STATESBORO, Ga. – The UTA women's basketball team led wire-to-wire and earned its first Sun Belt Conference win of the season on Saturday afternoon, defeating Georgia Southern 74-53, inside the Hanner Fieldhouse.

With the win, UTA improves to 9-4 overall (1-1 SBC), while Georgia Southern falls to 5-8 on the season and 0-2 in SBC play. The win also gives UT Arlington the program's 650th win (650-671 all-time) and improves UTA's all-time record against the Eagles to 7-1 and all-time record at Hanner Fieldhouse to 4-1.

Cierra Johnson finished with a game-high 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field. Johnson's 18 points moved her into 15th place on UTA's career scoring list and give her 1,075 points in her collegiate career. Brooke Alexander added 12 points after knocking down 4-of-7 shots from long distance. Terryn Milton chipped in with 11 points, five boards and five dimes, while Katie Ferrell finished with eight points, four assists and three rebounds. Lauren Billie registered seven points and a pair of boards and Laurynn McGowen scored six points to go with four assists and three rebounds.

UTA finished the afternoon shooting 56.6 percent from the floor (30-of-53), while holding Georgia Southern to just 33.3 percent from the field (17-of-51).

The Lady Mavs started the game on a 12-2 run, opening up a double-digit lead less than four minutes into the contest. The Eagles cut the lead to eight points, 38-30, at the intermission, but after another 12-2 spurt by UTA to open up the third quarter pushed their lead to 18-points (50-32), the Lady Mavericks would stay in command of the game and cruise to the 74-53 victory.

The Lady Mavs will now return home to College Park Center to host a pair of Sun Belt contests. UTA will battle Appalachian State on Thursday, Jan. 10 (7 p.m.) before hosting Coastal Carolina on Saturday, Jan. 12 (2 p.m.). Both games will air on ESPN+.

For the latest news on UTA Women's Basketball, log on to UTAMavs.com or stay connected to the Lady Mavs on social media. Follow the Lady Mavericks on Twitter @LadyMavHoops, on Instagram @UTALadyMavs and on Facebook at Facebook.com/LadyMavHoops.

FINAL
UTA 74, Georgia Southern 53 | Box Score
Hanner Fieldhouse | Statesboro, Ga.

UTA STAT LEADERS VS. GEORGIA SOUTHERN
Points: Cierra Johnson - 18
Rebounds: Terryn Milton, Daiane Machado - 5
Assists: Terryn Milton - 5
Steals: Katie Ferrell - 2
Blocks: Katie Ferrell - 2