ARLINGTON – Senior
Terryn Milton said they learned from their meeting with nationally-ranked Baylor at home to begin the season, which made for a different mindset against their second nationally-ranked team.
That proved to be true on Thursday evening as the UT Arlington women's basketball team used a tremendous defensive effort to shut down No. 13/17 South Florida and earn a thrilling 61-56 win inside the College Park Center.
Milton led a total team effort with 14 points on 5 of 10 shooting with five boards and two assists, while senior
Claire Chastain pitched in 13 points with four rebounds. Junior
Starr Jacobs added 10 points and nine rebounds, along with four assists, while senior
De'Sha Benjamin pitched in 10 points of her own with four rebounds.
Senior
Katie Ferrell had six points and six rebounds, while senior
Emma Halverson scored six huge first-half points off the bench with four rebounds. Freshman
Reniya Jones added two points as well.
Bethy Mununga led USF with 13 points, 20 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks, while reigning AAC Player of the Week Sydni Harvey had 13 points on 5 of 16 shooting. Elisa Pinzan and Dulcy Mendjiadeu Fankam each had 10.
It was a defensive slugfest from first tip as both teams grinded on the offensive end with USF holding an 11-8 lead with 2:35 to play in the quarter. UTA closed the quarter scoring six of the final eight points behind aggressive lay-ups from Jones, Halverson, and Benjamin to take a 14-13 lead after one.
UTA maintained that lead throughout the second quarter behind five points from Chastain as well as buckets from Jacobs. USF would eventually even the game at 21 apiece with four to play in the half and then took a two-point lead later in the quarter.
A Jacobs lay-in sent the game into a 29-29 deadlock going into the half.
The Lady Mavs did not back down in the third quarter as the teams exchanged possessions throughout the first few minutes. With under five to play in the third, back-to-back buckets from Milton gave UTA a four-point lead and momentum. USF continued to pressure, but it was Milton who scored eight in the quarter to put UTA ahead 43-40 going into the final frame.
UTA turned up the intensive defensively as they held USF scoreless for the first six minutes as the Lady Mavs slowly built their lead out to seven.
USF cut the deficit to three with 3:23 to play before Chastain put together the dagger as she went up strong in the paint and drew the foul plus the basket to push the lead to six with 2:14 to play.
A stop and Milton free throws gave UTA its biggest lead at eight, and the anticipation began.
As the pressure grew, UTA calmly used the free throw line to ice the game away as the game never got closer than five points as UTA earned the thrilling 61-56 win.
BOX SCORE NUGGETS
- In the fourth quarter, UTA was 10 of 13 (77%) from the free throw line with all free throws coming with under 3:35 to play.
- It was one of UTA's most brilliant performances as they held South Florida to 22 of 68 (.324) from the field, the lowest total for any opponent this season.
- UTA shot 23 of 52 (.442) from the field as it is the fourth straight game the Lady Mavs have shot 40% or better.
- Jacobs has scored in double digits in all seven games she has appeared in this season.
- UTA held a 41-39 advantage against a tough rebounding USF team that averaged 41.3 rebounds per game.
- UT Arlington had another terrific second half shooting, going 11 of 23 (48%) from the field.
- UTA dominated the paint, holding a 40-28 advantage as well as a 12-4 advantage in fastbreak points.
- After earning AAC Player of the Week for her performance against Oregon and Stanford, UTA held Sydni Harvey to 13 points on 5 of 16 shooting and only two made 3-pointers. It was her lowest output since Nov. 21, 2021, against UConn.
NOTABLES
- According to ESPN Stats & Info, UTA was 0-28 against nationally-ranked opponents since 1999-00. It is believed to be the first ever win over a nationally-ranked opponent in Lady Mavs history.
- Katie Ferrell became the third Lady Mav in school history to eclipse 400 assists in a career. She is seven assists away from tying Terra Wallace for second.
- The win is the second win in school history over USF and evens the all-time series to two apiece.
- Claire Chastain is now 21 of 25 (84%) at the free throw line in the fourth quarter or overtime.
- De'Sha Benjamin is now averaging 15.0 points per game in her last four showings.
- The Lady Mavs are now 3-1 at home this season and 61-15 since 2016-17 inside the CPC.
- It is Shereka Wright's first-ever win over a ranked team as a head coach and she does it in her second season.
- The Lady Mavs did not make a 3-pointer for the first time since Jan. 3, 2012 in a loss to Fresno State at home, 78-48.
- The last time the Lady Mavs won without making a 3-pointer was Dec. 31, 2011 when UTA defeated Houston Baptist at home, 78-61.
QUOTABLES
"I'm just so proud of this team. We talked about being tough. The UMKC game was a rude awakening for us and we needed to lock in on things. We had a balanced scoring attack and we beat a really, really good South Florida team. The credit goes to my staff and our kids being bought in." -
Shereka Wright
"This was a huge game for our team. I can't even describe the feeling. It's a huge step for us and what we are working towards. We had to find our grit and that's what this team is made of." -
Claire Chastain
"Coach said we had a really great opportunity to have a ranked team on our floor. We wanted to take full advantage of that and I think we did that. This isn't the highlight of our season, this is only the beginning, but I am super excited for this win and super proud of this team." - Terryn Milton
NEXT UP
UTA will return to the CPC on Saturday afternoon as they welcome in the Rice Owls. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. and tickets can be purchased at
UTATickets.com.
FOLLOW ALONG
For updates, behind-the-scenes photos, videos and more engaging and personal content, be sure to follow the women's basketball program on Twitter (@UTAMavsWBB), Instagram (@UTAMavsWBB) and Facebook (/UTAMavsWBB).
