ARLINGTON – A heart-breaking jumper to beat the buzzer saw Arkansas top UT Arlington 66-65 on Wednesday night at College Park Center.
 
The Lady Mavericks (1-1) had a chance at the free-throw line to go up by three, but after both rimmed out, the Razorbacks (2-0) advanced the ball out of a time out, and saw Alexis Tolefree get a friendly bounce on a mid-range jumper as time expired. The dagger spoiled the hard-fought efforts of the Lady Mavs that included a career-high 21 points from Lauren Billie, a spectacular effort by Cierra Johnson with 22 points, and a remarkable stat line by freshman Katie Ferrell of 10 boards, seven points, four steals, four blocks and six assists. Ferrell has dished 13 assists in two games as a Lady Maverick.
 
UTA had its opportunities with two possessions with under 47 seconds. Billie's 3-point attempt bounced out with 14 ticks on the clock, while Johnson's block at one end didn't equate to the all-important points with five seconds on the clock.
 
Taking positives after the game, UTA coach Krista Gerlich said that her players left it all on the court and have a lot to take from the effort.
 
"Arkansas knows that they were in for a fight tonight and I could not be more proud of our team and how they battled and did not give in and gave themselves a chance to win," Gerlich said. "That is what I am most proud about, they left it all out on the floor. That is all we can ask from them and they did a great job in doing that."
 
The Lady Mavs will get a brief break before they return to the court to end a three-game homestand to open the season. UTA hosts Grambling State on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The first quarter opened with a flurry from both sides offensively. After UTA scored the game's opening four points, Arkansas countered with a 13-0 run helped along by cold shooting from the Lady Mavs and a pair of turnovers. The Lady Mavs came right back with a run of their own to pull with two on a 7-0 spurt. Billie capped the run with a 3-pointer from the corner with seconds on the clock to hold a 16-15 lead after one.
 
The teams went back-and-forth as things started to get chippy through the second quarter. UTA took a brief lead midway through the quarter, but the Arkansas defense clamped down to go into the break up by five.
 
UTA stormed out of the break as the passing heated up the floor. A pair of dishes from Katie Ferrell sparked four consecutive, capped by another pass out to the edge with Billie knocking it down for a seven-point lead, sending Arkansas to a timeout.
 
Out of the break, the Razorbacks knocked right back with a 3-pointer on the way to a 7-0 run to tie the game through the final stages of the third. Terryn Milton knocked down a pair from the charity stripe with 1:41 in the third for a 3-point lead, while a jumper at the other end capped scoring in the frame with neither being able to take advantage of turnovers. UTA went into the final 10 up by one.
 
Arkansas answered to start the final period by knocking down five consecutive, including a long-range 3-pointer that forced the Lady Mavs to call a timeout with 8:18 to play. The run pushed to nine before Billie was able to respond with her fourth trey of the night. Johnson capped the comeback with a pair of lay ins down low.

QUOTABLE:
UTA coach Krista Gerlich:
"These two seniors right here (Cierra Johnson and Lauren Billie) played their guts out. That is what seniors do. That is what seniors are supposed to do and I am so proud of them for just putting us on their back and battling day in and day out.
 
"Katie Ferrell was incredible tonight, for a freshman to put up the numbers she puts up and the way she battles."
 
"It was a great first tough test for us. Our kids are disappointed, and I am glad that they are. That means that they care and want more and want to be great. Arkansas is a good basketball team and they are going to win a lot of games. Our kids know they can be in that kind of company."
 
QUICK NOTES:
Arkansas improved to 8-0 in the all-time series… Johnson moved up to 13th in Sun Belt history with a pair of steals to give her 256 in her career. She is just two shy of the second spot in UTA history… UTA is 25-6 at College Park Center since the 2016-17 season… UTA held the lead for 10:26, while Arkansas led for 24:48. The game featured 13 lead changes and was tied eight times... The loss was just the second in the month of November in the last three seasons. UTA had 18 assists to Arkansas' eight... UTA shot 34.7 percent from the field, while Arkansas was at 41.3.