead UTA's charge back late in the second quarter. UTA knocked down five consecutive shots and tied the game with a pair of free throws from Breck Clark. The Lady Mavs held a lead with 10 seconds left in the half, but UL picked up a bucket as time expired to send the game into the break even at 29.

The Lady Mavs continued their momentum into the third. UTA knocked down four jumpers in a row to build up a brief five-point lead. UL trimmed the gap back down to even the contest before VanDijk completed her double-double with a go-ahead bucket to end the third.

Turning point
After VanDijk gave UTA a 48-47 lead with 4:46 to go, Louisiana held UTA scoreless for the next three minutes. Keke Veal scored nine of her game-high 21 points during the stretch to put the Ragin' Cajuns back up by 10.

Key Stats
After converting season-high 30 free throws against ULM on Thursday, UTA went to the line for just nine free throws, converting on seven. … UTA has hit just five 3-pointers in its last two games. … UL's bench outscored UTA 19-9

Notable
Louisiana ended UTA's three-game winning streak over the Ragin' Cajuns. The Lady Mavs are 1-7 all-time on the road against UL. UL leads the all-time series 11-5. … UTA closed its play in January with a 3-5 record.

Up next
UTA continues its season-long five-game road trip with a run through Georgia. UTA takes on Georgia Southern on Thursday before facing Georgia State on Saturday.

Quotable
UTA coach Krista Gerlich on the team's performance:
"Our effort was really good. Our kids understood our game plan. Rebekah was phenomenal considering she was sick during the game. She showed a lot of grit and determination. They had a kid come off the bench that has scored 12 points all year long that lit us up and we didn't find her quick enough. the difference was turnovers. They got to the free-throw line a lot more than us and it was just a matter of taking care of the basketball."

Gerlich on the team shooting 60.0 percent overall:
"They need to know that when they execute the game play and not turn it over that we got some high-percentage shots. It is kind of a double-edged sword that we have our best shooting percentage of my career and we lose. When you turn it over 25 times that is going to happen."