Dec. 18, 2008

Nassau, Bahamas - A total team effort is what advanced UT Arlington to the championship game on Saturday, after rolling past Memphis 84-45 in day one of the Bahamas Sunsplash Shootout Tournament on Thursday, December 18 at the Kendal Issacs Gymnasium.

"I think the girls came out with a lot more energy then have shown in the last couple of practices, so that's really nice," said head women's basketball coach Samantha Morrow. "We made a couple of mistakes early, we adjusted to it but overall I am very proud of the effort."

UTA attacked first, taking an 11-9 lead over the Tigers following a Meghan Nelson layup with 13:32 left in the first half. The Mavericks continued to punish the Tigers, extending to an 18 point advantage after a steal and fast break layup by junior Kiarra Shofner with 2:26 on the clock.

The Mavericks headed into the locker rooms with a comfortable 38-20 advantage over the Tigers.

Despite the Mavs 11 turnovers in the first half, UTA finished shooting 43.8 percent (14-of-32) from the floor to Memphis' 32 percent (8-of-25) from the field.

UTA picked up right where they left off in the first half, pounding Memphis offensively and defensively. Senior Candice Champion gave the Mavericks a 26 point lead after a layup at the 13:40 mark, to make the score 53-27.

The Mavs had the game locked after an 18-2 run sparked by a steal by Shalyn Martin and a dish to Tamara Simmons for a jumper, making the score 79-42 with 1:31 left in the game.

Champion was one rebound away from recording her seventh double-double of the season, as she notched a game-high 23 points and nine boards for the Mavs. Kristina Grace recorded a season-high 14 points and eight rebounds while Kiarra Shofner added 12 points and Meghan Nelson chipped in with 11.

Tehani Goldsmith recorded 11 points and Shekeira Copeland posted 10 for Memphis. The two biggest stats for UTA were the season low 14 turnovers and season high 31 points off the bench.

"Our 31 points off the bench are the most that we've had in a long time and we have to have that from Meghan (Nelson) and Kristina (Grace), because they get the most minutes. I think LaTosha (Duffey) came in and did some good things and Nikki (Terral) did also. It was a total team effort, I was glad to see those people come off the bench and do so well because that means that our starters aren't playing so many minutes and that's what we need," added Morrow.

In the game before the Mavericks, Georgia Tech notched a 6 5-27 victory over Winthrop to advance to the championship game.

"Georgia Tech is a very physical team, very athletic and I'm looking forward to the competition on Saturday. It will be a big challenge for us. They are one of the better teams that we have played this season," Morrow said.