| Sophomore Jordan Stark drained five 3-pointers en route to a game-high 17 points in the 69-60 loss to UT Arlington. |
SAN ANTONIO ? UT Arlington’s Meghan Nelson and Shalyn Martin combined for 38 points to lead the Mavericks past UTSA, 69-60, in Southland Conference action Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center.
Sophomore Jordan Stark led the Roadrunners (15-8, 8-2 SLC) with a team-high 17 points on the strength of five 3-pointers. Senior guard Monica Gibbs and sophomore guard Amber Gregg logged in with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Gibbs also dished out a game-best eight assists.
UTSA struggled all night from the floor, shooting 29 percent (20-of-69), and 12 of its 20 baskets came from beyond the arc. The Roadrunners also set a new single-game mark with 39 3-point attempts.
The Mavericks (15-8, 9-1 SLC) were led by Nelson’s game-high 24 points, while Martin added 14 points.
UT Arlington opened the second half on a 12-8 run to take its largest lead of the game at 45-34 with 13:59 to go. Nelson highlighted the run with eight points.
UTSA countered with its own 18-3 run over the next four minutes to give them a 52-48 advantage. Gregg and Stark combined for 11 points during that stretch.
However, Tamara Simmons’ jumper from the free throw line knotted the game at 52 with seven minutes showing on the clock.
Over the next five possessions, both team traded buckets with neither team having more than a one-point margin. Stark’s fifth trey of the game gave UTSA a brief two-point lead at 58-56 with 4:29 left, but UTA clinched the game at the charity stripe by making 11-of-12 in the final minutes.
UT Arlington stormed to an early 15-7 lead behind the shooting of Martin, who scored 12 of the Mavericks '15 points in the first six minutes of the half.
UTSA responded with a pair of 3-pointers from junior guard Alysse Davis and senior forward Ryba Pawlaczyk to cut UTA’s deficit to two, 17-15, at the 12-minute mark. The Roadrunners tied the game at 21-all on Pawlaczyk’s second three ball of the frame with 9:53 to go.
The Mavericks closed out the stanza with a 12-5 run to take the 33-26 halftime lead.
UTSA hits the road for an SLC matchup at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Feb. 18 at the American Bank Center.