Nov. 24, 2012

Final Stats

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - UT Arlington took control with a 20-1 first-half run and downed Samford 65-58 Saturday night at the Pete Hanna Center. The Mavericks improved to 2-1 on the season, with both wins coming on the road.

Senior forward Kevin Butler paced UTA with 15 points in his first start this season. Senior center Jordan Reves added 14 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore guard Jamel Outler had 11 points off the bench, nine coming in the second half.

"Jordan did a great job," Cross said. "He's been so solid for us all year long. That was his second double-double. He's done a great job locking down the paint for us."

The Mavericks tied the all-time series with the Bulldogs at 5-5 and avenged a loss last season in Arlington. UT Arlington coach Scott Cross picked up his first win in three tries against Samford.

"Any win on the road is a good win," Cross said. "I'm thankful."

The Mavericks couldn't have started any better with dunks on their first two possessions for a 4-0 lead. Samford regrouped and took a 16-10 nine minutes into the game.

UT Arlington took off from there. The Mavericks began to pick up Samford full court, which forced turnovers to lead to easy baskets while speeding up the tempo of the game.

Butler was the beneficiary of a lot of those good looks, scoring all 11 of his first-half points during the 20-1 surge. Shaquille White-Miller knocked down his first 3-pointer of the season during the run left UTA up 30-17.

The Mavericks took a 36-26 into halftime. Reves had eight rebounds and seven boards. White-Miller scored seven, hitting all three of his shots from the floor.

The Bulldogs repeatedly got close in the second half only watch the Mavericks answer, several times with a 3-pointer from Outler. The transfer from Texas Tech drilled three 3-pointers in the first eight minutes of the half to help keep UTA out front.

The burst was a welcome sight from Outler after going scoreless last week against Oklahoma. He scored 15 in the season-opening win at CSU Bakersfield.

Samford had the UTA lead down to 49-48 before the Mavericks responded with a 6-0 run capped by Brandon Edwards' layup off a nice dish from White-Miller.

The Mavericks finished the game shooting a season-high 51.1 percent (24-47) from the floor, including 5 of 12 (41.7 percent) from 3-point range. The Bulldogs were held to 37.3percent shooting. UTA hit 12 of 17 free throws and outrebounded Samford 35-27.

"Our guys did a great job being patient," Cross said. "And our pressure was big."

Samford marked the first of four consecutive road games. The Mavericks are back at it Wednesday at North Texas before games at Texas (Dec. 1) and UT Pan American (Dec. 3).

For more information regarding UT Arlington season tickets for the men's and women's basketball season log onto UTAMavs.com or call 817-272-6319. Men's Season tickets start as low as $66. Women's season tickets are $49.

UTA students don't forget to log onto your MyMav account to purchase your All-Sports Pass for $50 this gives you entry into all home UTA Athletic events. For more information call 817-272-6319.