Nov. 22, 2014

Final Stats

Photo gallery

By Art Garcia | UTAMavs.com

ARLINGTON, Texas - The Mavericks made sure the rain outside didn't dampen the spirits of those inside College Park Center on Saturday night, as UT Arlington made quick work of Houston Baptist in an 87-69 Homecoming victory.

Senior guard Jamel Outler tied a career high with 26 points and set a new one with seven 3-pointers in long-distance onslaught by the Mavericks before 4,163 fans. UTA made season-high 13 of 21 from beyond the arc after struggling from deep in each of the previous two games.

"I lost my first two years playing on Homecoming, I was not going to lose my senior year," said Outler, who also moved to eighth in 3-pointers on UTA career list with 134. "That was my goal tonight."

Sophomore guard Drew Charles scored 12 on 4-of-7 shooting and grabbed three rebounds. Senior guard Lonnie McClanahan added 12 points, reaching double figures for the third consecutive game off the bench. Freshman guard Kaelon Wilson scored 10 and freshman forward Kevin Hervey had a team-high six rebounds.

UT Arlington improved to 3-1, making the sixth time in the nine seasons under coach Scott Cross that the Mavericks won at least three of their first four games. UTA has won 15 consecutive games in the series with HBU.

The Mavericks made 10 of their first 11 shots, opening up a 21-point lead (29-8) less than 11 minutes into the game. UTA made 5 of 6 3-pointers during that stretch, including a perfect 4-4 showing from Outler.

"We he gets in the zone like he did tonight he's hard to stop," Cross said. "He's such a dynamic shooter. He elevates on the shot and our guys got him the ball."

The lead would remain in double digits for the rest of the half. UTA took a 44-26 advantage into the locker room on the strength of 57-percent shooting, while holding the Huskies to 30 percent.

Outler had 16 points on 5-5 shooting to lead all scorers at the break. Wilson added eight points and Charles scored seven.
Junior guard Johnny Hill and freshman guard Erick Neal each had four assists.

Outler opened the second half with his fifth and sixth 3-pointers, the latter leading to a four-point play for a 51-28 lead. The Huskies didn't threaten again in falling to 1-2 on the season.

The Mavericks take a two-game winning streak into a weeklong road trip beginning Tuesday at No. 1 Kentucky.