First impressions last a lifetime.

UTA gave its fans at the College Park Center a positive first impression by cruising past the Roadrunners with a 51-40 victory in front of a packed house Wednesday night.

“I’m very excited for the entire team,” head coach Samantha Morrow said. “They were hyped, they were pumped, and they wanted to make history. They’ve done something that nobody else will ever do, by winning the first game ever.”

The difference from Texas Hall became apparent once the Mavericks ran through a tunnel of smoke and had their lineup announced while walking past pillars of fire.

The Mavs responded to the raucous crowd and special effects by shutting down UT San Antonio’s offense. They held the Roadrunners to 29.4 percent shooting, including 0-of-10 from three-point range.

UTA forced 25 turnovers behind sophomore guard Malaika Green’s four steals and only allowed UT-San Antonio to hit two jump shots outside of the paint.

Not only did Green play well defensively, but she also came up big with a season-high 15 points to lead all scorers. Green said she took what the defense gave her and is happy with the outcome of the first game in the new arena.

“It was the greatest feeling ever,” Green said. “I’ve never played in front of that many people. It was amazing.”

Sophomore forward Briana Walker also continued her recent offensive success by scoring 12 points in the first half, helping UTA take a 22-19 lead at halftime. She finished with 13 points and four rebounds.

The Mavs extended their lead by coming out of the locker room with a 12-2 run, and they held a comfortable lead for the rest of their night on the way to a win.

Walker has led the Mavericks in scoring in three of their last six games, including a 28 point outburst against Texas State last week. However, she gave a different reason for the Mavericks’ success against the Roadrunners.

“We knew we had to play defense to get the win,” Walker said. “Defense wins game. We had to get stops to be successful.”

UTSA came into the game with one of the best post defenses in the Southland Conference and held UTA to only 16 points in the paint. But the Mavs made several short jumpers and went 3-of-6 from the three-point range to outscore the Roadrunners.

At the final buzzer, fans stood on their feet and applauded the effort. Walker said she appreciates the support.
“All of the fans were into the game and we were feeding off the fans,” she said. “We were focused and it was a great feeling to have all the fans come out for a win.”