March 6, 2014

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TROY, Alabama - Senior guard Reger Dowell hit a pair of big shots late and senior forward Brandon Edwards had a career night, as UT Arlington battled to a 87-86 double-overtime victory Thursday night over Troy at Trojan Arena.

The Mavericks (14-15) survived despite letting a 14-point lead disappear late in regulation. UT Arlington has won five of its last seven Sun Belt Conference games, improving to 9-8 in league play, and swept the two-game season series with Troy.

"I'm proud of our guys for finding a way to win," UT Arlington coach Scott Cross said. "Any road win is big. Playing in the Sun Belt is tough."

The regular season ends Saturday at South Alabama. The Mavericks, playing for seeding in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, are currently tied for fifth with UALR.

UT Arlington appeared to have the game in hand after ripping off a 19-0 second-half run to take a 63-49 lead with 6:35 left. The Trojans (10-19, 5-12) didn't give in. Troy closed regulation with a 16-2 spurt capped by Tevin Calhoun's 3-pointer to force OT.

"Down the stretch our guys made some mental errors," Cross said. "We were taking some ill-advised shots early in the shot clock, we were standing around offensively and got tentative. That's why they were able to get back into the game."

Dowell (19 points) nailed a 3-pointer for an 82-80 lead with 1:19 left in the second OT. His jumper with 47 seconds left gave the Mavericks an 84-81 advantage. (Dowell hit the game-winning 3-pointer in a 59-56 win over Troy on Jan. 23 in Arlington.)

Edwards led the Mavericks with career highs in points (33) and rebounds (19) for his 13th double-double of the season. Junior guard Lonnie McClanahan added 16 points and five assists off the bench.

The Mavericks were facing their largest deficit of the game (49-44) before reeling off 19 straight points to take a 63-49 lead. The Trojans were held scoreless for nearly eight minutes.

Dowell opened the game with a deep 3-pointer and the teams quickly began trading baskets as the game remained close throughout the half. The opening 20 minutes featured 10 lead changes and seven ties, with the Mavericks going into the locker room up 37-36.

Edwards and McClanahan each scored 10 points in the first half, with Dowell adding nine. UTA was shooting 55.2 percent at the break (16-29) and enjoyed a 22-10 points-in-the-paint edge.

The Mavericks knocked down five 3-pointers in the first half - three from Dowell and another two from senior Kyle McElvain in his second consecutive start. McClanahan's driving layup gave UTA its one-point edge at the half.