Box Score ARLINGTON, Texas – UALR (13-16, 8-11 SBC) clawed its way back from a 12-point first-half deficit to take a brief lead with 4:32 to play, but a strong finish by UT Arlington (16-12, 10-8 SBC) allowed the Mavericks to escape with an 82-73 win at College Park Center on Saturday.
The Mavs shot better than 50.0 percent from the floor in the both halves, including 64.0 percent over the first 20 minutes, and ended the night shooting 58.0 percent. The Mavs held a 40-16 lead in points in the paint and a 15-5 edge in fast-break points.
Four UALR players finished in double figures for the fourth straight game. Roger Woods led the Trojans with 16 points while shooting 6 of 9 from the floor. James Reid, Josh Hagins and Mareik Isom all totaled 14 points.
UALR faced a nine-point deficit at halftime and trailed by double digits on two occasions in the second half. But the Trojans began to whittle away at the margin with 16 minutes to play, pulling within one on a jumper by Hagins with 9:59 to play and tying the score on a Hagins 3-pointer with 7:55 remaining. Reid's 3-pointer with 5:16 to play tied the score at 64-all, and after two free throws by UTA's Kevin Hervey, another triple by Thomas put UALR up 67-66 with 4:32 to play.
Hervey scored on the Mavs' next possession to make UALR's lead short-lived, and following empty possessions by both teams, Jorge Bilboa scored inside to push the Mavs' lead back to three.
A bucket by Woods with 1:56 to play brought UALR within three at 72-69, but UTA hit a deep 3 as the shot clock was expiring on its next possession to get the margin back to six, and UALR would get no closer.
UALR hit 13 3-pointers on the night, including four each from Isom and Reid. But the Trojans couldn't slow UTA's offense. Led by Lonnie McClanahan's 18 points and 12 assists, the Mavs scored with consistency for most of the night. UTA hit 13 of 17 free throws on the night and boasted a 32-27 edge on the glass. In all, five UTA players finished the night in double figures.
With just one game remaining on its schedule, UALR will need a win at Louisiana on Thursday to guarantee itself a spot in the Sun Belt Tournament. The Trojans play the Ragin' Cajuns in the Cajundome at 7:15 p.m.