UT Arlington men heating up with back-to-back wins over Sun Belt’s top two teams

UT Arlington second-year coach Chris Ogden has been saying all year he wanted his Mavericks to play their best basketball in the last two months of the season.

And they’re doing just that.

UTA won its third consecutive game at home Thursday night over Georgia State, 70-62, and moved up in the Sun Belt Conference standings. The Mavericks’ last two wins are against the top two teams in the league.

The most impressive aspect of the victory was the Mavericks’ resilience. UTA trailed most of the game and by as many as 16 points in the first half before rallying in the second half.

Freshman guard Sam Griffin led four UTA players in double figures with 13 points. The Mavericks also received a big game off the bench from freshman guard Nicolas Elame, who finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Senior forward Radshad Davis added seven points, 12 rebounds and four assists.

This is only the second time all season that UTA (13-15, 9-8) has won three consecutive games. The Mavericks are 7-3 since mid-January and are now tied with Appalachian State for sixth place in the Sun Belt, and only 3½ games behind conference leader Arkansas-Little Rock.

The Mavericks defeated the first-place Trojans, 76-65, last Saturday in Arlington. UTA never trailed in the game, forced 17 turnovers and outrebounded the Trojans by eight. UTA also scored 29 fast-break points to only 11 for Little Rock.

Senior point guard Brian Warren came off the bench to score a game-high 21 points to lead UTA. Griffin added 17 points.

“We were locked in and ready for a big game,” Ogden said, “and it showed from the start. We’re starting to play our best basketball when it matters most.”

UTA’s next two games are also at home, starting at 2 p.m. Saturday against Georgia Southern (16-12, 10-7) and then Friday against Texas State (18-10, 11-6).

North Texas men get first win over Old Dominion

The North Texas men’s basketball team did something last Saturday that it never had accomplished in school history — beat Old Dominion.

The Mean Green won at home, 64-47, for its fourth consecutive victory to remain in first place in Conference USA. North Texas (18-9, 12-2) has now won 12 of its last 13 games and remains one game ahead of Western Kentucky.

Junior guard Javion Hamlet scored a career-high 27 points on 8 of 11 shooting to pace North Texas against Old Dominion. Sophomore guard Umoja Gibson added 18 points. North Texas shot 51.3 percent in the game.

“We know we’re going to get everyone’s best every time we go out there,” senior guard DJ Draper said. “We got some huge stops that really made a difference.”

North Texas is back at home at 3 p.m. Saturday to play third-place Louisiana Tech (19-7, 10-4).

UTA women move into third place

The UTA women moved into sole possession of third place in the Sun Belt last Saturday with a 62-46 victory at Arkansas-Little Rock.

Senior transfer forward Marie Benson had a game-high 17 points and 14 rebounds to lead UTA in a game that featured a total of 47 fouls called.

The Lady Mavericks outrebounded Little Rock, 43-29, and held it to just 27.1 percent shooting. UTA also forced 16 turnovers.

UTA (15-10, 9-4) is 2½ games behind first-place Coastal Carolina and Troy in the Sun Belt.

But the Lady Mavericks have a chance to finish strong. They close the regular season against five teams with a combined record of 43-79 and 21-46 in conference play. They play at home at 5 p.m. Saturday against Texas State (10-14, 3-10).

North Texas women lose seventh straight

The North Texas women’s basketball team lost its seventh consecutive game Thursday night at first-place Rice, 69-66, in a game the Mean Green led heading into the fourth quarter.

But in the end, Rice senior guard Erica Ogwumike proved too much to overcome. The reigning Conference USA Player of the Year had 33 points and 12 rebounds.

Senior center Anisha George led North Texas with 20 points and eight rebounds. Freshman point guard Jazion Jackson of Dallas Skyline added 13 points.

Last Saturday, Jackson scored 19 points off the bench in North Texas’ 71-66 loss at Old Dominion. The Mean Green (9-17, 3-11) play at home at 7 p.m. Saturday against UT San Antonio (6-19, 2-12).