Box Score Dec. 17, 2013
Final Stats
NORMAN, Oklahoma - Senior forward Brandon Edwards' jumper at the buzzer rattled out and UT Arlington's upset bid fell just short in a heartbreaking 91-89 loss Tuesday night to Oklahoma at the Lloyd Noble Center.
"To come up a little bit short is disappointing and disheartening for the guys, but it shows that there are good things to come with our basketball team," UT Arlington coach Scott Cross said. "Of course, we have to play like this all the time. We have been up and down, but we're trending towards the up direction. We have to find a way to get stops and win basketball games."
Senior guard Reger Dowell led the Mavericks in scoring with 30 points, his eighth game with at least 20 this season. Junior guard Jamel Outler scored 17, and Edwards added 12 points and seven rebounds. Junior center Anthony Walker had a season-high 11 points off the bench.
Oklahoma (10-1) opened up a double-digit lead early in the second, but the Mavericks continued to battle. A 3-poiner from Dowell pulled UTA within 81-79 with more than six minutes left. Edwards followed with a dunk to tie the score.
The Sooners answered with an 8-2 run before another UTA push. Outler drilled a 3-pointer to cut OU's lead to 89-87. Edwards stepped to the line with 41.8 seconds and tied the game with two free throws.
Oklahoma hit two free throws with 9.7 seconds left, setting up UTA's final possession. Edwards' shot from 17 feet hit the rim twice before coming out. The Sooners have won all seven games in the all-time series with UT Arlington, including another tight game, 63-59, last season at CPC.
The Mavericks were down 7-0 before Dowell scored on a driving layup. Oklahoma raced out to a 17-6 lead, forcing a timeout from Cross, and took as much as a 13-point edge (21-8) before UTA responded.
The Mavericks ripped off a 14-0 run to inch ahead 22-21. Edwards had six points during the spurt and Outler added five, including the go-head breakaway layup.
The Mavericks kept it close for the remainder of the half against their Big 12 hosts and went into the locker room down just 45-41. Dowell had 16 points at the break, with Edwards, Outler and Walker each scoring at least five.
UT Arlington shot 48.6 percent in the first half (17-35) and outscored the Sooners 26-18 in the paint. Oklahoma out-rebounded the Mavericks 24-16.
Senior guard Shaquille White-Miller (six assists) and freshman forward Brandon Williams (eight rebounds) made their first starts of the season. The Mavericks were without starting center Stuart Lagerson.
UT Arlington has lost its two games against Big 12 teams on the road this season by a combined five points.
The Mavericks dropped to 4-7 on the season with one nonconference game remaining before the start of Sun Belt play. UT Arlington returns home to College Park Center to face CSU Bakersfield on Saturday at 1 p.m.
