UT Arlington Fends off Lamar, Clinches Championship Berth
KATY, Texas ? The UT Arlington women’s basketball team defeated Lamar, 67-62, to advance to its fourth Southland Conference Tournament final Friday at the Merrill Center. The top-seeded Mavericks will take on the No. 2 Roadrunners in the championship game at 2:05 p.m. on Saturday. The title game will be televised live on the Southland Conference Television Network.
Holding a 64-61 lead with just 35 seconds remaining in regulation, the Mavericks all but clinched the victory following a timeout when the defense clamped down on Lamar, forcing the Lady Cardinals to miss a pair of would-be game-tying three-pointers. Following the second errant attempt, Tamara Simmons grabbed the rebound, was quickly fouled and sent to the free throw line. And without a problem after a brief official delay, she converted both of her opportunities to cement a five-point win.
In the second half, Lamar cut the deficit down to three points three times in the final 1:30. It was an impressive run for a team that trailed by as many as 14 points and never held a lead in the game. UT Arlington also controlled the pace for a majority of the first half and took a 36-26 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The Mavericks ran off a 17-4 spurt following the opening tip. The run culminated with a layup from Candice Champion, who led all scorers with 21 points and added 13 rebounds. Teammate Erin Dixon also had a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Simmons also poured in 16 points while Shalyn Martin contributed 10 in the victory.
Leading the charge for Lamar in defeat was Trashanna Smith, who tallied 18 points and snagged 12 rebounds and was the only Lady Cardinal to shoot more than 50-percent from the field for the game. As a team, Lamar made just 24-of-71 shots (33.8 percent) as compared to UT Arlington’s 21-for-40 (52.5 percent) night from the floor. Other Lady Cardinals scoring in double figures included Brittney Williams (13 points), Nikki Williams (12) and Ang Green (12).