STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Similar to the first meeting over a month ago, simply put, UT Arlington got their shots to fall, and Tarleton State did not.
 
The Texans (7-16, 4-10 WAC) shot 18-of-57 (.316) compared to the Lady Mavs' (12-12, 8-6 WAC) 26-of-51 (.510) clip in Tarleton's 71-58 loss at Wisdom Gym in Stephenville Thursday night. In the first meeting on Jan. 4, a UTA 73-49 win, the Texans made 17-of-58 (.293) from the field to UTA's 28-of-60 (.467) mark.
 
Tarleton State was on fire from beyond the arc, draining 9-of-17 (.529) deep shots, but they made just as many inside the arc, shooting 9-of-40 (.225).
 
Miannah Little powered the Texans with 17 points (3-5 3PT) and four assists, adding three rebounds. Andjela Bigovic poured in 13 points off the bench on 5-of-8 shooting, 3-of-4 from distance, to go with five rebounds. Tyler Jackson notched 10 points and four rebounds, while Elise Turrubiates tallied nine points and eight rebounds.
 
Rebounds (34-33) and turnovers (16-15) were nearly identical, but UTA got it done in the paint, outscoring the Texans 30-14 there, with a 16-5 fast break point advantage.
 
Thursday marked Tarleton's Play4Kay game, as they raised money for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund to fight against all cancer affecting women. Fans and teams wore pink gear (besides the jerseys) for the important cause.
 
On the court, the Texans had a nice start, going up 7-4 over three minutes in. With a 13-12 UTA advantage at the 3:19 mark, the Lady Mavs made 6-of-7 the rest of the frame, using a 14-3 run to end the first quarter up 11, 27-16.
 
The Texans clamped down defensively and allowed just two points nearly four minutes through the second, and just four points nearly seven minutes in. Offensively they couldn't take advantage, shooting 3-of-13 (.231) in the frame. The Lady Mavs ended the first half on an 8-0 run over the last 1:34 to lead 41-25 at the break.  
 
In the third, UTA built as large of a 20-point lead, and entered the fourth up 56-38. In the final quarter, Tarleton made things interesting, cutting the deficit to nine twice on Little's nine points in the quarter, but UTA held on for the conference win.
 
UTA's Gia Adams had a game-high 22 points on 8-of-10 (4-5 3PT) shooting. Avery Brittingham recorded 13 points, six rebounds, two blocks and six turnovers. Adela Valkova finished with 10 points, four rebounds and two blocks.
 
The Texans' three-game homestand is over and they'll head west for a trip against the WAC's top-two ranked teams. They'll start at Grand Canyon in Phoenix on Thursday at 7 p.m. CT.