Dec. 22, 2005
Final Stats
ARLINGTON, Texas - Senior Jarrett Howell scored 14 of his team-high 19 points in a decisive second half to lead Texas-Arlington to a 87-72 victory over Texas-Tyler Thursday evening at Texas Hall. The victory was the 500th for the Mavericks since joining NCAA Division I.
Ahead 67-58 in the second half with 7:13 remaining, the Mavericks (6-5) went on a 16-5 run over the next four minutes to build a comfortable lead at 83-63, with 3:55 left in the game. Howell tallied three layups and four free throws during the run for 10 points, while senior Brady Dawkins chipped in with six points, hitting back-to-back treys to cap off the stretch.
Howell registered his 19 points by going 6-of-9 from the floor and a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. Dawkins added 15 points and a game-high seven assists, while senior Steven Thomas chipped in with 10 points and four rebounds.
"I thought our guards did a great job of controlling the game," UTA head coach Eddie McCarter said. "Jarrett and Brady pushed the ball all night and only had one turnover between them. You get that kind of play from your backcourt and you expect to win."
Joe Henderson led Texas-Tyler (4-3) with 22 points and Brandon Weasby added 20, which included four shots from downtown. Patrick Branch tallied a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Eight of his rebounds came on the offensive end.
The victory was the 500th for Texas-Arlington in NCAA Division-I play. The Mavericks have tallied a 500-745 record since joining the highest level in the 1959-60 season. McCarter has tallied 171 of those 500 victories in the 14 years he has been at the helm for Texas-Arlington.
Texas-Arlington jumped out to a 25-10 lead in the first nine minutes of the game. Both Dawkins and Long nailed two treys to give the Mavericks the 15-point advantage with 10:50 remaining.
Texas-Tyler crept back into the game, using an 8-2 run over the next three minutes to cut the Maverick lead to 27-18, with 7:55 remaining in the first half. Henderson led the Patriots with six points on two long three-pointers.
Both teams would trade buckets the rest of the way with Texas-Arlington taking a 41-31 lead into the break. Dawkins led the Mavericks with nine points, while the Patriots' Henderson led all scorers at halftime with 13 points.
The Mavericks will be back in action Wednesday when they travel to Albuquerque, N.M. to take part in the Comcast Lobo Invitational. They will take on Radford in the opening round at "The Pit". Tip-off is set for 8:15 MST.
