CEDAR CITY, Utah – The UT Arlington women's basketball team (11-7, 6-1 WAC) picked up their third straight win after defeating Southern Utah (4-16, 2-5 WAC) 62-58 in a close game on the road inside the America First Events Center on Thursday night.
 
The win moves the all-time series to 7-0 in favor of the Lady Mavs while giving UTA their third road victory on the season while picking up their sixth conference victory to keep them near the top of the Western Athletic Conference standings.
 
Head coach Shereka Wright picked up her 75th career win which also moved her into sole possession of fifth on the all-time wins list in program history, passing Samantha Morrow. It also moves Wright's winning percentage to .578 which is the top percentage in program history.
 
The Lady Mavs were led by the dynamic duo of Avery Brittingham and Koi Love who combined for 44 points. Brittingham recorded her league leading 10th double double, finishing with a game high 25 points while pulling down 11 rebounds and dishing out three assists to go along with three steals. Love finished with 19 points to go along with nine rebounds, three steals, a block and an assist in a team high 35 minutes.
 
The Lady Mavs struggled offensively in the first half, shooting 27.6 percent from the floor compared to the Thunderbirds 38.5 percent from the field. UTA forced Southern Utah into 10 turnovers in the first half which helped the Lady Mavs go into the locker room tied at 28 points apiece.
 
Coming out of the locker room, Southern Utah recorded the third quarters first two buckets to go up four, 32-28. The Thunderbirds would retain the lead for the entirety of the third quarter, going up by no more than five points. The Lady Mavs managed to tie the game once in the third but could not get over the hump but remained within striking distance, going into the fourth down three, 45-42.
 
The two would trade blows through the first four minutes of the fourth quarter with three lead changes. The Lady Mavs would regain the lead at the 6:40 mark at 50-49 after a layup from Love. The Lady Mavs would remain on top for the remainder of the game although Southern Utah made it interesting, pulling within two with six seconds left and possession of the ball with the score 60-58. A steal by Brittingham who then passed it to Kendal Robinson for an easy layup ended the game, giving the Lady Mavs the 62-58 victory.
 
NEXT UP
The Lady Mavs travel down Interstate 15 to St. George, Utah to take on the Trailblazers of Utah Tech on Saturday, Feb. 1, in some WAC hoops weekend action. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. CT.
   
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 X (formally known as Twitter) (@UTAMavsWBB), Instagram (@UTAMavsWBB) and Facebook (/UTAMavsWBB).