Final Stats

By Michael Eldridge | @DFWSportsMike

STATESBORO, Ga. - UT Arlington outscored Georgia Southern 12-0 in overtime to down the Eagles 53-41 at Hanner Fieldhouse on Thursday night.

The Lady Mavericks (9-11, 4-6 Sun Belt) ended a streak of eight consecutive overtime losses dating back to 2010 and improved to 4-0 all-time against Georgia Southern. Rebekah VanDijk earned her fourth consecutive double-double, eighth overall, to lead three UTA scorers in double figures. VanDijk had 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Lauren Billie matched a career high with 11 points, all during a five-minute outburst in the second half. Cierra Johnson finished with 10 points.

Despite frequent scoring droughts in the first half, Georgia Southern's ability to knock down the 3-pointer helped it to a lead at the break. The Eagles hit on 5 of their first 6 attempts to hold an early 15-6 advantage just four minutes into the game.

LaShanda Green provided UTA its lone 3-pointer of the opening half as she connected late in the first. Her trey ended what was a scoreless streak of more than five minutes. Georgia Southern was unable to expand its lead, struggling to score on a five-minute run of its own. The Lady Mavs continued to be cold in the second quarter, going 0-of-8 from beyond the arc, while GS hit on two its three attempts.

Offensive struggles continued well into the second half for both teams. The Eagles went scoreless for another five-minute run midway through the third, but UTA wasn't able to take advantage. The Lady Mavs, trailing by just three during the stretch, went 0-7 from the field and turned the ball over five times.

It was Billie that provided the offense to lift UTA. Billie connected on a 3-pointer with seven seconds left in the third and gave the Lady Mavs their first lead since eight seconds in the game with another to start the fourth. Billie's 11-point run gave UTA a four-point lead.

As the Lady Mavs seemed to control the final minutes, it was the Eagles that finished regulation strong. The Eagles converted on a trey with 27.0 left in the game to tie the contest. Green had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but her attempt bounced off the front of the rim.

Turning point
Missing on the opportunity to win in regulation, UTA didn't let the comeback from Georgia Southern put them down. After VanDijk won the opening tip, Johnson knocked down the first of two 3-pointers by the Lady Mavs in the extra period. The sophomore continued with four free throws to help UTA to a 12-0 advantage in overtime.

Key Stats
UTA turned the ball over 23 times, its second most in a win this season. … UTA was just 32.7 percent shooting in the game after hitting at 60.0 percent in its last time out (a high under Krista Gerlich). … Helped along by Billie, UTA outscored GS 18-9 in points off the bench.

Notable
Rebekah VanDijk moved into eighth all-time in blocks with three in the game. She has 83 in her career and is seven short of seventh. … UTA defeated Georgia Southern by 39 points on Jan. 2. UTA is 2-0 against the Eagles at Hanner Fieldhouse.

Up next
UTA continues its five-game trip when it travels to Georgia State on Saturday. In the last matchup, the Panthers used a 25-2 run in the third to overcome a double-digit deficit. UTA is 4-1 against the Panthers in the series.

Quotable

UTA coach Krista Gerlich on the team's performance:
I knew they would really come after us and guard us better than the first time. It was ugly but I am proud of our kids because they found a way to win.

Gerlich on the play of Billie:
She is the reason we won that game. She gave us the spark that we needed. She has waited for that and has worked hard for it. I am really excited that she got that opportunity.

Gerlich on what was said at the halftime break:
We tell them to keep grinding. In the first half, we shot the ball terrible. We told them that the shots would go in. When the shots aren't falling we knew we had to guard. We knew we had a good defensive effort, we just struggled to put the ball in the basket.

Lauren Billie on her career-high tying effort:
My teammates pumped me up and believe in me all the time. Coach Gerlich just said to knock down the three and that is the first thing that I knocked down.

Billie on what she has seen her role with the team in her freshman year:
My role is to make my teammates better and they also help me get better. We just help each other get better.

Billie on providing the spark with her Dad able to watch on the road:
It was really good. I am glad I could be the spark to help get the team in rhythm. It felt really good (with my parents here) because it was one of the few times that my dad has seen me play.