ARLINGTON, Texas - After struggling from the field in the first quarter, the UTA women's basketball team used lockdown defense and balanced scoring to pull away and defeat South Alabama, 72-51, on Thursday night at College Park Center.

The win moved UTA to 21-6 overall and 13-3 in league play and also keeps UTA in first place in the Sun Belt standings with a pair of league games left.

The Lady Mavs started slowly, missing seven of their first nine shots from the field. They were able to stay close by forcing eight Jaguars turnovers in the first quarter.

UTA started the second quarter on an 8-0 run and eventually pushed their lead to double digits behind improved shooting. Claire Chastain, who led UTA with a game-high 16 points and five rebounds, provided some offensive stability in the second quarter. She shot an efficient 7-of-15 from the field on the night.

UTA also got a spark from seniors Daiane Machado and Laurynn McGowen off the bench in the second quarter. Machado finished with six points and four rebounds, while McGowen added 11 points.

Chastain and McGowen were two of four Lady Mavs to score in double figures, as senior Cierra Johnson chipped in 12 points and Brooke Alexander finished with 10 points.

"It's balanced. I love that. It's been one of our strengths all year," head coach Krista Gerlich said. "We have a very balanced attack and you've got to defend a lot of different people in a lot of different areas and positions to keep us from scoring."

UTA led by as many as 23 points in the second half, but a Jags (19-7, 8-7) run cut the lead down to 12 with seven minutes remaining in the fourth. Chastain cut that run short with a three-pointer on the next possession.

South Alabama was limited to just 36.4 percent (16-of-44) shooting from the field in the game. Johnson had a big part in harassing the Jags on that end of the floor, finishing the game with five steals. Her final steal moved her into a third-place tie on the Sun Belt's all-time steals list. She played a significant role in turning the Jags over 27 times, which UTA cashed in for 31 points.

"I thought that was one of our better defensive performances in a while," Gerlich said. "They just have a lot of weapons and I thought our kids really paid attention to the areas on defense that we wanted to stop."

UTA will play its final home game of the season when it hosts Troy on Senior Day. The Senior Day ceremony is set to start at approximately 1:45 p.m., followed by tip-off at 2 p.m.

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 72, South Alabama 51
College Park Center | Arlington, Texas

UTA STAT LEADERS VS. SOUTH ALABAMA
Points: Chastain – 16
Rebounds: Ferrell – 6
Assists: 5 Players – 3
Steals: C. Johnson – 5