ARLINGTON, Texas - In a battle of the best teams in the Sun Belt Conference that featured eight lead changes and nine ties, Little Rock escaped with a 62-61 road win over the Lady Mavericks on Thursday night at the College Park Center.

With the loss, UTA falls to 18-6 overall (10-3 SBC) and has their six-game winning streak snapped, while Little Rock improves to 15-8 on the season and 11-1 in conference play.

Ronjanae DeGray knocked down a pair of free throws with 10.7 free throws to give the Trojans the lead for good. DeGray notched a double-double for Little Rock with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Cierra Johnson paced the Mavericks with 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting. Aysia Evans added 11 points (all in the first half), while Brooke Alexander chipped in with nine points. Katie Ferrell did a little bit of everything on the night, finishing with five points, five boards, five assists and a pair of blocks.

Little Rock's hot shooting carried them to an early lead, as the Trojans started the game a perfect 5-of-5 from the floor. Little Rock would go on to shoot 80 percent in the first quarter.

Despite turning the Trojans over 19 times, UTA had problems forcing Little Rock into tough shots and getting defensive stops all game long. Little Rock finished the game shooting 53.3 percent (24-of-45) from the field.

"We just had some lapses in our defensive game plan," UTA head coach Krista Gerlich said.

UTA's problems were compounded when starting guard Claire Chastain picked up three fouls in the opening quarter.

"Because of our starters, she had to play against one of their best offensive players," Gerlich said. "Sitting her on the bench really did take us out of our game plan because we had worked all week on trying to post her because she causes a mismatch."

A quick 7-0 Mavericks run gave UTA its first lead of the game in the second quarter. UTA went into halftime with a 36-30 lead.

The teams traded leads in the second half, but the game was tied at 58 with three minutes left when C. Johnson knocked down a three that ended up being UTA's last made field goal of the night.

The Mavericks will try to regroup when they host Arkansas State on Saturday afternoon (2 p.m.). Saturday's game vs. Red Wolves will be UTA Women's Basketball's annual UTA Beats Cancer game. Multiple cancer survivors will be recognized during the game, and the first 400 fans will receive a free pink rally towel. Pink UTA Beats Cancer t-shirts will be sold at the game, with all proceeds going to the American Cancer Society's Sun Belt Fights Cancer initiative, benefiting local Arlington hospitals.

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 61, Little Rock 62
College Park Center | Arlington, Texas

UTA STAT LEADERS VS. LITTLE ROCK
Points: C. Johnson - 19
Rebounds: Ferrell - 5
Assists: Ferrell - 5
Steals: Milton - 3
Blocks: Ferrell - 2