Final Stats

By Cassie Logan | @c4ssielogan

ARLINGTON, Texas - In its first game at College Park Center since Jan. 23, the streaking UT Arlington women's basketball team finished strong for a 65-58 victory over Appalachian State on Saturday.

The Lady Mavericks (12-11 overall, 7-6 Sun Belt) are over .500 for the first time since Jan. 7 with their fourth consecutive win, the longest streak of the season. UTA is one win away from the program's 600th. The Mavs are now 4-0 all-time against Appalachian State (8-15, 5-9), with two wins in Arlington.

LaShanda Green bested her career-high with 25 points. The senior was 6-12 from the floor, 5-9 from 3-point range, and downed all eight free throws. Green totaled 16 points in the first half.

Cierra Johnson's 10 assists are a career-high and most in a UTA game since 2005 - tied for eighth in UTA single-game history. Johnson's defensive effort included five rebounds and four steals. Morgan Hunt shot 5-8 from the field and 4-4 at the charity stripe. Hunt penned 14 points and six rebounds. Rebekah VanDijk added 13 points and six rebounds.

Green was a catalyst for UTA's offensive momentum in the opening minutes. The senior was 3-4 from 3-point range and contributed 11 points to the Mavs' two-point lead at the end of the quarter (21-19). The Mountaineers had two turnovers and had yet to attempt a 3-pointer.

Down 31-25 in the second quarter, a pair of treys from Green and Amara Wainwright tied the ballgame at 31-31 with 29 seconds to play in the half. A steal by Green in the remaining seconds couldn't be converted and an Appalachian State jumper with two seconds left sent the Mountaineers to the locker room up 33-31.

Green opened the second half with her fifth 3-pointer of the game before Appalachian State went on a 10-4 run to take a 43-38 advantage with less than five minutes on the clock. Two VanDijk free throws off of an Appalachian State foul brought UTA within one late in the third quarter.

The Mountaineers continued to press harder and a couple of defensive fouls kept the Mavericks close behind. Another pair of made frees from Johnson put the Mavs up 61-58 with less than two to play.

Turning Point
An Appalachian State turnover with 5:13 to play in the fourth quarter was converted into a layup by LeJune, which earned the Mavericks a 56-55 lead. The advantage was UTA's first since the beginning of the third quarter.

Key Stats
UTA shot 31.6 percent from 3-point range to Appalachian State's 12.5. … The Mavs were 21-22 at the free throw line. … UTA picked up 17 points off of the Mountaineers' 18 turnovers. … UTA added 16 points off the bench. … The lead changed 15 times throughout the game.

Notable
UTA swept the two-game season series from App State. The Mavs won 76-45 on the road on Jan. 7. ... UTA coach Krista Gerlich received a ceremonial game ball at halftime of the men's game for winning her 200th career game at Texas State on Tuesday.

Up Next
The Mavericks host Louisiana at College Park Center 11:30 a.m. Thursday as the second of a three-game homestand. UTA concludes its stay against Louisiana-Monroe at 5 p.m. Saturday.

Quotable
UTA coach Krista Gerlich's opening statement:
"Hats off to Appalachian State because I knew that they'd come in and really give us a battle. That's probably what I was most concerned about the entire week was preparing for them and making sure that our kids stayed in the right frame of mind. When you beat somebody by 30 or so in the first round, it's really difficult to keep their minds focused on coming in and really being competitive. I thought that Appalachian State did a nice job of attacking us. They certainly were driven in trying to beat us. I thought our kids found a way to win and survived. That's what it's all about this time of year. We want to be playing our best basketball and we have been in February."

Gerlich on Green's and Johnson's performances:
"I thought the last few minutes of the fourth quarter, they were really tough. LaShanda obviously put us on her back the whole game and really helped us in the first half in getting points on the board. I thought Cierra really struggled throughout the night, but she found a way to help us with those 10 assists. I thought our performance at the free throw line was the difference in the ballgame. We were really focused and mentally tough right there."