CONWAY, S.C. – Senior forward Aja Blount scored a game-high 20 points for Coastal Carolina but UT Arlington pulled away in the second half to score a 70-61 win in a Sun Belt Conference game Saturday afternoon at the HTC Center. Blount also grabbed 12 rebounds to register her sixth double-double of the season.
 
Freshmen guards Jordyn Newsome and Arin Freeman supported Blount's effort with 16 and 14 points, respectively, but Coastal slipped to 13-9 overall and 3-8 in the league with the loss. Starr Jacobs, a senior forward, scored 16 points to lead three players in double figures for UTA which improved to 16-6 and 10-3 with its seventh win in its last eight games.
 
Coastal led only briefly by two points in the first half but kept the score close until an 8-0 run lifted the Mavericks to a 13-point advantage at 57-44, with 9:23 left in the contest. Newsome single-handedly pulled Coastal to within striking distance with six points in a 7-2 run for the Chanticleers, which made the score 61-55, but the Chants could get no closer.
 
Blount and Freeman provided the offense for the Chanticleers with 10 and nine points, respectively, in the first half. The teams traded baskets for most of the first 20 minutes, while Smith carried the load for UT Arlington. She had nine points while Jacobs, the Mavericks' leading scorer at 20 points a game, missed more than 11 minutes of action because of foul trouble. Jacobs only had two points at the break.
 
Blount had three points in a 5-0 run for Coastal that put the Chants in front briefly at 26-24 with 2:19 left in the second period. But UT Arlington finished on a 6-2 run to hold a slim 33-30 lead at halftime. Coastal never regained the lead in falling for the seventh time in the last eight games.
 
The Chants managed to outrebound their opponent for the 21st time in 22 games with a 49-44 edge on the boards. Janeen Camp and Blount led the way with 12 rebounds apiece. Each team made 25 field goals, but the difference was at the free-throw line where the Mavericks were 17-of-28 as compared to just 9-of17 for the Chanticleers.
 
Coastal will continue its homestand to conclude the regular season with games against South Alabama and Troy next week. The Chants will host South Alabama at 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, Feb. 24, and then face Troy at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, Feb. 26. The Sun Belt Conference championship will begin March 2 at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla. 
 
For complete coverage of CCU women's basketball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalWBB (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.