SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State women's basketball team (14-16, 9-9 Sun Belt) saw an 11-point halftime lead evaporate in a 44-41 loss to the UT Arlington Lady Mavericks (23-6, 15-3 Sun Belt) on Saturday afternoon inside Strahan Arena.

The result, coupled with a 59-50 Appalachian State win over South Alabama, signifies Texas State will be the sixth seed in the 2019 Sun Belt Conference Championship. The Bobcats will take on the winner of the South Alabama-Louisiana game on March 13 at 2 p.m. in New Orleans.

"These games are really hard, especially when you had a chance to win," head coach Zenarae Antoine said. "We struggled with execution at the end of the game, whether that was making free throws, finishing the defensive possession with a rebound or executing the play at the end. I feel for the seniors. This was a tough game to end on for them."

Senior guard Toshua Leavitt was the lone Bobcat to reach double figures in the scoring column. She tallied a game-high 16 points on 5-of-17 shooting from the floor. She added five steals in 40 minutes of playing time.  

UT Arlington had a pair of double-digit scorers. Freshman guard Terryn Milton and junior guard Aysia Evans each tallied 12 points. Milton was a perfect 3-for-3 from the 3-point line, while Evans added three steals off the bench.

Texas State closed the second quarter on a 12-0 run over the final 5:49 of the frame to take a 28-17 lead into the break. Unfortunately, the Bobcats were outscored 10-3 in the third quarter to let UTA right back into the game.

Only three players found the scorebook for the Lady Mavs in the fourth quarter: Milton, Evans and Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year candidate, senior guard Cierra Johnson. Milton's 3-pointer at the 8:16 mark in the fourth marked the first bucket of the frame for UTA. The shot galvanized the visitors as the full-court, man-to-man press was able to get set.

With the score knotted at 36-36, Johnson drove baseline and picked up a three-point play to give the Lady Mavs a 39-36 edge with 3:26 to go. After a battle of free throws saw the Cats tie the game up for the fourth time at 40-40, Evans drilled a dagger 3-pointer from the corner to put UTA up for good.

Texas State has one final chance after the defense came up with a huge stop, forcing UTA into a shot clock violation. With 11 ticks on the clock, the Bobcats struggled to get the ball inbounds on the sideline. A tough entry pass led to a travel and UTA was able to salt the game away at the free throw line.

Up next, Texas State will play the winner of No. 7 South Alabama and No. 10 Louisiana in the second round of the Sun Belt tournament. Tip is scheduled for 2 p.m. from the Lakefront Arena.

For all things Texas State women's basketball, be sure to follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.