ABILENE, Texas — UT Arlington women's basketball (6-10, 0-4 WAC) saw Kira Reynolds deliver a dominant all-around performance and fought to the final possession, but the Lady Mavs came up just short in a 59–56 decision Saturday afternoon at Abilene Christian (12-5, 3-1 WAC).
Kira Reynolds led all scorers with 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting and added seven rebounds, four assists, and four blocks, anchoring UTA's interior presence throughout the Western Athletic Conference matchup.
UTA controlled the paint for much of the afternoon, scoring 38 points in the paint and pushing tempo for 14 fast-break points. The Lady Mavs also forced 17 Abilene Christian turnovers, converting them into 12 points, while holding the Wildcats to 34.6 percent shooting from the field.
UTA had multiple chances late. Down one with 32 seconds remaining, Jadyn Atchison attacked the basket and drew a foul, converting one of two free throws to make it 57–56. Abilene Christian answered at the line to push the lead back to two, and UTA used a timeout to set up its final possession.
The Lady Mavs got a clean look from deep, but Nya Threatt's three-point attempt with one second remaining came up short. Mila Reynolds tracked the miss and got a quick follow at the buzzer, but the attempt also missed as the Wildcats held on.
UTA shot 54.8 percent from the field and outscored Abilene Christian 32–31 in the second half, leaning on defensive stops and rebounding to answer each push. UTA took the lead four times and was tied once, staying within striking distance.
Atchison finished with 10 points, while Threatt added seven in 30 minutes. UTA also received 16 points from its bench in the tightly contested road match-up.
NEXT UP
The Lady Mavs return home for the next two WAC matchups, beginning with Utah Tech on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. before taking on Utah Valley Saturday, Jan. 17th at 1:00 p.m.
– #BuckEm –
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