Box Score

Post-Game Interview with Mary Gleason (video)

HOUSTON – Houston Baptist shot a season-best 53 percent from the floor, but UT Arlington outscored the Huskies 7-2 in the final 2:15 to defeat HBU, 77-71, Tuesday evening from Sharp Gym.

Shanice Steenholdt scored a game-high 22 points for HBU (2-6), while tying the game high with eight rebounds. Tayler Jefferson finished with 14 points as she set a new career high with four 3-pointers. Devyn Weymouth scored 12 points. Sisters Ashleigh and Desherra Nwanguma faced each other for the first time in their collegiate careers. Ashleigh finished with six points and six rebounds, while Desherra had four points and three boards.

Four Mavericks finished in double-figures, led by Laila Suleiman with 19 points for UTA (1-4). Aron Garcia scored 16, Kelsey Wilson added 14, and Malaika Green dropped 13. Garcia grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.

HBU wasted little time setting the tone for the game, as Jefferson nailed a trey just 16 seconds into the contest to give the Huskies a 3-0 lead. HBU scored eight of the first 12 points of the contest before UTA used a 16-2 run to lead the Huskies by nine, 20-11, with just under 13 minutes left in the first half.

HBU cut the deficit to two, 20-18, following a layup and a free throw by Steenholdt, but the Mavericks increased their lead back up to eight, 26-18, following an HBU turnover resulting in a layup by Suleiman.

Down by a half-high 10 points with four minutes to go, HBU battled back to cut the deficit to four, 35-31, following a three-pointer by Jefferson with 2:11 remaining. The Huskies came as close as two, 37-35, with 22 seconds left, but Briana Walker hit a jumper at the buzzer to give UTA a 39-35 lead at the break.

Steenholdt and Weymouth both led HBU with 10 points apiece, while Green scored a half-high 12 points for UTA.
UTA refused to led HBU come back in the early goings of the second half, as the Mavericks continued to lead the Huskies by six in the first five minutes. A jumper by Suleiman at the 13:02-mark gave the Mavericks their largest lead of the game, at 11, 60-49.

HBU then scored the next five points to trail by six, 60-54, as Jefferson nailed a trey, then a jumper, for the Huskies.
HBU continued to chip away, as Joselyn Pugh hit a jumper, then Weymouth stole the ball on the ensuing Maverick possession, resulting in a layup by Steenholdt. The Huskies battled back to trail by just one, 64-63, with 6:13 remaining, following a jumper by McGarrachan.

After a steal by Ashleigh Nwanguma, McGarrachan scored on a layup, giving the Huskies their first lead since 8-7, as HBU now led UTA 65-64 with just under five minutes left in regulation.

UTA hit a bucket to give the visitors the lead again, but Rachel Arthur swished a three to give the Huskies a two-point lead with 4:02 left. On the next UTA possession, Green was fouled and made both free throws, which tied the game at 68-all with 3:40 remaining.

With HBU down by one, 70-69, with 1:36 left in the second half, Steenholdt fouled out, which set the tone for the remainder of the close contest. UTA went on to outscore HBU 7-2 the rest of the way for the win.

HBU will participate in the TD Bank Classic this weekend, hosted by the University of Vermont.