Box Score | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The UTA women's basketball team dug deep late in the fourth quarter to break open a close game and claimed a 74-63 victory over Appalachian State in the Sun Belt Conference opener for both teams at College Park Center.

Junior center Rebekah VanDijk equaled her second-highest scoring total of the season with a game-high 20 points, while junior guard Cierra Johnson went a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line en route to 15 points.

UTA improved to 8-3 on the season and 1-0 in conference play. Appalachian State, which was coming off an impressive 30-point win over UNC Asheville, dropped to 5-7 overall and opened league play at 0-1.

Despite allowing Appalachian State to shoot 45 percent from the floor, the Lady Mavs put together a solid defensive effort. UTA forced 22 turnovers and all five Mountaineer starters finished the game with four personal fouls.

UTA shot 37 percent from the field and went 7-for-20 from beyond the 3-point arc. Appalachian State attempted just four 3-point field goals.

Key Stretches
First Half: UTA made five of their first eight shots, while limiting the Mountaineers to just a single basket over the first three minutes of the game. Shelby Richards registered a steal, raced down court, split two defenders and was fouled while making a scooping layup. She made the resulting free throw. A minute later Rebekah VanDijk made a layup to put UTA ahead 16-2, forcing Appalachian State coach Angel Elderkin to call a timeout. App cut into the lead when UTA went 1-of-10 for the final 5 minutes, pulling to within 20-14 at the end of the period.

After the two teams traded baskets to open the second quarter, Appalachian State went on a 10-2 run and claimed its first lead of the game at 26-24 on a layup by Cyndi Cole. Crystal Allen ended the run with a 3-pointer that opened an 8-2 run to hand the lead back to UTA. VanDijk's layup with :32 seconds left provided the 35-33 halftime score.

Second Half: The duo of Christina Devers and Aysia Evans led UTA in the third period with 10 of the team's 18 points on a combined 4-of-6 from the field and a perfect 2-for-2 from behind the 3-point arc. Tied 45-apiece with 3:15 left in the quarter, Devers hit a 3-pointer then connected on a layup in transition to put UTA ahead 50-45. After Appalachian State scored, Devers banked in a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired to give the Lady Mavs their biggest lead of the quarter at 53-47.

Appalachian State claimed the lead with a Jones jumper to open the fourth quarter and neither team led by more than one point for eight minutes. VanDijk reclaimed the lead for UTA with a pair of free throws with 2:09 left. The Lady Mavs stretched the lead to three points on another VanDijk jumper from the top of the key with 1:47 left. Cierra Johnson drew an offensive foul on App's Q Murray with 1:00 left. VanDijk scored again to put UTA ahead 70-63 to cap a 6-0 run.

Key Statistics
Appalachian State won two of the key statistical battles, outshooting and outrebounding the Lady Mavs. The Mountaineers shot 44.8 percent from the field and claimed a slight 40-36 edge on the boards. However, Appalachian State committed 26 personal fouls that resulted in UTA's 21-of-31 performance at the free throw line.

Next Game
The Lady Mavericks remain at College Park Center Saturday at 2 p.m. for the first game of a Sun Belt Conference doubleheader against league newcomer Coastal Carolina. The women's game is followed by a 4:30 p.m. men's game featuring UTA and the Chanticleers. Tickets are available online at UTATickets.com or by calling the UTA Box Office at (817) 272-9595 during weekday business hours.

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.