UT Arlington (1-1) at Grand Canyon (1-1)
Thursday | 8 p.m. CT | Phoenix, AZ
Radio: KHVN 970 AM (Online) | Live Stats | Live Video: cox7.com

Game Notes

By Art Garcia | UTAMavs.com

ARLINGTON, Texas - UT Arlington returns to the road for its first ever visit and meeting against Grand Canyon. The Mavericks head to Phoenix with a 1-1 record after Tuesday's home-opening loss to Buffalo.

The Mavericks shot poorly in the 74-68 setback at College Park Center. UTA coach Scott Cross thought maybe first-game jitters played a part in the uneven performance.

"That first home game seems like we're pressing too hard, trying a little too hard and that's where you have to play together as a team," he said.

The Mavericks shot 9 of 31 (29 percent) on 3-pointers against Buffalo after shooting 12 of 20 (60 percent) at Bradley. The amount of 3s taken against Buffalo pointed to UTA settling for jumpers.

"We have to be more aggressive getting to the basket," Cross said. "We have to do a better job finishing plays. We missed a lot of easy layups and went up a little too soft at times."

Freshman guard Erick Neal did connect on five 3-pointers on his way to 15 points off the bench. Senior guard Lonnie McClanahan had 12 points in a reserve role. After four starters scored in double figures at Bradley, only one (junior guard Johnny Hill) repeated that against Buffalo.

Cross has spread the minutes around, as 10 Mavericks have played at least 10 minutes in each of first two games. Senior forward Anthony Walker made his season debut against Buffalo.