Photo Gallery | Final Stats

By Michael Eldridge | @DFWSportsMike

ARLINGTON, Texas - Turnovers plagued UT Arlington as Louisiana defeated the Lady Mavericks 59-42 on Thursday afternoon at College Park Center.

UTA (12-12) dropped to 7-7 in the Sun Belt after turning the ball over 22 times as its four-game winning streak came to an end. The Ragin' Cajuns (17-7, 7-7 SBC) turned UTA turnovers into 25 points and held the Lady Mavs to 32-percent shooting.

Toma Zaleckaite and Amara Wainwright were the bright spots of the UTA offense. Zaleckaite had a career-high 14 points on 6-12 shooting. Wainwright connected on three 3-pointers on the way to 11 points.

The Lady Mavs knocked down 6-11 shots in the first quarter to hold a 14-11 lead. The Ragin' Cajuns flipped the script in the second period, outscoring UTA 18-8 during the period. UTA hit just three field goals during the quarter.

Louisiana put the clamps down on the Lady Mavs in the fourth. Entering with a 10-point advantage, UL held UTA to just two points through the first seven minutes of the period.

Turning point
With UTA up by three, Louisiana's offense came alive in the second quarter. The Ragin' Cajuns shot 61.5 percent from the floor during the period, holding UTA to 27.3 percent. Simone Fields and Keke Veal each had double-digit points going into the half.

Key Stats
Amara Wainwright was 3-5 from beyond the arc. Wainwright is currently on pace to set the single-season 3-point percentage record for the Lady Mavs. ... Rebekah VanDijk had just four points, one shy of her season low??? VanDijk entered with double-digit scoring in 11 of 12 games.

Notable
VanDijk's three blocks put her into seventh in UTA history. The sophomore has 91 in her career. She is two shy of sixth (Shannon Spriggs, 1992-95). ... Louisiana improved to 12-5 all-time against UTA. ... The loss was UTA's first in the month of February after winning the first four. ... UTA was without Cierra Johnson (stress reaction, left foot).

Up next
The Lady Mavs go for win No. 600 on Saturday against ULM on ESPN3 at 5 p.m.

Quotable
UTA coach Krista Gerlich on the team's performance:
"We were down a player and that changes our scope and outlook, but I am disappointed in the way we responded in that. We are asking some people to play some different spots, but I think our kids are capable of coming in and playing better."

Gerlich on the team's turnover total:
"Our turnovers were key against their press. Their press set the tone early and we gave them a lot of free looks. That is disappointing. Of all of our players, Toma did the best job of coming in and trying to attack. She made them pay early and often, and that is what she is supposed to do."

Zaleckaite on the team being able to play without Johnson:
"Before the game I told Cierra and the team that we had to have her back. We had to change our mentality and be stronger. It was just sad. It is a new opportunity for our other players, it is a huge opportunity for them. We have good guards, but they just need to believe in themselves."