ARLINGTON, Texas — Playing in its second game in two different cities over a 24-hour span, the Texas State Bobcats were unable to hang onto its fourth-quarter lead as UTA edged TXST, 51-43, Saturday afternoon.

Texas State (8-10, 5-8) spent the first five minutes of the first quarter responding to UTA's quick start and it wasn't until Avionne Alexander sank a jumper off a Ja'Kayla Bowie assist at the 5:20 mark of the opening quarter that the Bobcats held its first lead of the game. Lauryn Thompson extended the lead to three with a pair of second-chance free throws two minutes later. 

UTA, however, ended the quarter on a 8-0 run that was capped by a Emma Halverson 3-pointer with 16 seconds remaining. 

Barbara Benson made it 17-10, UTA, with a second-chance jumper less than three minutes into the second quarter, but Gabby Standifer connected on her lone 3-pointer of the game to cut Texas State's deficit. Kennedy Taylor, who started and played 27 minutes, answered a Halverson free throw with a 3-pointer to make it a two-point game. Tianna Eaton tied the game at 18-18 when she knocked down a second-chance jumper with 3:44 to play before halftime. 

Thirty seconds later, though, Katie Ferrell pushed the Mavericks back ahead when she connected on a second-chance 3-point shot. UTA's lead was pushed to five minutes later on a Bre Wickware layup. Taylor cut the deficit to three with a pair of three throws 19 seconds later, then Da'Nasia Hood, a night removed from a 25-point game, scored a jumper with 50 seconds left to draw the Bobcats to within one heading into the locker rooms. 

Hood answered a Camryn Hawkins 3-pointer 25 seconds into the third with a second-chance jumper of her own to keep the deficit at two. Taylor did the same minutes later when she converted a Wickware turnover into a layup to keep it a two-point contest. 

UTA attempted to pull away during the later stages of the third quarter, but Alexander connected on her lone 3-point of the game to make it a one-possession game with 1:22 left in the quarter. 

Sierra Dickson, who scored a career-high six points off the bench, made it a one-point game with a layup 39 seconds into the game's final quarter. The freshman guard continued her strong play in the quarter when she answered a Shyia Smith layup with her own with 7:50 to play. Dickson capped her personal 6-0 scoring run when she connected on two free throws to give the Bobcats a 41-40 lead with 5:43 left in the quarter. 

Terryn Milton pushed UTA back ahead, 42-41, when she made a jumper as the shot-clock buzzer sounded with 5:11 remaining in the game. Alexander tied the game when she converted the second of two free throw opportunities with 2:28 to play in the fourth. 

Both teams missed potential go-ahead 3-point shots over the next minute and a half of game time and it wasn't until Milton hit a 3-pointer with 1:10 left that either team held the game in the closing minutes. 

Bowie's potential game-tying 3-point shot from the corner with 44 seconds left rimmed out and allowed UTA to extend its lead to five with four free throws over the next five seconds of game time. Taylor capped TXST's scoring on the afternoon when her second of two free throw attempts fell through the net with 18 seconds left. 

Texas State will return to action on Friday, Feb. 19 when the Bobcats play host to Arkansas State.