ARLINGTON, Texas – UT Arlington used a 9-0 to close the first quarter to gain separation and steadily pulled away for the rest of the game as the Mavericks cruised to an 82-37 win over ULM Friday night at College Park Center.
"We knew tonight would be extremely challenging for our group after having to sit the last few weeks," ULM head coach Brooks Donald Williams said. "It was a big win tonight for us to be able to put jerseys back on and compete. It was also a major win for this group to make it through this first game back without having any injuries of any kind. Hats off to our medical staff and coaching staff who helped make this game even possible with so many of us out the last 22 days."
The Warhawks matched the intensity from the Mavericks early. An opening possession layup by Kierra Crockett and a transition 3-pointer by Linda van Schaik gave ULM early 2-0 and 5-3 leads, respectively. A layup by Gara Beth Self and a jumper by Kierra Brimzy put ULM back on top at 9-7. UTA regained the lead, and a bucket by Brimzy brought ULM within a point at 13-12 with 2:45 to go in the quarter. The Mavericks closed the frame on a 9-0 run, with eight points coming from Camryn Hawkins, to take a 22-12 lead.
ULM pulled back within eight early in the second quarter as Brimzy followed a bucket by Crockett with a pair of free throws to trail 26-18. UTA slowly pulled away over the remainder of the half, stretching the lead to as much as 18 before leading 42-26 at halftime.
In the second half, UTA stifled ULM's offense as the Mavericks used several runs to add to the lead and continued to pull away for the 82-37 victory.
"We played tough for the first six minutes of the game," Williams said. "We executed well on both end of the floor extremely well. As we fatigued, our shot selection was poor and we became loose with the ball which turned into easy transition points for UTA that we never could bounce back from. We are excited about another opportunity tomorrow."
Brimzy paced ULM with 16 points. Terryn Milton had a career-high 24 points for UTA, leading five Mavericks in double figures. Hawkins had 13 points, while Misty Dossey, Jordan Hernandez and Shyia Smith had 11 points each.
UTA shot 46% from the floor and 38% (9-of-24) from 3-point range. ULM shot 24% from the field and was limited to 1-of-18 from 3-point range. The Warhawks committed 23 turnovers.
ULM and UTA conclude the series at 4 p.m. Saturday at College Park Center. Links to live video, audio and stats can be found on the women's basketball schedule page at ULMWarhawks.com.
