Top-seeded Mavericks Overwhelm Undermanned Islanders
KATY, Texas ? Six players scored in double figures as the No. 1-seeded UT Arlington women’s basketball team used a well-balanced attack to down an injury-depleted Texas A&M-Corpus Christi squad, 91-59, in a quarterfinal game of the 2009 State Farm Southland Conference Basketball Tournament Wednesday at the Merrell Center. With the win the Mavericks advance to take on the winner of the game between No. 4 Lamar and No. 5 Stephen F. Austin at 2:33 p.m. on Friday.
Hampered by injuries to key players throughout season, including another only days before the start of the tournament, A&M-Corpus Christi (11-19) struggled to keep pace with the red-hot regular season champions from the opening tip. UT Arlington (21-9) opened up a quick, 18-8 lead just more than five minutes into the game when Shalyn Martin drained a three-pointer from the top of the key. The lead grew to 20 points after 15 minutes, and by the half the Mavericks were in complete control, up 51-26.
Struck again by the injury bug when Deziree Green went down with a lower-body injury in the second half, the Islanders came out in the second half and put forth a courageous performance. UT Arlington padded its lead to 26 points right after the intermission, but failed to increase it any more until the waning moments of the game when a late run gave the Mavericks their game-ending 32-point advantage.
Despite the losing effort, Shaye Montgomery led all scorers with 18 points. Fellow Islanders Adrienne Scott and Jade Davis also chipped in 13 points each. Scott recorded a double-double with 10 rebounds. For UT Arlington, Erin Dixon, who hauled in a game-best 14 rebounds, and Tamara Simmons, who didn’t miss a shot from the field, tied for the team lead with 15 points. Other Ladyjacks scoring in double figures included Candice Champion (14), Meghan Nelson (13), LaTosha Duffey (12) and Shalyn Martin (10).