Erick Neal's blistering start spurs UTA into Sun Belt semifinal round

Erick Neal erupted for 37 points and Kevin Hervey added 17 as UT Arlington breezed past Appalachian State 84-68 on Friday to advance to the Sun Belt Conference basketball semifinals.

The fourth-seeded Mavericks (20-12) will play top-seed Louisiana-Lafayette (27-5) at 11:30 a.m. Saturday. The game will be streamed live on ESPN3.

Neal, a senior guard from Dallas, got UTA off to a running start by hitting his first nine shots from the field, including five 3-pointers, for 24 points as UTA galloped to a 32-15 lead 11 minutes into the contest.

For the game, Neal made 13 of 18 shots, including 6 of 8 from long distance, and all five free throw attempts in 37 minutes of play.

Neal's 37 points was just shy of his career-best 38, which came Feb. 1, also against Appalachian State.

The win was UTA's 20th of the season, the third consecutive year the Mavericks have reached that plateau.

Last season's Sun Belt player of the year, Hervey, came off the bench for the fourth straight game to complement Neal as UTA's only other double-digit scorer. The Mavs shot 53 percent from the floor and made 15 of 17 free throws.

Saturday's semifinal opponent, Louisiana-Lafayette, swept UTA this season, winning 77-65 and 100-79. The Ragin' Cajuns advanced to the semifinals by defeating Texas State 80-54.

This story was originally published March 9, 2018 at 6:57 PM with the headline "Erick Neal's blistering start spurs UTA into Sun Belt semifinal round."