Collier Grabs 500th Rebound, Comeback Falls Short at UTA

ARLINGTON, Texas – Kyra Collier led Little Rock with 16 points and grabbed her 500^th career rebound but could not lead the Trojans to a come-from-behind win in a 65-58 loss at UT Arlington Saturday.
 
But Little Rock (3-10, 1-1 Sun Belt) kept the Mavericks (8-6, 1-1) on edge throughout the final quarter. Trailing by 14, the Trojans began to slowly whittle away at UTA's lead with an 11-0 run over four minutes to pull within three. Krystan Vornes scored seven of her career-high matching 13 points during that run.
 
A fastbreak layup by UTA's Aysia Evans ended the run and allowed the Mavs to keep Little Rock from completing a comeback. Little Rock would miss four of its next seven shots and attempts to put the pressure on UTA at the free throw line were unsuccessful. It was a typical stratagem that proved successful in the first half, when UTA shot just 33 percent from the free throw line.
 
While UTA struggled at the line (primarily in the first half), they did find their groove on the floor, shooting 49 percent for the game while Little Rock was just 38 percent from the field (20 of 52). The Mavs would hit seven more shots from the field that would make up for Little Rock's seven-point advantage in free throws, tipping the scales in the seven-point final score difference.
 
Most of the free throw action for the Trojans came from Teal Battle, who shot a season-high 13 free throw attempts in the game, hitting nine of them in her 13-point performance. She entered the game ranked 87^th in the nation in free throw attempts, a ranking that will likely rise after Saturday's game.
 
Marie Benson led UTA with an impressive 25 points and seven rebounds, shooting 11 of 16 from the field, and led the Mavs to their first win over Little Rock since joining the Sun Belt Conference starting with the 2013-14 season.
 
Little Rock, on the road since Dec. 17, now returns home to the Jack Stephens Center to start a four-game home stand and stretch of five home dates in six contests starting on Thursday, Jan. 9 when Georgia Southern visits Little Rock.
 
For the latest information on Little Rock Basketball, make sure to check out LRTrojans.com. You can also find the team on social media at @LittleRockWBB on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
 
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