ARLINGTON, Texas – Chaun Williams posted 19 points, five assists and three steals off the bench to lead UT Arlington to a 64-52 women's basketball victory over Georgia Southern in the Sun Belt Conference opener for both squads Tuesday evening at College Park Center.

Angel McGowan led the Eagles (3-7, 0-1) with 13 points and four steals, while Alexis Sams chipped in 11 points. Patrice Butler tallied 11 points and six rebounds, and Sierra Kirkland finished with a team-high 13 boards, including six on the offensive end.

LaShanda Green posted 11 points and six assists, and Amara Wainwright scored 10 for the Lady Mavericks (7-3, 1-0). Rebekah Van Dijk posted eight points and a game-high 14 rebounds.

The Eagles overcame a nine-point second-half deficit with a 10-0 spurt, sparked by 3-pointers by Sams and Anna Claire Knight. A Sams' steal led to a McGowan fast-break layup that gave Georgia Southern a 45-44 lead with 8:11 to play.

UT Arlington responded with a 12-1 run of its own as the Eagles went without a field goal for the next 7:30 of game time. Williams scored seven points during the stretch, and a Holly Morgan layup made the score 56-46 with 2:15 remaining.

Georgia Southern held the Lady Mavs to 37 percent shooting, marking the third straight game the Eagles have held their opponent under 38 percent. 

"I thought we were very sharp in the execution of our game plan defensively," said Georgia Southern coach Chris Vozab. "Our rotations were very clean, and I thought our kids did a really good job on the boards."

But the Eagles struggled shooting as well, hitting 31 percent from the field, 4-of-24 from 3-point range and 14-of-22 from the free-throw stripe. UT Arlington came into the contest ranked fourth in the country in field goal percentage defense.

The Eagles jumped out to a 9-3 lead to start the game, but UT Arlington used a 19-2 run to open a 22-11 advantage midway through the first half. Down 26-14, Kirkland scored all five of her points in an 8-0 Eagle run, and Georgia Southern trailed 29-25 at halftime.

"I liked the effort and togetherness we played with the whole game," said Vozab, "and there were times where our toughness and confidence allowed us to dictate what was happening in the game. But there were crucial junctures there where their confidence and toughness allowed them to out-will us for key stretches."

The Eagles play their first home Sun Belt Conference contest Saturday when they play host to Texas State in Hanner Fieldhouse with tipoff slated for 4:30 p.m. It's a doubleheader with the men's team, and general admission tickets are on sale for $5.

"We have to continue to learn from the elements where we struggled today and continue to gain confidence from the things we did well," said Vozab. "We need to continue to make sure our execution is consistent regardless of the level of pressure we face."

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