SAN MARCOS, Texas — UTA started the game with a small scoring run, but it was Texas State which ended the game ahead as the Bobcats rode an 11-1 scoring run over the last five minutes of the fourth quarter to beat the Mavericks, 66-45, Friday afternoon. 

"I'm just really proud of the in-game adjustments that our team made, which was one of our goals that I had on the pre-game board," said Texas State women's basketball head coach Zenarae Antoine, who now becomes the second-winningest head coach in program history with 146. "We had to be able to make in-game adjustments, because I feel that has been one of the differences in our close games that we've fallen on the sad end of the ballgame."

"If I take a look at the whole picture, I'm really proud of how the student-athletes were able to handle the (game time) change, which wasn't due to COVID but rather weather and team travel and that's completely different."

UTA (10-6, 8-4) raced out to a 7-0 lead to force a Texas State (8-9, 5-7) timeout less than three minutes into the game. The Mavericks extended their lead to 12-3 a minute later, but Da'Nasia Hood took over. 

Hood, a junior forward from San Antonio, scored seven of the team's first nine points to make it a one-possession game by the 3:35 mark. However, by the end of the quarter, UTA had ballooned its lead back to eight at 19-11. 

UTA carried over the momentum into the second and led 22-13 following a Michaela Wright jumper at the 8:17 mark. But, back-to-back 3-pointers from Hood had Texas State back to within three at 22-19. Hood's baskets were part of a 10-0 run by the Bobcats that was capped by a Chelsea Johnson layup to give Texas State the lead. 

Hood, who finished the first half with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting including 3 of 6 from behind the 3-point arc, re-gave the Bobcats the lead 30 seconds later — following a Terryn Milton jumper — and then Johnson pushed TXST back ahead, 29-27, following another jumper 43 seconds before halftime. 

UTA, like the first quarter, opened the third with a quick 4-0 run to take a 31-29 lead less than a minute into the second half. But Texas State responded with a 18-0 run and held the Mavericks scoreless from the 9:18 mark until Katie Ferrell made a 3-pointer with 1:05 remaining in the quarter. By then, TXST had run out to a 49-31 lead following a Ja'Kayla Bowie fast-break jumper. 

Avionne Alexander connected on two free throws to push Texas State's lead to 51-34 early in the fourth quarter, then Hood, who finished with a game-high 25 points, made it 53-36 with a layup with 7:19 to play. 

However, over the next three minutes, UTA chipped away at its deficit and got to within nine at 53-44 with 4:39 left in the game. 

But, like the third quarter, the Texas State defense clamped down and held the Mavericks scoreless until Michal Pullen-Monroe made a free throw with 17 seconds left in the game. 

The two teams will play again on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 2 p.m. in Arlington, Texas.