JONESBORO, Ark. – In a shootout for the ages, junior
Starr Jacobs scored a season-high 32 points to lead five UT Arlington players in double figures in an enthralling 90-87 win over Arkansas State on Thursday evening inside the First National Bank Arena.
Jacobs finished 13 of 21 from the field and 6 of 9 from the free throw line to go with seven rebounds, four assists, and a steal, while senior
De'Sha Benjamin added 16 points and four boards.
Senior
Katie Ferrell was incredible as well with 10 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, four blocks, and three steals, while senior
Claire Chastain added 10 and eight boards and senior
Shyia Smith scored 10 with six boards.
Senior
Terryn Milton scored seven to go with seven assists and four rebounds, while seniors
Camryn Hawkins and
Emma Halverson added three and two points, respectively.
Jireh Washington led A-State with 30 points, while Trinitee Jackson had 21 points and eight rebounds. Mailyn Wilkerson scored 12, while Morgan Wallace put together a triple-double with 10 points, 10 assists, and 11 rebounds.
UTA was the team that came out red hot as they jumped to an 11-2 lead as Jacobs, Ferrell, and Milton all got in on the scoring early on. However, a 15-6 Red Wolves run brought them all the way back, tying the game at 17 apiece.
A-State would use a 9-2 run later in the first to open up a 28-21 lead before Ferrell drained a 3-pointer to stop the run and end the quarter at 28-24. Jacobs was red-hot in that first period with 12 points, while Ferrell and Milton each added five.
The Red Wolves pushed their lead in the second quarter to 34-28, but UTA responded with back-to-back 3-pointers from Benjamin and Ferrell to even it back at 34. That two sides exchanged buckets to keep it even at 38 before A-State went on an 8-0 run to open up their largest lead at 46-38.
The play of the game may have happened before the halftime buzzer as a long miss with six seconds remaining from A-State turned into a huge bucket as Milton hustled to fight for and win the rebound before chucking it ahead to Jacobs, who finished at the buzzer to cut it to 46-40 going into halftime.
That proved to make a difference as the Lady Mavs opened the third quarter on a 9-2 run to retake the lead at 49-48. Jacobs scored six during the stretch, while Smith added the other three points. From there, the lead would flip eight times in the period, including seven ties as neither team built a lead larger than two. Chastain closed the period with a beautiful lay-in and the game went into the fourth tied at 67.
The Lady Mavs started the fourth hot as they went on a 9-2 run to take a 76-69 lead. Ferrell knocked a jumped down followed by a Benjamin layup. Hawkins knocked down a huge 3-pointer and Smith capped the run with a strong offensive board and put back to push the lead.
UTA maintained its lead through most of the period as A-State finally cooled down. The Lady Mavs maintained their seven-point lead with under five remaining, but the Red Wolves began to chip away, using aggressive play to get to the free throw line.
A 9-2 A-State run evened it up at 83 with 2:30 to play, but Benjamin provided the dagger as she drained her second 3-pointer of the night to make it 86-83, a lead the Lady Mavs would not give back. Benjamin would go on to hit a huge field goal with a minute to play to keep the lead at three.
UTA would lead by as many as five, but the Red Wolves got one final chance with six seconds to play. The baseline inbounds pass would be tipped away by Jacobs as she deflected and knocked it off the Red Wolves player to seal the win.
BOX SCORE NUGGETS
- UTA had a staggering 62 points in the paint to A-State's 38.
- The Lady Mavs shot a season-high 37 of 67 (.552) from the field and 5 of 10 (.500) from deep.
- UTA was especially incredible in the second half, shooting 21 of 33 (.636) from the field, scoring 50 points in the half.
- A-State was 26 of 43 (.604) from the field and 9 of 19 (.473) from deep through three quarters, but only 6 of 19 (.316) in the fourth quarter including 0-for-3 from beyond the arc.
- UTA had a season-high 22 team assists to only 12 turnovers.
- The Lady Mavs held a 21-3 advantage in bench points and an 18-6 advantage in fastbreak points.
- The Lady Mavs outrebounded an opponents for only the fourth time this year (37-31). They are 4-0 in those games.
- Starr Jacobs scored 17, while De'Sha Benjamin scored 11 in the second half.
NOTABLES
- Starr Jacobs 32 points is the first 30-point game of her UTA career and the 31st 30-point game in Lady Mavs history.
- Jacobs 32 points is tied for the 14th most points all-time and her 13 made field goals is tied for the sixth most all-time.
- UTA is 6-1 this season in games decided by three points or less.
- UTA has won nine in a row over A-State and has evened the series for the first time since 1987.
- The Lady Mavs have won three straight and improve to 12-5 overall and 6-2 in Sun Belt play.
- It is the first time five players have scored in double figures since Feb. 5, 2021 against ULM.
- It is the first time UTA has scored 50 in a half since last season's match-up against A-State on Jan. 30, 2021.
- Katie Ferrell's nine assists matches a season-high with Terryn Milton this season.
- Shyia Smith jumped into double figured for the second time this season and for the first time since Nov. 13, 2021 against Sam Houston.
- After going 2 of 2 tonight, Ferrell is 9 of 14 (.642) from deep in her last five games.
QUOTABLES
"I have to give credit to Arkansas State. They shot the ball really well tonight. I am so proud of our team for being tough in the second half. When we have our team scoring five in double figures we are very tough to beat." -
Shereka Wright
"I had a lot of glucose so I was very energetic. We needed the win. I came out and did what I needed to do to win." -
Starr Jacobs
NEXT UP
UTA will conclude their road trip on Saturday afternoon as they head into the capital city of Arkansas to battle Little Rock. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
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).
