March 11, 2010

Photo Gallery | Box Score

By Josh Bowe for utamavs.com

KATY, Texas - Meghan Nelson's eyes were watery. At any moment it seemed the senior guard would break down.

But like Nelson had done all year, she played it calm, cool and collected after the game answering questions. It's how she's played for UT Arlington her whole career. A career that ended with UTA's 70-61 loss to Lamar in the semifinals of the Southland Conference Tournament Thursday afternoon at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas.

"It's bittersweet that it's all over," Nelson said. "But I don't want to lower my head or nothing because I feel like we fought hard."

The Mavericks (15-16) hung tough with the top-seeded Cardinals all day. The game was exciting, back and forth and had everything for a basketball fan coach Samantha Morrow said. She just wished the outcome was reversed.

"I can't enough about how proud I am with effort we put out there," Morrow said. "They're (Lamar) a very good basketball team."

It looked anything but a close, contested game in the opening minutes. With the scored at 10-7 in favor of the Cardinals in the first half, Lamar (25-7) went on a 12-3 run to go up 22-10.

The Mavericks game plan was to not let conference player of the year Jenna Plumley of Lamar to go off for 25, 30 points. UTA trapped Plumley on all pick and rolls.

Plumley reacted well though, picking up five assists in the opening nine minutes of play.

"Coach just kept saying throughout the whole game to stay focused," Nelson said. "Keep rebounding, pretty much all the thing she said during pre-game."

Morrow's coaching helped. Over the course of the final minutes in the first half the Mavericks fought back to tie the game at 26 behind Nelson and junior guard Tamara Simmons by pushing the ball on the fast break.

Ironically UTA finished the game with zero fast break points, but by pushing the ball early in the shot clock the Mavericks were able to get good looks in the secondary break and half court sets.

"It all starts with getting the board," Morrow said. "We were running the lanes real well and just attacking."

UTA went into the locker room trailing 33-29 at halftime. The second half was more of what was seen at the end of the first: back and forth basketball with neither team taking more than a four point lead in the first 15 minutes of the second half.

Starting senior point guard Kiarra Shofner had one of her worst games however. Shofner finished the game with no points, one assist and four turnovers. After Shofner got her fourth turnover early in the second half, Morrow went with sophomore guard Nicole Terral for the rest of the game.

To her credit, Terral played well in what she called "more minutes" than she expected. Terral scored 12 points and hit two three pointers, providing a spark as the Mavericks took a 54-53 lead with 8:40 left on a Nelson lay up.

"I really think it was all a team effort," Terral said. "That's why it was such a good game - everyone did well."

Morrow said when her team took the lead she thought they were going to take control of the game.

"It kept feeling like when we had that one point lead we had a couple of opportunities to convert there, maybe it would of gone our way," Morrow said.

Instead the Mavericks only scored one point over the next four minutes as the Cardinals hit big shots down the stretch. Ironically, few were from Plumley, who sprained her ankle with 5:56 left and didn't score after she sustained the injury.

Those big shots instead came from senior Cardinal forward Darika Hill. Hill made two mid range jumpers in the final three minutes to help ice the game for Lamar.

"Darika Hill hit some huge baskets for them," Morrow said. "That's why she's the conference player that she is."

After the game someone brought up Morrow's friendship with Lamar coach Larry Tidwell. Morrow said she's happy for him and wishes his team all the best, but obviously wishes it was the other way around.

"I've know him a long time, I'm not going to tell you how long, but a long time," Morrow said with a smile. "Best of luck to him - he owes me though."