Jan. 26, 2006
Final Stats
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Texas-Arlington overcame a five-point halftime deficit to defeat Stephen F. Austin, 65-59, Thursday evening at the William R. Johnson Coliseum.
Ahead 51-50, with 4:51 remaining in the game, senior Jarrett Howell ignited a 5-0 run over the next minute with a tough three-point play to give the Mavericks (11-8, 4-2 SLC) a 56-50 lead. Thomas also knocked down two free throws during the run.
SFA (9-8, 2-5 SLC) cut the lead to 59-57 on a trey by Josh Alexander with 1:28 remaining in the game, but freshman Anthony Vereen hit what has to be the biggest jumper to date of his Mavericks career at the 48-second mark. Thomas and freshman Brandon Long both hit two free throws to keep the difference.
Thomas tallied 18 points to go along with his career-high 16 rebounds. The Fort Worth, Texas native went 10-of-11 from the charity stripe, as the Mavericks shot 94 percent (15-16) from the line. Howell finished with 14 points and three assists, while senior Brady Dawkins had three huge treys for nine points.
Antuane Miller led the Lumberjacks with 14 points to go along with four rebounds. Alexander ended with 10 points and seven rebounds. Marcus Clark registered 13 points, three assists and four steals.
Texas-Arlington was fast out of the blocks, opening with a 10-2 run, keyed by two treys from Dawkins. The Mavericks were also big on the defensive end, holding the Lumberjacks to 1-of-6 for the first three minutes.
SFA cut the lead to 10-9 at the 14:08 mark of the first half, using a 7-0 run over the next three minutes, with Alexander scoring five points during the run.
The Mavericks again pushed out to a lead at 15-9, as Howell went on a personal 5-0 run to give Texas-Arlington a 15-9 lead with 13:04 remaining in the first half.
From there both teams traded baskets, but it was SFA who ended the half on a 4-0 run, which included a driving layup by Clark at the buzzer.
Miller was huge for the Lumberjacks, scoring 12 points, while Keith Hardaway chipped in with seven points.
The Mavericks will be back in action Saturday when they play the back end of their two-game road trip. They will take on a hot Sam Houston State team. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, Texas. Texas-Arlington fell to the Bearkats, 77-54, on the road in their only meeting.
