by By Michael Eldridge | @DFWSportsMike
ARLINGTON, Texas – A career-high 24 points from Amara Wainwright was not enough as UT Arlington fell 73-64 to WKU on Sunday at College Park Center.
The Lady Mavericks (3-5) ended the home portion of their nonconference schedule at 2-3 at CPC, heading on the road for a pair of games before hosting Georgia State on Dec. 30 in their Sun Belt Opener.
Wainwright caught fire midway through the third quarter to lead UTA’s charge, scoring 14 points in the second half as she was 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. However, WKU would tame UTA’s shooters and make a run of its own early in the final quarter.
The 15-0 run helped WKU (5-2) to its largest lead of the game at 11 points with under five minutes to play. UTA turned the ball over on three consecutive possessions during the run as the Lady Toppers outscored UTA 23-12 in the final period.
UTA gave the ball away 24 times overall and were outscored 23-10 in points off of turnovers.
Turning point
Trailing by four points, WKU turned the Mavericks over six times in the fourth quarter overall and on three consecutive possessions during a 15-0 run. WKU’s two leading scorers overall, Kendall Noble and Tashia Brown, each had seven points in the quarter.
Key Stats
Wainwright was 9-of-14 from the field in scoring a game-high 24 points. The total was 11 better than her previous career high.Rebekah VanDijk picked up a game-high 14 rebounds, eight coming on the offensive end. Lashanda Green (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) Scored 10 points and had 3 assists in 38 minutes of play. Freshman Lauren Billie (Creek/Seminole) add 6 points off of the bench for the Mavs as well.
Notable
The Lady Mavericks are 0-3 against the Lady Toppers, last meeting with a pair of games in 2013-14 in Sun Belt play before WKU left to C-USA.
Up next
UTA closes out nonconference play with a pair of games on the road. UTA travels to face Houston Baptist on Dec. 19 and finishes with UTSA on Dec. 21.
