DALLAS – It was a record-breaking performance for UT Arlington to close out nonconference with a fourth-quarter surge to send the Lady Mavericks by SMU, 66-41, on Saturday at Moody Coliseum.
 
The Lady Mavs picked up their eighth win of nonconference play, the most in program history, and ended the 2018 portion of the schedule with an 8-3 record heading into the Sun Belt opener next week at Georgia State. UTA, picking up its third consecutive win over its crosstown rival, took a three-point lead into the final 10 minutes, but exploded for a 34-12 advantage in the final stanza - the 34 points in the fourth were the most for UTA in a quarter in program history. SMU fell to 6-7 in the loss.

"It was impressive to see the mental toughness shown and the perseverance to stay true to our system and game plan when shots weren't falling," UTA coach Krista Gerlich said. "We finally started getting points for the turnovers we were creating and that led us into a better rhythm for shooting the basketball. I think this just showed how explosive our kids can be offensively when they keep playing hard."
 
UTA struggled to find its stride in the first half, with the defense keeping things at just a one-point deficit at halftime. The Lady Mavs shot 23.3 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes before taking the lid off the basket in the fourth quarter. UTA upped its final field-goal tally to 35.2 percent, knocking down an impressive 76.9 percent in the fourth, including hitting on four 3-point attempts. 

Lauren Billie shined on both sides of the ball as she was one of three to finish in double figures. Billie connected for 11 points, but grabbed away six steals in helping SMU turn the ball over 29 times, a season high for an opponent this season. The six steals tied for ninth in program history, joining teammate Cierra Johnson who has achieved the feat on five occasions. Johnson had 14 points, 11 coming from the free-throw line, while she gabbed five rebounds and got two steals. Johnson's 14 points pushed her total to 1,049 in her career, surpassing both Allison Gray and Maryann Abanobi for 16th in program history. 

It was Terryn Milton that saw her late 3-pointer steal away the team-high with 16 points, seven coming at the line. Katie Ferrell nearly picked up the team's first double-double of the year as she had 10 rebounds with nine assists. 
 
While the home court has been kind to the Lady Mavs in the last three seasons, UTA finished with a 5-1 record away from home in nonconference with wins at San Francisco, Incarnate Word, Oral Roberts, Houston and the finale at SMU. The win over the Mustangs pushed the all-time series record to 23-16 in favor of UTA.  

"I've learned that this team is made up of a bunch of fighters," Gerlich said of her nonconference summary of what she's seen. "They play extremely hard and they compete. The internal competition that is going on in our practices keeps making our team better on game nights. Our chemistry is outstanding and we have some very unselfish players. We are having a lot of fun, which is how the game is supposed to be played."

The Lady Mavs travel to Georgia State on Jan. 3 before closing out the three-game trek away from home at Georgia Southern on Jan. 5. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both teams had the turnover bug in the opening 10 minutes with the defense locking down in transition. UTA would force five SMU turnovers in the first five minutes, but after the media timeout, it was the Lady Mavs that gave them right back. UTA was unable to convert its defense into offense, missing out on eight of the first 13 attempts taken.
 
The poor shooting continued into the second stanza with UTA hitting just one field goal through the first nine minutes of the quarter. UTA would go on a scoreless drought of more than five minutes to close the first half, shooting just 23.3 percent overall in the first 20 minutes.
 
SMU did shoot much better at 33.3 percent, while turning the ball over 14 times in the half. With its last points coming on a lay in with two minutes in the second, SMU held a one-point edge up 19-18 at the break.
 
Alexander drilled a three pointer out of the break to end the drought, but UTA would cool off once again with another five-minute stretch without a field goal. The Lady Mavs had to find their offense at the line, remaining within three midway through the quarter.
 
It was a 5-0 run late in the third that turned momentum to the visitors. Milton picked up a huge bucket on the fast break with a lay in and hitting her foul shot. Daiane Machado matched it with a pair of her own, while a steal to end the third sent UTA to the final 10 minutes up by three.
 
The momentum stayed on UTA's side in the first three minutes of the third with UTA extended the lead out on a 8-0 run. Misty Dossey provided the boost with back-to-back buckets down the floor, then a flagrant foul picking up more points and an 11-point lead. The three-point line became UTA's friend to extend the lead to 20 points. Billie's back-to-back trips down the floor with daggers responded to a brief answer, while Milton's step back with three to play put doubts of a comeback in the mind of the Mustangs. 

NOTABLE
UTA used the sixth different starting lineup of the season with Milton, Ferrell, Alexander and Johnson joined by Billie... UTA is 7-1 when it leads after three quarters... UTA is 7-0 when forcing more turnovers from its opponent... The 34 points in the fourth surpassed a 33-point third quarter against Jackson State earlier in the year to break the UTA record for points in a quarter... UTA finished December with a 5-1 record.