UTA Mavericks bounce back with road win as Hervey scores 23
Kevin Hervey scored 23 points, senior Jorge Bilbao had 17 points and 13 rebounds, and UT Arlington held off South Alabama’s late rally for an 89-83 win on Monday afternoon.
South Alabama went on a 14-5 run to get within 82-76 with 1:41 to go. UTA went empty from the free-throw line on consecutive possessions, but South Alabama couldn’t take advantage. Hervey, a junior forward from Arlington Bowie, made two free throws with 30.7 seconds left for an 84-77 advantage.
Nick Stover followed his missed 3-pointer and threw down a one-handed dunk to get to 84-79 but UTA hit five of its next six free-throw attempts to seal it.
Jalen Jones and Kaelon Wilson added 11 points apiece or UT Arlington (13-5, 3-2 Sun Belt). Hervey, who missed Saturday’s 93-71 loss at Troy because of a sore knee, also had seven rebounds and four assists.
The Mavericks trailed 43-40 at halftime but turned it around with a 16-0 run for a 73-59 lead.
Josh Ajayi led five South Alabama (9-9, 2-3) players in double figures with 16 points. Georgi Boyanov and Ken Williams scored 13 each, Don MuepoKelly 12 and Stover had 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
The afternoon game on Martin Luther King Jr. Day was televised nationally on ESPN2.
UT ARLINGTON 89, SOUTH ALABAMA 83
UT ARLINGTON (13-5): Bilbao 6-8 5-10 17, Charles 3-6 0-0 8, Neal 1-4 2-4 5, Jones 5-11 1-1 11, Wilson 4-8 3-6 11, Pope 0-1 4-4 4, Hervey 7-13 6-8 23, Kabadyundi 1-2 2-2 4, Bryant 0-2 0-0 0, Hawkins 2-4 2-3 6. Totals 29-59 25-38 89.
SOUTH ALABAMA (9-9): MuepoKelly 4-5 4-5 12, Ajayi 7-12 1-3 16, Stover 4-11 0-0 10, Calhoun 2-11 3-3 8, Lee 2-5 1-1 6, Morris 1-2 0-0 2, Mitchell 0-0 0-0 0, Boyanov 5-10 1-2 13, McGee 1-3 0-0 3, Williams 5-12 0-1 13, Haslam 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 31-71 10-15 83.
Halftime—South Alabama 43-40. 3-Point Goals—UT Arlington 6-24 (Hervey 3-7, Charles 2-5, Neal 1-4, Bryant 0-1, Hawkins 0-1, Wilson 0-2, Jones 0-4), South Alabama 11-30 (Williams 3-7, Boyanov 2-3, Stover 2-6, McGee 1-2, Lee 1-2, Ajayi 1-3, Calhoun 1-7). Fouled Out—Calhoun, Lee. Rebounds—UT Arlington 40 (Bilbao 13), South Alabama 34 (Stover 7). Assists—UT Arlington 17 (Neal 6), South Alabama 20 (Lee 7). Total Fouls—UT Arlington 18, South Alabama 28. A—1,949 (10,041).
This story was originally published January 16, 2017 at 4:35 PM with the headline "UTA Mavericks bounce back with road win as Hervey scores 23."