Final Stats | Quotes | Notes

LUBBOCK, Texas - A slow start doomed UTA in a 79-60 loss to Texas Tech on Thursday at United Supermarkets Arena to close nonconference play.

Texas Tech (8-3) used a 28-5 first quarter to pull away from the Lady Mavericks - helped along by six Lady Raider 3-pointers. UTA outscored Texas Tech by four for the final 30 minutes, but couldn't bring the deficit any closer than 13 points. The 7-3 nonconference finished as the best since the 2008-09 season. UTA hosts Appalachian State on Dec. 29 to open Sun Belt competition in a brief two-game homestand.

Rebekah VanDijk earned her 30th-career double-double and fifth of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Cierra Johnson had a season-high 19 points on 7-16 shooting.

Recee Caldwell sparked the first-quarter outburst as she knocked down four of her five attempts in the opening frame for a team-high 12 points. Caldwell finished with a game-high 20. After UTA scored the opening points from the tipoff, Texas Tech went on a 28-3 run to close the quarter. The Lady Mavs finished with just 13.3 percent shooting in the first.

UTA's offensive efforts came alive in the second as Johnson got hot from 3-point land. The junior guard knocked down all three of her attempts in the first half for a team-high 11 points at the break. The Lady Mavs outscored the Raiders 18-13 in the period, but trailed 41-23 at intermission.

Texas Tech responded right back to UTA's efforts in the second as it opened the third with a 10-4 run with UTA missing 12 of its first 13 shots and all four 3-point attempts. However, UTA woke back up midway through as a 7-0 run forced a Lady Raider timeout. Lauren Billie converted on a corner three that was followed by a Christina Devers steal on the inbound pass.

Finishing the run at 11-0, Devers went back and forth from beyond the arc with the Lady Raiders, helping UTA close the deficit to just 14 with 10 minutes remaining.

Shelby Richards hit an early attempt from long range to bring the Lady Mavs within 13. She'd have a second look to bring it down to just 10 on the next possession, but missed it just long. Texas Tech took advantage and opened the lead back up for the remainder.

KEY RUNS
First Half
Texas Tech opened the contest with a big 28-5 run in the first quarter. Tech's Recee Caldwell knocked down four of her first five 3-point attempts as the Lady Raiders converted on six in the first 10 minutes.

Second Half
With the Lady Mavs nipping on the heels of the Lady Raiders, Shelby Richards couldn't convert on back-to-back 3-pointers that would have put the game at just 10 points. Texas Tech responded with a run of its own, and sent the lead back above 20 points.

KEY STATS
UTA continued its defensive streak of turning the opponent over more than 20 times, the streak is now at six games. … Texas Tech finished the game shooting 55.6 percent from the field compared to UTA's 28.6. UTA outscored Tech in points of turnovers (24-14), second-chance points (19-11) and bench points (18-10).

UPCOMING GAME
The Lady Mavericks begin their Sun Belt Conference slate at College Park Center with a two-game homestand that begins vs. Appalachian State on Thursday, Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. The stand concludes on Dec. 31 vs. Coastal Carolina.

The 2017 Sun Belt Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are scheduled for a week of March Madness in the Big Easy. New Orleans will once again be home to the two championships that will take place at Lakefront Arena from March 7-12 and ticket books can now be purchased from your school's ticket office. For more information, visit the Sun Belt Conference's championship central websites - Men's Championship - Women's Championship - and be sure to follow the #FunBelt on social media - @SunBelt.