Box Score Dec. 30, 2014
Final Stats | Photo Gallery
By Art Garcia | UTAMavs.com
ARLINGTON, Texas - UT Arlington guard Lonnie McClanahan hit a game-winning layup with 14 seconds left to give the Mavericks to a hard-fought 62-61 victory over Georgia Southern in Tuesday night's Sun Belt Conference opener at College Park Center.
The Mavericks (7-4, 1-0) extended their season-high winning streak to four in the first-ever Sun Belt game for Georgia State (7-3, 0-1). UTA held the Eagles to their second-lowest point total this season and 35.5-percent shooting.
The defensive effort on Georgia Southern guard Jelani Hewitt, the nation's third-leading scorer, by UTA guard Johnny Hill proved crucial. Hewitt scored just six points after coming into the game averaging 23.0 points.
"To hold him to 1-11 shooting was phenomenal," UT Arlington coach Scott Cross said. "Jelani Hewitt is one of the top offensive players in the country."
Hill said he was prepared for the challenge after some coach-driven motivation leading up the game. Going up against Reger Dowell, UTA's leading scorer last season who's currently playing professionally overseas, also helped.
"I had a lot of help from my teammates," Hill said modestly.
The Eagles took their first lead (61-60) lead on Eric Ferguson's tip-in with 28 seconds left. Ferguson led the visitors with 17 points and 16 rebounds, eight coming on the offensive end.
Cross drew up a final play for McClanahan, getting the lightning-quick guard matched up with Georgia Southern's bigs.
"I'll take that any day," said McClanahan, who scored seven in 21 minutes off the bench.
The Eagles missed a jumper with four seconds left and in the ensuing scramble the clock ran out to preserve the UTA win.
Hill and guard Jamel Outler paced the Mavericks with 11 points apiece. Forward Brandon Williams grabbed eight boards and blocked two shots. UTA made 9-20 3-pointers, but only 9-23 free throws.
The Mavericks opened the game by clamping down on Georgia Southern on the defensive end and running at the other. The Eagles had turnovers on their first two possessions, leading to Hill's fastbreak layup and a dunk from Williams.
Three-pointers from guard Drew Charles and Outler were part of a 12-0 start in the first four minutes. The Mavericks took their 15-2 lead on another 3-pointer from Charles, who had six points at the break.
The Eagles would gradually work their way back, getting within 22-21 with seven minutes left in the half. UT Arlington made one more run, fueled by 3-pointers, to take a 40-27 edge into the locker room.
Outler hit two 3s during the spurt, and forward Kevin Hervey ended the half with a long 3-pointer to push UTA's advantage back to 13. The Mavericks were shooting 51.9 percent at the break, while limited Georgia Southern to 34.4 percent.
UT Arlington returns to action Saturday in the second half of Sun Belt doubleheader against South Alabama at 7:15 at College Park Center. The women's teams tip at 5 p.m.
NOTES: Cross used its new starting lineup for the fifth consecutive game. ... UTA's four-game winning streak is the program's longest since a five-game run during the 2012-13 season.
