UT Arlington takes hard-fought men’s victory at Appalachian State
UT Arlington spent most of Thursday night playing from behind at Appalachian State, but the Mavericks were ahead when it mattered most.
Erick Neal made a huge 3-pointer with 2:16 remaining and the Mavs were able to hold onto a 71-67 victory over the Mountaineers in Sun Belt men’s basketball on Thursday night.
UTA extended its winning streak to seven games, improving to 12-2 overall and 3-0 in the Sun Belt.
To be honest with you, App State outplayed us for the majority of the game. Our guys did come through down the stretch.
UT Arlington coach Scott Cross
Despite trailing for the first 35 minutes against Appalachian State, UTA is off to its best 14-game start in program history and the unbeaten run is longest in four years.
“To be honest with you, App State outplayed us for the majority of the game. Our guys did come through down the stretch,” Mavericks coach Scott Cross said. “We were able to get some stops down the stretch, make plays down the stretch.
“I think we did a good job rebounding most of the game. In the second half we were able to move the ball better. We dug ourselves in a hole. This is a tough place to play with the elevation on top of it.”
The Mavericks took their first lead of the game (61-60) with five minutes left when Neal made a fastbreak layup. Neal’s free throw gave UTA a 63-62 edge before he made a 3-pointer for a four-point advantage.
The Mavs closed out their first conference road win of the season at the foul line.
Jalen Jones led UTA with 14 points and added eight rebounds. Neal scored 13 and dished out six assists. Kevin Hervey came up just short of his eighth double-double with 10 rebounds and had nine points. Mairega Clarke and Faith Pope each scored nine off the bench.
UT Arlington (12-2): Hervey 2-13 5-7 9, Bilbao 2-6 1-2 5, Neal 4-8 3-5 13, Charles 0-4 3-4 3, Jones 5-11 4-5 14, Eubanks 0-3 0-2 0, Hawkins 1-5 0-0 2, Wilson 0-2 2-3 2, Clarke 4-4 0-0 9, Pallas 2-2 1-4 5, Pope 3-6 2-4 9. Totals 23-64 21-36 71.
Appalachian State (2-12): Kinney 3-7 1-3 7, Johnson 1-5 1-2 3, Shabazz 1-6 0-2 2, Burgess 3-8 0-0 9, Eaves 7-17 5-9 21, Obacha 3-3 0-0 6, Logan 3-4 0-0 7, Holley 0-0 0-0 0, O’Boyle 2-5 0-0 6, Babic 2-5 0-0 6, Lawson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-60 7-16 67.
Halftime—Appalachian St. 44-35. 3-Point Goals—UT Arlington 4-17 (Neal 2-4, Clarke 1-1, Pope 1-2, Eubanks 0-1, Charles 0-2, Hawkins 0-3, Hervey 0-4), Appalachian St. 10-29 (Burgess 3-8, O’Boyle 2-4, Babic 2-5, Eaves 2-9, Logan 1-2, Shabazz 0-1). Fouled Out—Obacha. Rebounds—UT Arlington 46 (Hervey 10), Appalachian St. 43 (Johnson 7). Assists—UT Arlington 16 (Neal 6), Appalachian St. 16 (Babic, Burgess, Eaves 4). Total Fouls—UT Arlington 17, Appalachian St. 25. A—870.
This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 9:25 PM with the headline "UT Arlington takes hard-fought men’s victory at Appalachian State."