Dec. 20, 2008
UTA-Baylor Box Score 
WACO, Tx. - Curtis Jerrells proved to be too much for UTA as he scored 24 of his 29 points in the second half to help Baylor defeat the Mavericks 79-76 Saturday in Waco.
The Mavs led most of the game but it was the senior Jerrells who almost single-handedly led the Bears to victory. He made two free throws with 1:07 to play to tie the game and then two more with 52 seconds to play to seal the victory.
"This was another hard-fought game," said UTA head coach Scott Cross. "Our guys battled all night and played solid basketball on both ends of the floor. Jerrells took over the game in the second half and that is basically the story of the game."
But the end of the game was not without its drama. After one more Jerrells free throw, which was followed by his only miss of the game, the Mavericks' Anthony Vereen had a three-point shot bounce out that would have tied the game.
"I think every shot has a chance to go in but that one didn't fall," said Anthony Vereen. "It was a great game and we played hard and gave them everything we had. We just need to build on this game. If we keep playing this way, we will win our share of games."
The Mavs got out to a fast start as they led 41-32 at halftime behind a 59% shooting effort in the first 20 minutes. They extended that lead to 11 early in the second half and then led by six at 65-59 with eight minutes to play.
The Bears then went on an 11-0 run but UTA battled to tie the game, and go up by one at 72-71, on a pair of free throws by Roge'r Guignard.
Vereen finished with a career-high 28 and also had seven rebounds.
The Mavericks were also outrebounded 40-29 which included the Bears having 21 offensive boards that they converted to 21 second chance points.
"They had a few more baskets fall in the second half than in the first half," said Vereen. "They converted their offensive rebounds more in the second half as well and that was the difference."
The game was the fourth-consecutive loss on the season but the second-closest the program has come to beating a ranked opponent.
UTA returns to action Tuesday at Tulsa.
