MBB: Mavs close nonconference with CSUB
12/20/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 20, 2013
UT Arlington (4-7) vs. CSU Bakersfield (6-6)
Saturday | 1 p.m. CT
College Park Center
Radio: 1630 AM
Live streaming/stats: UTAMavs.com
RADIO: The game will be aired on 1630 AM with pregame show beginning at 12:40 p.m. CT. Tip is 1 p.m. Doug Anderson and Russell Scott are calling the action on the UTA Mavericks Radio Network.
TICKETS: Tickets at available at UTATickets.com. Half-priced tickets are on sale for games through Jan. 9.
LIVE: Live stats/streaming are available at UTAMavs.com.
SERIES: UT Arlington leads 1-0. The Mavericks won the lone meeting, 62-60, in last season's season and road opener.
ABOUT CSUB: Behind three career-nights for the Roadrunners led by Issiah Grayson's 31 points, Bakersfield built a commanding second half lead as they snapped their five-game losing streak with a 90-64 win at UT San Antonio (3-7) Wednesday night. The victory was the first true road win for CSUB, which improved to 6-6 on the season as Grayson paced a hot-shooting Bakersfield attack that saw four players score in double figures while shooting 58 percent from the field (29-50) and 63 percent from 3-point range (12-19).
LAST TIME OUT: 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. 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
QUOTABLE: "We're excited about playing at home. Bakersfield has a very good team and they just picked up a big win at UTSA. They had USC beat on the road. They may be the best 3-point shooting basketball team we've faced this year. They have one of the best guards we've faced as well in Issiah Grayson. We've have to do a great job on him and defend the 3 well. I know our guys are looking forward to the challenge, and hopefully we'll have a great crowd and get after them." -- Coach Scott Cross.
20-20 VISION: Senior G Reger Dowell is 10th nationally and first in SBC in scoring at 22.9 points per game. Dowell scored career-high 35 (tied for 20th in UTA history) vs. Howard Payne and had at least 20 in the season's first seven games. He scored 30 at Oklahoma.
MEGATRON: Senior F Brandon Edwards is 24th nationally and second in SBC in rebounding at 9.9 per game. Has six double-doubles and had a streak of four in a row snapped at Texas. Began season 16th on UTA's all-time rebounding list and now up to eighth. He scored career-high 31 points at HBU.
ORANGE CRUSH: The Mavericks will be decked out in their alternate orange uniforms against CSUB. The team previously wore all orange against Cleveland State on Nov. 15.
SKID SNAPPED: UT Arlington snapped a five-game losing streak, the program's longest since losing six straight during the 2010-11 season, with the win over Dallas Baptist.
BIG 12 SCARES: UTA has lost its two games against Big 12 competition on the road by a combined five points - 72-69 at Texas and 91-89 at Oklahoma.
ICEMAGEDDON: UTA's nonconference game Saturday against Weber State was canceled due to the winter storm that hit North Texas. The game will not be made up this season.
DYNAMIC DUO: Dowell and Edwards (19.0 ppg) are first and fifth, respectively, in scoring in the Sun Belt.
ONE TO BEAT: Scott Cross is second all-time in wins at UTA with 126. Eddie McCarter (162 from 1993-2006) is the leader. Cross passed Bob "Snake" LeGrand (122) on Nov. 12 vs. Samford.
SPREADING THE WEALTH: At least four Mavs scored double figures in six games this season: Boise State (4), Samford (5), Howard Payne (4), Robert Morris (5), Texas (4) and Oklahoma (4).
LINEUP ROULETTE: Dowell and Edwards have started all 11. Other starters: G Lonnie McClanahan (9), F Vincent Dillard (8), C Stuart Lagerson (6), G Jamel Outler (3), C/F Jorge Bilbao (2), C Anthony Walker (2), C/F Brandon Williams (1).
RANKINGS: UTA is second in the SBC and 31st nationally in team scoring (82.2 ppg). UTA is first in the SBC and tied for 13th nationally in 3-pointers per game (9.2).
BUSY, BUSY: UTA has packed quite a few games into a small space already this season. The Mavericks have already played a stretch of three games in four days (Nov. 12-15) and three games in five days (Nov. 19-23).
TRIPLE DIGITS: UTA's 111 points vs. Howard Payne (11/13) were most since 124 vs. Sam Houston State (12/28/98) and tied for 18th all-time in school history.
SCORING BIG: UTA scored at least 87 in the first three games. The last time UTA had such a stretch was four in a row from Dec. 1-11, 1992: 91 (Concordia-Lutheran), 121 (Schreiner), 105 (Sul Ross State), 95 (Gonzaga).
