by By Michael Eldridge | @DFWSportsMike
ARLINGTON, Texas – A huge third quarter lifted Georgia State over UT Arlington 68-63 in the Sun Belt opener on Wednesday night at College Park Center.
The Panthers (6-4, 1-0 SBC) outscored the Lady Mavericks (5-6, 0-1) 25-2 in the third on what became a 15-point lead for Georgia State. UTA made a run of its own in the final period but was unable to overcome the deficit, missing a 3-pointer that would’ve tied the game with less than 30 seconds remaining.
UTA opened the game on fire from 3-point land and were led by the touch of LaShanda Green (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) to build up a double-digit halftime lead. Green knocked down seven 3-pointers, coming one short of the UTA single-game record for treys in a game. Overall, UTA knocked down nine in the first half.
Georgia State opened with a 13-0 run to begin play in the second as UTA struggled from the field. The Panthers were 9-13 from field-goal range in the third quarter, while UTA failed to knock down a shot on 0-13 shooting. It is just the second time UTA has gone without a field-goal in a quarter, last coming to begin the season at No. 5 Baylor.
The UTA defense clamped down to spark a run in the fourth, Cierra Johnson picked up two of her four steals in the quarter as she would finish with 15 points.
Amara Wainwright converted on back-to-back trips down the floor with a 3-pointer to bring the game within three. However, her third attempt bounced off the rim and Georgia State converted on trips down the floor to pull away to defeat UTA for the first time in the all-time series.
Green was held without a 3-point bucket in the second half to fall one short of the record.
Turning point
Georgia State overcame a 10-point deficit in the third quarter by outscoring the Lady Mavericks 25-2 in the quarter. The Panthers knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and shot 69.2 percent in the third, holding UTA without a field goal.
Key Stats
LaShanda Green (Choctaw) finished with career highs with 23 points and seven 3-pointers. Her previous high was 19. … Georgia State outscored UTA 38-14 in the paint and 29-2 in bench points. … Rebekah VanDijk had a game-high 11 rebounds. She finished with eight points, all scored in the fourth.
Notable
Georgia State ended a four-game streak for UTA with its first win in the all-time series. … UTA is 1-2 in Sun Belt openers in its third season in the conference. … The 11 3-pointers were two shy of UTA’s single game record.
Up next
UT Arlington continues its brief homestand on Saturday against Georgia Southern at 5 p.m. as part of a men’s and women’s doubleheader at College Park Center. UTA is 2-0 against the Eagles. Georgia Southern is in its second season in the conference.
