Nov. 18, 2008
Box Score | Photo Gallery 
ARLINGTON, Texas - Two defensive stops late in the game and a missed three-point attempt at the buzzer by a former Maverick gave the UT Arlington men's basketball team a narrow 74-71 victory over Texas Wesleyan on Tuesday night at Texas Hall. Junior guard Brandon Long led the Mavericks in scoring for the second straight game with 19 points, including 4-of-10 from 3-point range.
UT Arlington improves to 2-0 overall on the season, marking only the third 2-0 start to the season during the last 15 years. The Mavs also began the season 2-0 in 2007-08 and in 2000-01. Texas Wesleyan, the No. 15 ranked team in the preseason NAIA national poll, drops to 1-2 overall.
"We did some good things in the game, but obviously rebounding was a huge problem for us and we need to fix that no question," UT Arlington head coach Scott Cross said. "There are a lot of things we need to work on to get to the next level. You have to give credit to Texas Wesleyan, they are a top 20 program in NAIA, and they are a very good basketball team."
After Long's seventh field goal gave the Mavs a four-point lead, 72-68, with 1:54 remaining, UT Arlington put together two straight defensive stops which helped lead to the victory.
Junior J.D. Davis gave the Mavericks their first defensive stop with a blocked shot on a Chris Berry jumper in the lane, and then junior post Tommy Moffitt ended another potential scoring opportunity for the Rams with a key defensive rebound to hold the Mavericks' four-point lead with 13 seconds remaining.
Terrell Henry, a 6-foot-4 wing for Texas Wesleyan, began his collegiate career at UT Arlington from 2005-07. Henry, now a junior with the Rams, put Texas Wesleyan within striking distance with a three-pointer with 10 seconds remaining to play, cutting the Mavs' lead to 74-71.
After two missed free throws by UT Arlington forward Anthony Vereen, Henry had a chance to tie the game with a good look at a three-point attempt, but his shot was long as the buzzer sounded to give the Mavericks the victory.
The Rams dominated the boards with a 45-33 advantage (20-11 - offensive), but UT Arlington outscored Texas Wesleyan 15-4 in points off the bench. Three Texas Wesleyan players (Henry, Kennith Gober and Chris Berry) combined for 53 points and 16 rebounds on 18-of-48 shooting.
The Mavericks held a 40-33 lead at halftime, but were outscored 38-34 in the second half. Vereen tallied 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and led the Mavs going 8-of-13 from the free throw line.
UT Arlington also received 10 points from junior guard Roge'r Guignard, and eight points each from Moffitt and junior Marquez Haynes. Sophomore point guard Jeremy Smith tallied six points and led UT Arlington with seven assists and two steals.
Texas Wesleyan leaned on Berry (24 points, 11 rebounds), Henry (17 points) and Gober (12 points, three steals) for the majority of their production.
UT Arlington will play 10 of its next 11 non-conference games away from Texas Hall beginning on Saturday, Nov. 22, traveling to Eastern Washington for a 9:05 (CT) tip-off at Reese Court in Cheney, Wash.
The Mavs will then return home for their final home non-conference game on Tuesday, Nov. 25, hosting UT Tyler for a 7 p.m. tip-off at Texas Hall.
