CEDAR CITY, Utah — UT Arlington women's basketball (8–12, 2–6 WAC) got a career night from senior guard Nya Threatt, but the Lady Mavericks dropped a hard-fought road contest at Southern Utah (13–7, 5–3 WAC), 77–68, on Thursday at America First Event Center.
Threatt powered UTA with a career-high 27 points, finishing 6-for-10 from the floor and a perfect 15-for-15 at the free-throw line as the Lady Mavericks leaned on her downhill pressure all night. UTA also brought energy on the defensive end, forcing 22 turnovers and turning those miscues into 15 points off turnovers, while finishing with 12 steals and five blocks.
Southern Utah jumped out early and led 21–13 after the first, but UTA responded with its best defensive stretch of the night in the second quarter, holding the Thunderbirds to nine points and trimming the deficit to 30–24 at halftime. The Mavericks stayed within striking distance coming out of the break, scoring 23 in the third to keep the game tight, and continued to battle in the fourth behind timely stops and trips to the line.
The Lady Mavs made a late push, closing on a 6–0 run in the final 1:06, but Southern Utah answered at the stripe and on the glass to seal the win. The Thunderbirds finished with a 44–31 rebounding edge, including 12 offensive boards, which helped generate extra possessions in key moments.
Along with Threatt's 27, Alexsyah Goudeau added nine points on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting night, including 2-for-2 from three. Jadyn Atchison chipped in eight, while Kira Reynolds finished with seven, and Laura Bello led on the glass with six rebounds. UTA ended the night at 38.3% shooting (23-of-60), 2-of-9 from three, and 20-of-27 at the line.
Southern Utah was led by Ava Uhrich's 30 points on 9-of-11 shooting, with Sierra Chambers (11), Brooklyn Fely (12), and D. Kiernan (10).
NOTEWORTHY
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Threatt's 27 points set a new UTA season high, and her 15 made free throws (15 attempts) were also season-best marks.
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UTA's 27 free-throw attempts tied the team's season high.
NEXT UP
UT Arlington continues its road swing at California Baptist on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 3 p.m. CT.
– #BuckEm –