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By Art Garcia | UTAMavs.com

AUSTIN, Texas - UT Arlington faced a top-10 team for the second time this season Tuesday night. Even though the end result was another loss, Mavericks coach Scott Cross left the Erwin Center with a much different feeling after the 63-53 setback to No. 6 Texas.

"I'm really proud of our performance, I think we got better," Cross said. "If we played like this all year we would only have two losses, here and against No. 1 Kentucky. We have to continue to play this way and hopefully come out on top on Saturday."

UT Arlington is 3-4 overall and returns to College Park Center on Saturday to face Weber State at 2 p.m. The Mavericks haven't played at home since Nov. 22.

Cross made changes to the starting lineup for the first time this season, with guard Lonnie McClanahan and center Anthony Walker opening a game for the first time. McClanahan added speed to the backcourt and Walker's length was needed against the long Longhorns.

Unlike the last two outings on the road, activity and effort weren't an issue for the Mavericks in the first half. UT Arlington reeled off an 8-0 run that included 3-pointers from guard Drew Charles and forward Kevin Hervey to lead 15-7.

The Longhorns methodically made their way back by exploiting their size advantage, especially on the offensive boards. With the Mavericks up 20-18, Texas scored 12 straight points to take the game's first double-digit lead.

The Mavericks went into halftime down 39-28. Hervey had at eight points at the break and Greg Gainey added six on two 3-pointers. Neither team shot it well over the opening 20 minutes, but Texas' 29-15 rebound edge led to a 15-7 difference in second-chance points.

UT Arlington's offense was more efficient in the second half. The Mavericks were able to move the ball to find open spots on the floor and find higher-percentage shots.

McClanahan's tear drop pulled UTA within 44-41 early in the half. The Mavericks were able to stay within striking distance for much of the remainder before Texas (7-0) closed it out.

Gainey went 3-4 from behind the arch finishing the game with nine points, while Jamel Outler chipped in nine of his own for the Mavericks. Hervey and McClanahan each ended with eight points against the sixth-ranked Longhorns.

"Tonight was our best defensive performance," Cross said. "Our guys did a great job. It was a team performance. We hope to carry this effort over."