ARLINGTON, Texas – The Texas State women's basketball team ultimately fell short in a hard fought contest to UT Arlington Tuesday night by a score of 78-69 at the College Park Center. The Mavericks hit all seven of their 3-pointers in the first half to build up a double-digit lead that Texas State was unable to overcome.
 
Texas State committed just six turnovers in the contest, a total that matches the previous low set back in the 2008 season. With six made 3-pointers against the Mavericks, the Bobcats have also set a school record with 212 3's made this year. The previous high was 207 set last season.
 
Five Bobcats scored in double figures with Kaitlin Walla leading the way with 16 points.
 
How It Happened:
UT Arlington jumped out with a 5-0 lead before a jumper by Whitney Apari with 7:41 left put the 'Cats on the board. A 3-pointer by Anderson with 3:57 on the clock cut the UTA lead to three, the closest Texas State would come in the first half. UTA would have an answered with a lay-up by Rebekah VanDijk on the next possession followed up by back-to-back UTA 3-pointers built the UTA lead up to 11.
 
UT Arlington went 3-for-5 in the first quarter from beyond the arc compared to just one made three by the Bobcats. A jumper by Walla with 31 seconds left in the quarter cut the UTA lead back down to single digits.
 
A perfect 4-for-4 showing from long range by the Mavericks in the second quarter built the lead up to as many as 14, but resiliency in the Bobcat offense kept the score even in the second quarter. When the Mavs hit a lay-up to go up 14, Texas State answered with five straight points capped by a Walla 3-pointer.
 
In the second quarter, Texas State forced six UTA turnovers and went on to score 11 points off turnovers to stay within reach of the Mavericks. Texas State committed just two turnovers in the first half.
 
With a balanced third quarter between the two teams, it all came down to the play in the fourth.
 
Down 10 with 2:19 to play, Texas State put together a 10-3 run to come within three of UTA, the smallest margin since 3:57 left in the first. In the middle of the run, Kiani Lurry came up with a defensive rebound on a missed UTA free throw and in transition, Taeler Deer became wide open at the top of the key and drained Lurry's pass to cut the UTA lead to five with 36 seconds on the clock.  
 
Foul trouble, however, for the Bobcats resulted in eight straight points at the charity stripe for UTA in the final 25 seconds of the game to put the game out of reach. UTA's final 11 points of the game came from the free throw line.
 
Texas State shot 44.4 percent from the floor including a 9-for-17 effort in the fourth quarter where both teams scored 26 points. The Bobcats outscored UTA 21-6 in points off turnovers after forcing 17 Maverick miscues.
 
Who Stood Out:
Kaitlin Walla finished with a team-high 16 points on 7-for-15 shooting from the floor … Kiani Lurry finished with 12 points and Ayriel Anderson, Whitney Apari, and Raven Burns added 10 … Ericka May and Lurry snagged a team-high five rebounds and May finished with four steals to match her career-high set against Little Rock earlier this season … May also led the team with four assists.
 
What It Means:
Texas State falls to 12-16 on the year and 7-11 in Sun Belt Conference play. UT Arlington defeated Texas State in both match-ups this season, so if the two were to be tied at the end of the regular season, the Mavericks would hold the tiebreaker. Texas State is now tied for seventh with Appalachian State in the Sun Belt Conference standings.
 
Up Next:
Texas State returns home Thursday night to start the final home stand of the 2015-16 season. The 'Cats welcome Troy on Thursday and South Alabama Saturday. Tip-off against the Trojans is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Strahan Coliseum. Live stats, live video, and live audio will be available at www.txstatebobcats.com. A live stream of the game came be heard on the air waves of 89.9 FM KTSW with Brant Freeman on the call.