UTA men’s offense overpowers South Alabama

UT Arlington took an early 13-point lead and coasted to a comfortable 99-87 win over South Alabama on Saturday night at College Park Center.

The Mavericks improved to 2-0 in the Sun Belt Conference for the first time in three years.

For the second straight game, the Mavericks (8-4, 2-0) opened a double-digit lead before the first media timeout. They led 15-2 behind a balanced attack and never let the Jaguars (2-10, 0-2) within seven points the rest of the way.

UTA’s 99 points were a season-high and its highest output since scoring 111 last season.

“By far our best offensive game and our best rebounding game of the season,” UTA coach Scott Cross said.

The offensive showcase overshadowed a poor defensive effort, however. For the third time this season, the Mavericks gave up a shooting percentage higher than 40 percent by allowing the Jaguars to shoot 52.7 percent from the field. Ken Williams was their biggest nuisance with 18 points, but five Jaguars reached double digits.

The Mavericks also had five players score at least 10 points, with 6-foot-9 forward Anthony Walker shining brightest. Walker posted his best game as a Maverick with 14 points, 10 of which came in the first half. His buckets included four alley-oops that reverberated through the arena as the Mavericks built a big lead.

Guard Johnny Hill, Walker’s roommate, told him Friday night that his big game was coming.

“He’s been disappointed in his season a little bit, so I just told him to stick with it,” Hill said. “I’m just proud of him because he’s been working hard.”

The Mavericks have won five in a row. A win Monday at Troy would give UTA its longest winning streak since a 16-game streak in 2011-12.

This story was originally published January 3, 2015 at 9:58 PM with the headline "UTA men’s offense overpowers South Alabama."