Box Score

By Michael Eldridge | UTAMavs.com

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Celebrating UT Arlington coach Krista Gerlich's birthday on Wednesday night, the Lady Mavericks gave their coach what she called the biggest win in her tenure at UTA, a 71-68 decision against WKU at E.A. Diddle Arena.

The Lady Mavericks (2-0) stormed back after trailing by double digits for much of the contest and trimmed the deficit down to just one with under a minute. Cierra Johnson put in a layup to give UTA the lead and Miranda LeJune knocked down a pair of free throws to go up three. WKU (1-1) had a look at tying the game, but the 3-pointer bounced off the back of the rim at the buzzer.

Four Lady Mavs finished with double-digit scoring. Christina Devers, for the second consecutive game, led the team as she put in 15. Johnson and Rebekah VanDijk each finished with 14, while Breck Clark added 10, including two big 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter.

WKU, the Conference USA preseason favorite, burst out to a 15-0 lead in the first before UTA could provide any answer. UTA chipped away at the lead to get less than 10 points at the half. The Lady Toppers appeared to steal momentum right back away in the third and went up by 12 late in the quarter.

In a battle that featured two conference Preseason Players of the Year, WKU's Kendall Noble was slowed with just four points. Noble had 12 in the team's season opener on Nov. 11. VanDijk on the other hand finished with a double-double as she paired her points with 12 rebounds.

KEY RUN
Lady Mavs used a seven-point run midway through the fourth quarter to bring the game to 56-56. LeJune and VanDijk each converted in the paint and forced WKU into a timeout with 6:43 to go. The teams went back and forth for the remainder as UTA's energy seemed to wear the defense out.

PLAYER OF THE GAME
Breck Clark, entering with just two points in the season opener, hit each of her 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, including the shot that put the Lady Mavs into their first lead. Clark finished with 10 points.

KEY STATS
With a stat line that was similar in most categories, UTA outscored WKU's bench 28-9 and 46-26 in the paint. … Rebekah VanDijk had seven offensive boards as UTA had 18 overall.

UP NEXT
UTA returns to College Park Center to host Wichita State from the Missouri Valley Conference at 5 p.m. Sunday. The Lady Mavs and Shockers met in 2014 in Wichita, Kan. with WSU coming out on top 71-61.

QUOTABLE
UTA coach Gerlich on the win
"That is a huge win. That is one of the biggest wins in our program history. I don't know if our kids realize what they just did. WKU lost just one game on their home court last season. I am just so proud of them, especially after what we went through in the first quarter.

"I love their fight. I love that they never give up. I love that they buy into what we preach. They kept applying pleasure and we knew we were so deep we could run them ragged. They just hung in there and never gave up."