"We've been on the road three out of the past four weekends, so for us to get a sweep on what's really the longest weekend, I'm really proud of our team," said head coach Joan Bonvicini. "I'm proud of not just the team, but the staff, with everyone staying together and staying focused. We had moments of brilliance today and it's really good to see Kacie [Sowell] with another double-double. I thought Ashley [Ward] really had a nice game. What I was most pleased by was that we were unselfish, got some really solid assists, and we were able to give the younger kids some playing time."
A pair of free throws by Taelor Ross (Vancouver, Wash.) and a layup by Kacie Sowell (Ventura, Calif.) gave the Redhawks the early 4-0 lead. A three-pointer by Ashley Ward (Irvine, Calif.) gave SU the 8-4 advantage.
Rosalyn Thorpe added a jumper for UTA at 15:48 to bring the deficit to two, 8-6, and neither team could score until Laila Suleiman tied the game at eight with 12:54 left in the first half.
On a 7-0 run, the Redhawks jumped out to a 15-8 lead at 9:23, with five of seven points during the run from Ward on a three and two free throws.
At 6:04, SU took their first double digit lead, 22-11, following a pair of free throws by Sowell. They extended their lead to 15, 26-11, at 5:12 following back-to-back baskets by Sowell and Sylvia Shephard (Alta Loma, Calif.)
UT Arlington brought the margin back to 10, 26-16, at 4:26 after five straight points by Kelsey Wilson. Both teams scoreless over the next minute and a half, the Redhawks finished the half on a 9-4 run to lead, 35-20, at halftime.
The Mavericks opened the second half with three straight three-pointers, two by Suleiman, broken up by an SU three-pointer by Ward to put UTA down by nine, 38-29, at 17:27.
Shephard added a three-pointer and Sowell sunk two free-throw shots to bring the Redhawk lead back to 14, 43-29, before two scoreless minutes for either team.
Near the nine minute mark, Malaika Green hit a three-pointer to decrease the deficit to eight, 51-43, but this would prove to be the Mavericks' smallest deficit for the remainder of the contest.
At 5:12, the Redhawks led again by 20+, 66-45, on two free-throws by Ward, and they increased the lead to 22, their largest lead of the game.
Despite a 14-6 run over the final three and a half minutes for the Mavericks, including scoring the final five points of the contest, the Redhawks got the 14-point win, 78-64.
"To get this week off, we'll have a chance to regroup, clean up some things, add some new wrinkles and get ready for three more home games," added Bonvicini. "It'll be a great way to end our conference regular season. We can't control any other teams but us, but we're going down the right path, so I'm pleased."
Ward led all players with a career-high 24 points, including a career-high four three-pointers, shooting 6-for-13 from the field. Sowell shot 8-for-13 from the field and recorded her 13th double-double of the season with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Shelby Dougherty (Fullerton, Calif.) hit the first three-pointer of her collegiate career and scored a career-high four points.
Wilson led the Mavericks (5-19, 3-11 WAC) with 12 points and Suleiman also scored in double figures with 11 points.
Overall, rebounding was tied at 35, but the Redhawks led in assists, 20-10, and steals, 16-7. The Redhawks shot 50 percent (27-for-54) from the field to UT Arlington's 38.6 percent (22-for-57). SU also led in three-point field-goal percentage (38.5 percent to 30.4 percent) and free-throw percentage (65.5 percent to 61.9 percent).
The Redhawks have a week off from competition before returning home for their final three regular season games, starting with Texas State on Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. They will host UTSA on Mar. 2 before finishing the regular season and honoring the seniors vs. Idaho on Mar. 9.