Feb. 17, 2010

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Final Stats

By Josh Bowe for utamavs.com

ARLINGTON - Texas - Throughout the year, nothing has come easy for UT Arlington.

Whether it was wins or losses, the Mavericks have had to sweat out a lot of close games.

So consider Wednesday night's 85-73 victory over Southeastern Louisiana in Texas Hall a breathe of fresh air.

"It was nice," coach Scott Cross said. "I'd like to say I was able to relax but I really wasn't. My blood pressure was still really high throughout the game. "

Senior guard Marquez Haynes led a balanced Maverick attack with 22 points as they pulled away early and controlled the game late.

The Mavericks had an impressive opening five minutes; they took a 20-6 lead, as the result of ball movement and great passing.

10 of the 11 Mavericks who played scored in the game and senior guard Marquez Haynes didn't have to score 30 tonight, only 22 .

"If the offense isn't working or not going right, we have people who can score, so they might try to put it all on them self," Haynes said. "That might lead to some bad shots.

"Tonight, coming out, I felt that I should establish the fact that I get off the ball early and make them work off the other players and make it easier for me to score later."

Even more to the delight of Cross was how the Mavericks attacked the Lions defense early and often.

UTA only shot 2-of-12 from three, but Cross said after taking 30 three point shots Saturday against UT San Antonio, he was pleased with his team's attacking mindset.

The Mavs scored 52 points in the pained, opposed to the Lions 22. Cross said a lot of that also had to do with Haynes overall game tonight.

"I that he had one of his best all-around performances," Cross said. "He got to the rack and he had six assists."

Defensively, the UTA had to game plan around SLU senior center Patrick Sullivan. Sullivan had 21 points to go along with eight rebounds, but UTA attacked Sullivan defensively and forced him into foul trouble and only 24 minutes played.

Cross said there aren't a lot of teams in the Southland that can stop a player like Sullivan, but commended his team's overall defensive play.

"Sullivan's the best post player in the league," Cross said. "He's going to get his, we just have to make it tough. We knew it was kind of going to be pick and chose."

Other than Sullivan, the Lions shot 16-of-43 (37 percent).

"The main thing was just talking, communicating," senior guard Dwight Gentry said. "Some people had better shooters so they were attached to them more so they could be closer to them."

Maverick Notes

Balanced Attack

At the end of the first half the Mavericks did not have a player with more than six points. Four different players had six points and two others had four. The Mavs have not had this diversity in scoring so far this year. Marquez Haynes ended up leading the Mavs in scoring with 22 points.

Defense

The Mavericks held SLU to 42.9 percent shooting. Although the percentage is higher than normal the Mavs pressure led to contested shots. The Mavs also out-rebounded SLU by 10, seven on defense.

Patience on Offense

Although there are not many numbers that will show patience on the offense end of the floor, this might have been the most patient of the year at home. The Mavs didn't force many shots and made the right passes on the plays they ran. The Mavs had 16 assists on the 32 made shots.

Davis Tweaks Ankle

Forward J.D. Davis injured his ankle late in the second half. He will have an MRI on Thursday and has already been ruled out for the game on Saturday.

Stat O' the Night

50.0 percent. The Mavericks shot 50 percent on the night. Although they were 2-12 on three point attempts they made easy baskets after beating the press or making back-door cuts.