UT Arlington men extend win streak with 'miracle' rally

SAN MARCOS -- Shaquille White-Miller hit two free throws with 15.9 seconds left and UT Arlington closed with a 7-0 run to defeat Texas State 82-79 Saturday, extending UTA's school-record winning streak to 11 straight.

White-Miller's free throws gave the Mavericks (15-5, 7-0 Southland) an 80-79 lead, and after a Texas State turnover, LaMarcus Reed added two more for the final margin.

UTA was down 77-72 with less than two minutes left before mounting a finishing kick that kept the unbeaten run alive.

The Mavericks, down 79-78, needed a turnover from Texas State in the final 23 seconds to have a chance, and center Jordan Reves delivered in the backcourt.

White-Miller was fouled on the ensuing UTA possession and knocked down the two free throws. The Bobcats weren't able to get a shot off, as Mavericks guard Bradley Gay stole the ball from Texas State guard Brooks Ibarra.

"It was unbelievable," UTA coach Scott Cross said. "Guys stepped up and made plays when they had to. LaMarcus made big free throws. Shaq made big free throws. I thought this was our time [to lose] and a miracle had to happen."

The Mavericks overcame 23 turnovers and a 21-10 deficit by holding Texas State to 39.7-percent shooting.

"I knew we would be able to start scoring and it was a matter of time before our guys figured out how to stop them," Cross said.

Texas State (8-12, 1-6), which has lost four straight, led 79-75 with 1:11 to play but had turnovers on three straight possessions.

Reed led UTA with 17 points. White-Miller and Bo Ingram had 12 each, Kevin Butler had 11 and Brandon Edwards 10.

Texas State's Ybarra had 17 points, Matt Staff and Wesley Davis 14 each and Eddie Rios 12.

After four of five on the road, UTA is back Wednesday for its first game at the new on-campus 7,000-seat College Park Center, against UT San Antonio.

Looking for comments?