Nov. 14, 2009
UTA 88, DBU 84 FINAL BOX SCORE 
PHOTO GALLERY
By Josh Bowe for utamavs.com
ARLINGTON, Texas - A ferocious rally from Dallas Baptist forced Marquez Haynes to the free throw line. With only six seconds left and nursing an 86-84 lead, the senior guard didn't even flinch.
After two made free throws Haynes hit his chest twice, right where his heart is. He didn't have to show the fans it was there, because Haynes's performance on the court proved it.
UT Arlington prevailed in a thriller of a home opener, 88-84 over Dallas Baptist Saturday night in Texas Hall. Haynes finished his night with 30 points, 6 assists and 12 made free throws. None bigger than his last two.
"At the end I was thinking I'm the best player to step up and make free throws," Haynes said.
The free throws didn't seem like they would even be necessary early in the second half. The Mavericks increased their lead after a seesaw first half to 14 at 60-46 midway through the second.
It was downhill from there as the Patriots clawed their way back with a barrage of three point shots. Specifically junior guard Braxton Adamson, who made four three pointers down the stretch off of pick and rolls. His last three pointer closed the gap to 86-84 before Haynes's heroics pulled the Mavericks out.
"We were supposed to be switching all of those," Haynes said. "We miscommunicated on a lot of them. That's just pretty much our fault."
Beyond the pick and roll defense, coach Scott Cross did not hold back when criticizing his teams defense in the paint. The Patriots out rebounded the Mavs 47-39 as junior forward Ty Gough had his way with Maverick post players.
Gough had a double-double with 18 points and 17 rebounds.
"It was absolutely atrocious, its got to get better, we have to get tougher," Cross said. "We emphasize fronting the post and that was non-existent tonight. That's why we had a lot of breakdowns.
"Their posts had a field day on us."
But it wasn't all gloom and doom for UTA. Cross applauded his team's effort even if the execution wasn't always there. It's expected to have some rough patches in the first game of the season.
"I'm happy we were able to pull it out," Cross said. "This was good for our guys, I think it'll prepare them and see some benefits later on."
Offensively, the Mavericks had to deal with first game sloppiness. UTA shot 6-26 from three and 43% overall from the field. Other than Haynes's 30, two other Mavs scored in double figures, including junior forward Tommy Moffitt.
Moffitt had a rough night shooting wise, only hitting 5-for-13 from the floor. But he had a career high 15 rebounds and had some clutch buckets during the Patriots rally.
"If I'm not hitting shots I feel that if I can get defensive stops so my team can score and if I get rebounds I can get offensive put backs," Moffitt said. "If I'm not hitting, I'm not going to get down on myself."
Haynes contributed to a number of Moffitt's points as he shouldered the load of most of the ball handling. His six assists were a team high and he knew that during a game when point were at a premium, he had to put his teammates in the best positions to score.
"We want to keep the energy level up, I can't just come down and shoot it," Haynes said. "I'm just going to try to make the right play. If I'm open I'm going to shoot it and if someone stops me or I draw help I'll pass it."
Haynes's decision making was never really in question. Neither was his heart as Cross knows first hand.
"He can do it all on the offensive end of the floor. He can do it all on the defensive end of the floor," Cross said. "What he did and hitting the clutch free throws for us, it was huge."
