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By Cassie Logan | UTAMavs.com

ARLINGTON, Texas - Once trailing by 21 in the third quarter, UTA women's basketball pushed to cut the deficit to six in the final minute, but it wasn't enough to secure the comeback as it fell 75-69 to rival Texas State Saturday at College Park Center.

The Lady Mavericks' six-game win streak came to a halt, earning its first loss in Arlington since Dec. 3 against Kansas State. UTA dropped to 15-5 and 8-2 in Sun Belt play. The previous 8-1 start tied for the second-best conference opening in program history (2004-05). Texas State evened the season series with the win and improved to 11-10 and 6-4 in the league. UTA defeated the Bobcats 61-39 in San Marcos on Jan. 7.

Five Mavericks scored in double-figures as Rebekah VanDijk led the attack with 14 points and eight rebounds. The junior entered the Sun Belt's career record books with one of two blocks on the day. The 132nd of her career tied for 25th in the league's rankings. VanDik also moved into 13th in UTA's all-time scoring records with double-digit performances in all 20 games this season.

Crystal Allen chipped in with 13 points and Cierra Johnson added 11 points, four assists and three steals. Lauren Billie was 3-for-4 from long range. The Bobcats outrebounded the Lady Mavericks 40-30, adding just one more steal 10-9. Texas State's shooting was a sharper 48 percent to UTA's 42, though the Lady Mavs hit a better 44 percent beyond the arc.

Both teams traded leads in the opening minutes fueled by 3-pointers. The Bobcats proved to have the hotter hand and jumped out to a 15-7 lead on 5-of-8 shooting, three of those from long range. UTA committed six turnovers and allowed five steals, but registered one more rebound to trail 25-12 at the end of the first quarter.

Texas State wouldn't let up in the second frame, still shooting over 70 percent midway through. A trey from Lauren Billie shaved the lead down 30-17 and a quick jumper inside brought the Lady Mavs within 10. A late 6-2 run for the Bobcats strengthened the advantage as they would take a 14-point lead into the break.

An exciting and intense third quarter saw UTA outscore Texas State 23-18 and cut the deficit down to seven in the final seconds with three shots on three attempts. Billie came in clutch with another 3 to instill some life into CPC and UTA. A 12-2 run for the Lady Mavs earlier in the period had them down by 11.

Another key 3 from Billie followed by a Johnson layup brought the score to 66-57 midway through the fourth. The Lady Mavs wouldn't come close again until a Devers long-range shot under two seconds to play to closed out the day.

KEY RUNS
First Half
Texas State shot over 70 percent in the first quarter and stayed hot through the second to build a comfortable 14-point lead heading into the break. Both teams were even on the boards with 17 each.

Second Half
The Bobcats took their largest lead of the day in the third quarter by 21. UTA once pushed a 12-2 run late in the third, but couldn't shorten the lead until early in the fourth on a pair of free throws from VanDijk to cut it to seven.

KEY STATS
Despite outscoring Texas State in the second half, UTA was beat on the boards 23-12. The Bobcats' first-half performance was enough to keep their distance and momentum locked away. Their defense was aggressive and forced 10 steals and 11 turnovers, though both teams split 34 rebounds. The Bobcats were more effective in their offensive approach, shooting 56 percent to UTA's 28.

UPCOMING GAME
The Lady Mavericks continue their three-game stay at CPC with a pair of matches against the Sun Belt's two Arkansas squads. UTA hosts Little Rock 11:30 a.m. Thursday and turns to Arkansas State 2 p.m. Saturday.

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.