MAVS FOCUS ON TOREROS
12/1/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 1, 2004
UTA-USD game notes
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The Texas-Arlington men's basketball team will look to equal their best start in the past 20 seasons when they host the San Diego Toreros at Texas Hall. Tip-off is at 3 p.m. and part of a doubleheader as the women's team will host New Mexico State at 7 p.m.
THE SERIES:First meeting.
ABOUT THE TEXAS WESLEYAN GAME: The UTA men's basketball team survived a 6:00 scoreless streak to hold off Texas Wesleyan 77-72 at Texas Hall on Nov 30.
UTA (3-2) won for the 11th straight time over TWU and notched their third win in November for the first time since 1985. A win over San Diego would match the best start through six games set four times including the 203-04 squad. TWU falls to 1-4.
Junior forward Steven Thomas (Fort Worth, Texas) had a game-high 23 points for UTA. Freshmen Jermaine Griffin scored 14 and Rodrick Epps nailed four three-pointers for 12 points.
TWU had three score in double figures - Tommy Johnson (18), Ben Hunt (17) and Nino Etienne (11).
UTA trailed by as many as 13 in the first half, 36-23, after two Johnson free throws with 6:52 remaining in the first half. The Mavericks outscored TWU 19-8 the remainder of the half to trail 44-42 at intermission.
UTA stormed out to a 73-60 lead with 8:21 remaining in the game after a three-pointer by Epps. But TWU chipped away on the lead with an 11-0 run to make it 73-71 after an Entienne layup with 4:01 to play.
UTA broke the scoreless drought with a Thomas layup with 1:47 left in the game for a 75-71 lead. TWU missed its final five field goals attempts while UTA sealed the win with two Jarrett Howell free throws with :03 to play.
CATCHING THE GAME:The San Diego-UTA game can be found on the World Wide Web at www.utamavs. collegesports.com. UTA Radio Sports Director, Michael Ray, will provide play-by-play.
COACH MCCARTER'S COMMENTS: "That is the way it is with a young team. They'll go up and down during the course of the year. They get up for the good teams and they don't understand you have to get up for the Texas Wesleyan-type teams."
"I thought our defense was a step slow tonight and they just crushed us on the boards (41-to-29) and that just shouldn't happen."
ABOUT SAN DIEGO: The Rams are 2-2 prior to Wednesday's game versus San Diego State. The Toreros are members of the West Coast Athletic Conference with Gonzaga, Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, Portland, Saint Mary's (Calif.), San Francisco and Santa Clara.
Former UCLA standout Brad Holland is in his 11th season.
The Toreros have lost 21 straight road games. Their last road win was at San Francisco on Feb. 22, 2003, an 81-63 victory. USD, who plays at SDSU Wednesday, dropped its only road game this season, an 8-69, setback to 10th-ranked Arizona.
Native Texan Brandon Gay (Missouri City, Texas) is the top scorer at 18.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Brice Vounang, a 6-8 senior from Camaroon, is averaging 15.3 points and 8.8 rebounds. The game will mark the return of Mansfield native Ross Derogatis to the Metroplex.
SHARING THE `ROCK': UTA dished out a season-high 21 assists in the 77-72 win against Texas Weseyan on Tuesday. The Mavs had 19 assists in an 86-79 setback at Wyoming on Nov. 27. Junior guard Brady Dawkins, who led the Mavs with 65 assists in 28 games a year ago, is averaging 5.3 assists per game. The Mavs have handed out 14 or more assists in every game this season.
BRADY'S BUNCH: Junior guard Brady Dawkins made a few fans in Wyoming with his long-range 3-pointers. The 5-foot-10 Dawkins left the crowd "ooohing and aaawing" with a shooting clinic, nailing a career-best five treys and a career-high 15 points.
5 WILL GET YOU 10: It has been balance that has UTA coaches smiling. The Mavericks had five players score in double figure during each game of last week's road trip. In an 88-67 win over New Mexico State, Steven Thomas and Jarrett Howell had 12 points each by halftime. Thomas finished with 16 and Howell with 14. Larry Posey scored 13 of his career-high 15 in the second half. Fellow freshman Jermaine Griffin had 11 and sophomore Stephen Floyd added 10. Against UW, Griffin (16), Dawkins (15), Howell (12), Thomas (11) and Posey (11) all scored double figures.
YOUNG GUNS: Prior to the start of the 2004-05 season, recruiting services proclaimed the UTA Class of 2004 as one of the best in school history.
Maybe they were right.
Through four games, the UTA version of the "Fab Five" group of freshmen Larry Posey, Baron Sauls, Rodrick Epps, Jermaine Griffin and Myles Guidry have combined to average 30.6 points, 14.0 rebounds 4.8 assists and 2.0 steals for the Mavericks.
Posey became the first true freshman during Eddie McCarter's tenure to score double figures in his college debut with 10 points at TCU. One night later, Griffin recorded his first double-double with 21 points and 14 rebounds in a 13-point win over UT-Permian Basin.
THOMAS TAKES LEADERSHIP ROLE:Junior Steven Thomas has gotten off to a quick start this season averaging 17.4 points and 8.0 rebounds this season. Thomas has been a steady force, scoring in double figures every game and posting two double-doubles this season, including an 11-point, 10-rebound effort at Wyoming.
Thomas needs just 85 more free throws this season to move into second place on the all-time list with 297 made, tying Eddie Stallings (1967-69). Thomas is also 276 points from 25 th on the career-scoring list. Sherman Evans (1969-71) has 884 career points.
HEATING UP FROM THE OUTSIDE: The UTA guards found the road rims to their liking last week. Guard position players shot 19-of-67 (28.3%) from the field in the first two games of the season and 17 of 37 (45.9%) the last two games. The Mavs carried the success to Tuesday's win over Texas Wesleyan making 8-of-17 (47.1%). For the season, the Mavs have raised their 3-point field goal percentage to 41.0%.
