Texas State women’s basketball (8-9 overall, 5-7 Sun Belt) beat the University of Texas at Arlington Mavericks (10-6 overall, 8-4 Sun Belt) in a 66-45 rout in its first game of a doubleheader on Feb. 12.
The Mavericks took control early in the contest as they forced the Bobcats to commit a bevy of turnovers which ultimately allowed the Mavs to lead at the end of the first quarter. After that point, the ‘Cats struck back in dominating fashion as they took the lead midway through the second quarter and continued to extend it in the second half.
UTA got off to a fast start as the team went 7-0 by the 7:22 mark in the first quarter. The Bobcats eventually got their first points off a three-pointer by junior forward Da’Nasia Hood but the Mavericks scored five unanswered points to lead 12-3 with 6:14 left in the period.
Texas State answered with six straight points capped off by an elbow pull-up by Hood to bring the score to 12-9 at the 3:35 mark. The Mavs went on a 7-2 run, where senior forward Bre Wickware scored all of their points, to finish the first quarter ahead 19-11.
UTA continued forward in the second quarter as it extended its lead to 22-13 at the 8:17 mark. A pair of threes by a Hood, a pull-up jumper by junior guard Kennedy Taylor and a layup by sophomore forward Chelsea Johnson gave Texas State its first lead at 23-22 with 4:12 left in the half.
The remainder of the second quarter played as a back-and-forth affair before Johnson hit a set shot from the free-throw line to end the first half with the Bobcats leading 29-27.
In the first half, Texas State shot 40.6% (13-32) from the floor and 42.9% from the three-point line while UTA shot 39.3% (11-28) overall and 40% (4-10) from beyond the arc.
The Bobcats allowed Hood to carry most of the scoring weight as she had 17 points (7-13 FGS, 3-6 3FG) along with five rebounds. Wickware led the Mavericks with 7 points (3-10 FGS, 1-4 3FG) and had two steals.
The Mavs started the second half by scoring four unanswered points off a layup from Wickware and a jumper by junior guard Terryn Milton to take the lead 31-29 at the 9:18 mark in the third quarter.
It ended up being the Mavs final lead of the game as the Bobcats went on a monster 20-0 run to lead the game 49-31 with 1:19 left in the period. UTA scored a three-pointer to end the quarter down 49-34.
In the third quarter, the Maroon and Gold held the Mavs to a mere seven points for the quarter shooting 21.4% (3-14) overall and 16.7% (1-6) from deep.
The Bobcats continued to push the envelope as they extended their lead to 53-36 at the 7:19 mark in the fourth quarter. The Mavericks did make the game competitive once again as they went on an 8-0 run to bring it within single digits 53-44 at the 4:39 mark but the Bobcats put together a 13-1 run to win the contest 66-45. 
The Bobcats shot 44.3% (27-61) from the floor and 40% (6-15) from three while holding the Mavericks to 31% (18-58) overall and 24% (6-25) from deep.
The Bobcats capitalized on the Mavericks’ 20 turnovers by turning them into 27 points. The Bobcats also dominated the interior as they scored 28 points in the paint.
Hood finished the game with 25 points (11-20 FGS, 3-7 3FG) and seven rebounds. Taylor had nine points (3-13 FGS, 1-5 3FG, 2-3 FT), a game-high eight assists and three steals. Senior guard Avionne Alexander scored eight points (3-3 FGS, 2-4 FT) with six rebounds (three offensive) and a game-high five steals. Junior guard Jakayla Bowie scored eight points (3-4 FGS, 2-2 3FG) with a game-high nine rebounds and three steals.
The victory is No. 146 Head Coach Zenarae Antoine’s which makes her the second-winningest coach in program history.
Antoine credits in-game adjustments for the win as it was one of the team’s goals before the game.
“We had to be able to make in-game adjustments because I feel that has been one of the differences in our close games that we’ve fallen on the sad end of the ballgame,” Antoine says.
Texas State will travel to face UTA in its own backyard at 2 p.m. on Feb. 13 in the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.