MAVERICKS EASED TO 91-59 WIN OVER A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI IN SLC TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINALS

March 11, 2009

Katy, Texas - The first game of the Southland Conference Tournament couldn't have gone any better for the UT Arlington Mavericks as they recorded a 91-59 blowout win over A&M-Corpus Christi on Wednesday, March 11 at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas.

The victory improved the Mavs to 21-9 overall and was UTA's third straight win over the Islanders this season.

"We knew that Corpus would do a couple of things to not let Candice score like she did last time and that speaks volumes about our team," said Head Coach Samantha Morrow. "Candice doesn't have to score 34 or 24 because everyone else is able to step up and make contributions to the game. It was good that everybody, even our bench players that were prepared and ready to play."

A team effort is what led the Mavericks to all five starters finishing in double-digit scoring. Both Erin Dixon and Tamara Simmons collected 15 points while senior Candice Champion finished with 14, Meghan Nelson added 13 and Shalyn Martin scored 10.

It didn't take long for UTA to take control of the game and lead by 10 points following a three by Martin with 14:40 in the first half. The Mavericks pushed the tempo throughout the first stanza, taking a 17 point advantage after Nelson connected on a pair of freebies at the line, with 11:51 left to play.

The Mavericks didn't let up, keeping their lead in double figures and headed into the locker rooms with a 51-26 lead over the Islanders.

UTA connected on 50 percent (16-of-32) from field goal range, 66.7 percent (4-of-6) from the three-point line and 75 percent 15-of-20 from the free throw line in the first half.

The Mavericks entered the second half with more energy than the first, extending to a 28 point lead, at 62-34 with 14:32 left in the game. The Islanders went on a 9-3 run, cutting the deficit to 22 points, at 65-43 with 12:08 remaining. That was as close as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi would get as the Mavs powered their way to a 32 point lead to end the game.

Dixon recorded her 12th double-double of the season, finishing with 15-points and 14 rebounds and LaTosha Duffey scored 12 points.

The Mavericks out-rebounded the Islanders by a 52-27 margin and posted 42 points in the paint to TAMU-CC's 36.

UTA finished the game shooting 43.2 percent (32-of-74) from the field, 46.7 (7-of-15) from behind the arc and 76.9 percent (20-of-26) from the free throw line. Shaye Montgomery finished with 18 points on 6-of-16 shooting from the floor, 2-of-8 from three-point range and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.

The Mavs head to the semifinals where they will face the winner the Cardinals of Lamar University on Friday, Mar. 13 at the Merrell Center. Game time is set for 2:33 p.m.