ARLINGTON, Texas --- Behind five players in double figures, led by a double-double from Starr Jacobs, the UT Arlington women's basketball team overcame a tough third quarter to defeat Texas Woman's University 81-77 in overtime on Wednesday inside the College Park Center (CPC).
 
The matchup was an exhibition, and the Lady Mavs will open the regular season on Monday at 7 p.m. against Texas Southern inside the CPC.
 
"It was very important for me to challenge our team and for us to come out here and play quality teams (in the preseason), to get us to ultimately where we want to be. And that's to compete for championships," UT Arlington head coach Shereka Wright said. "I think Beth (Jillson) and Texas Woman's has done an amazing job of turning that program around. And that's what they did tonight. They came in here and challenged us. That's what I've been trying to talk to our players about. Night in and night out, you're going to get everybody's best shot. I will say I am proud of our team for their response. They didn't fold. That shows a team that will continue to be a contender. I'm excited about that and our new faces that will continue to gel. We'll continue to move forward."
 
Jacobs, a member of the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year preseason watch list, displayed her all-around skills, finishing with a game-high 25 points, 10 rebounds, five steals, three assists and one block. The senior forward finished 10-for-20 from the field.
 
Overall, each member of the starting lineup for the Lady Mavs scored in double-figures, including Kayla White (17), Shyia Smith (13), De'Sha Benjamin (12) and Jireh Washington (10). On top of that, aside from Jacobs, the other four also notched exactly five rebounds apiece along with at least two assists and a steal. Washington dished out a game-high nine assists, while White added four steals. Jordyn Turner led all scorers off the bench with four points.
 
In the opening quarter, White led UT Arlington with seven points as the Lady Mavs opened up a 24-12 lead on 10-for-19 shooting. The lead then hovered around double-digits for much of the second quarter before UTA took a 12-point lead into the break.
 
The second half is where things started to get real interesting. Texas Woman's made four of their first six field goal attempts out of the break, including a trio of 3-pointers. Following a pair of free throws just 3:17 into the quarter, the visiting Pioneers were within one. The surge then continued as TWU scored 14 of the next 18 points to open up a 54-45 lead with 2:38 left in the frame.
 
Overall, the Lady Mavs were outscored 29-13 in the quarter while the Pioneers made 10-of-17 from the field, including 4-of-6 from long distance and all five from the charity stripe.
 
Sandwiched around a pair of free throws from Turner, though, was a five-point spurt from Benjamin down the stretch that highlighted a 7-2 run over the final 2:19 that pulled UT Arlington within four.
 
Despite a layup from Texas Woman's to open the fourth, UT Arlington kept chipping away behind Jacobs, who scored the first six points of the quarter for the Lady Mavs, who ultimately tied it up on a second chance layup from Smith with 5:13 left in regulation. The teams then exchanged leads with Texas Woman's holding a one-point lead with the ball and less than 30 seconds left.
 
That's when Jacobs made one of the biggest plays of the game, jumping in front of a pass for a steal, getting fouled and making the game-tying free throw with 22 seconds left. A timeout with 13 seconds left set the Pioneers up for a potential game-winning play, but they missed two chances in the paint before Jacobs snatched her 10th rebound as the clock expired to force overtime.
 
In the extra session, Washington took over. The Arkansas State transfer poured in seven of the team's 13 points, including the first points of the period on a layup. Then, a clutch steal from Reniya Jones was followed by a hoop and a harm, which Washington completed for a three-point play to give UT Arlington a 75-73 lead with 2:06 left.
 
White followed with a clutch jumper from just inside the 3-point line on the left wing to stretch the lead to three. A steal and a fast-break layup from Washington sealed the deal with 23 seconds left before a pair of free throws from White in the final second provided the icing.
 
The Lady Mavs, despite being outrebounded 54-38, outscored Texas Woman's 25-12 in points off turnovers, 46-40 in the paint and 24-6 in fast break points. Defensively, UTA forced 26 turnovers on 16 steals.

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