LAFAYETTE, La.  – In a tightly-contested defensive battle between the top two teams in the Sun Belt Conference West Division, UT Arlington battled through three quarters, but were outscored, 23-14, in the fourth quarter to fall to Louisiana, 57-48, Monday night at the Cajundome.

With the loss, UTA falls to 10-5 overall and 8-3 in Sun Belt play, while the Ragin' Cajuns move to 10-5 on the season and 9-1 in league action.

Shyia Smith led the Lady Mavs with 16 points and nine boards. Camryn Hawkins chipped in with 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting from behind the arc. Emma Halverson added eight points and seven rebounds, while Katie Ferrell finished with three points, six assists, six steals and a trio of boards.

Senior Ty'Reona Doucet scored a game-high 21 points to help Louisiana secure its first win over UTA since Jan. 30, 2016.

Trailing by five points (21-16) at the half, UTA responded by winning the third quarter 18-13 to tie the game heading to the final quarter. Hawkins knocked down three triples in the period to help tie the ballgame at 34-34.

Halverson rebounded her own miss from the charity stripe and banked in the put back to pull the visitors within 45-44 with 3:29 to go in regulation. Louisiana went on to outscore the Lady Mavs, 12-4, over the final 3+ minutes to claim the 57-48 victory.

UTA's four-game road trip comes to a close on Thursday, Feb. 11, when they face Texas State in San Marcos. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.

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