Nov. 19, 2011

Final Stats

Box Score

ARLINGTON, Tex. - If this is to be a preview of life in the Western Athletic Conference, the Mavericks have to feel good about their prospects.

UT Arlington (2-0) started strong and finished even better in outmuscling Louisiana Tech 68-61 Saturday night in a matchup of future conference foes at Texas Hall. The Mavericks join La Tech in the WAC next season.

Kevin Butler led UTA with 17 points, pounding the boards on a night when the Mavs dominated inside. UTA enjoyed a 32-22 advantage in points in the paint and out-rebounded the visitors 57-35.

"We've got guys that are relentless taking it to the basket," UT Arlington coach Scott Cross said. "LaMarcus Reed, Kevin Butler, Bradley (Gay), Cameron (Catlett), Shaq (White-Miller), Jorge Redmon, all those guys are really good at attacking the basketball and it really made a difference."

Trailing by as much as nine points in the first half, the Mavericks opened up the second with a 4-0 burst to take a 32-31 edge. After the Bulldogs responded with a 7-0 run, UTA closed the gap again before separating from La Tech over the final 10 minutes.

During a 9-0 stretch when the Mavs went up 59-49, Butler followed three misses by teammates with baskets.

"That's basically my job," said Butler, a transfer from TCU who added eight boards. "That's my main goal to get offensive rebounds and get to the basket."

The Mavs' aggressiveness in the second half meant reaching the bonus with more than nine minutes left in the game. If not for a better showing at the line -- the Mavs made 24 of 42 free throws -- the final margin isn't as close.

UTA raced out to a 7-0 lead to open the game behind five points from Ingram. The Bulldogs turned up their defensive pressure and the Mavs began to lose their footing.

La Tech went on a 22-6 run to take control, as turnovers and ineffective possessions plagued UTA. The Mavericks fought their way back by not settling for jumpers and taking the ball to the basket.

Four consecutive baskets inside, including two from Jordan Reves, cut the La Tech lead to 22-21. UTA had begun applying its own version of full-court pressure, leading to stops and easier looks.

White-Miller's layup to close out the first half pulled the Mavs within 31-28 at the break. Ingram, Butler, LaMarcus Reed III and Brandon Edwards each had five points for UTA in the opening half. Reves had four points and five rebounds.

The play throughout the game was often hectic, with plenty of up-and-down action. It was rugged and sloppy at times, but the effort couldn't be questioned as both squads refused to quit on any play.

The shooting percentage for each side was in the 30s. UTA managed to overcome 27 turnovers.

"Last year if we had turned it over this many times we would have got beat pretty bad," Cross said. "That shows we played an awful game offensively in terms of taking care of the ball and executing, but we played a great game in terms of hustle, getting to the basket and rebounding."

Ingram finished with 11 points and eight rebounds. Reves grabbed a game-high 13 boards and scored eight.

The Mavericks are back in action Tuesday night (7 p.m.) against North Texas at Texas Hall.