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By Art Garcia | @ArtGarcia92

COLUMBUS, Ohio - UT Arlington men's basketball claimed arguably the biggest victory in program history by upsetting Ohio State 73-68 on the road Friday night at Value City Arena.

The Mavericks improved to 2-1 with their first-ever win over a squad from the Big Ten. UTA was previously 0-8 against the Big Ten and 0-2 against Ohio State.

Sophomore forward Kevin Hervey battled through foul trouble to lead the Mavs with 18 points in 26 minutes and hauled in seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Erick Neal added 17 points and three assists, while junior forward Faith Pope scored 11 off the bench.

The contributions hardly ended there for a UTA team determined to compete with the Buckeyes. UT Arlington coach Scott Cross told the Mavericks in the locker room before the game that beating Ohio State was doable by hitting the boards, staying focused defensively and taking care of the basketball.

The Mavs were able to do just that. UTA out-rebounded the bigger Buckeyes 46-37 and outscored them 34-22 in the paint. The Mavs scored the first five points of the second half to take the lead and never looked back. The lead reached nine points on several occasions and UTA held on to the momentum.

The Mavericks also hit their free throws down the stretch, thwarting a potential OSU comeback. UTA knocked down 19 of 22 from the line, with Hervey and Neal each going 7-8.

The Mavericks opened the game strong and attacked the basket, remaining disciplined and under control throughout the first half. UTA held an 11-7 advantage before the Buckeyes went on a 3-point barrage to inch ahead.

The game remained close and Pope gave the Mavs their last lead of the first half (24-23) on a 3-pointer. Ohio State went into the locker room up 34-32.

UT Arlington was shooting only 38.9 percent (14-36) in the first half and 1-9 on 3-pointers, but stayed in the game by winning the rebound battle (23-18) and holding the Buckeyes to 42.9 percent (12-28) from the floor. The Mavericks also held a 26-8 edge in points inside.

UTA would make 5-14 from beyond the arc in the second half. Junior guard Drew Charles had a team-high nine rebounds and junior forward Jorge Bilbao had eight boards.

Turning Point
After the Buckeyes cut the lead to 50-46, a personal foul on Hervey and a technical foul by OSU proved costly. Hervey would knock down four free throws at the 9:05 mark of the second half to go up 54-46. Jalen Jones knocked down a 3-pointer soon after to make it 57-48.

Key Stats
UTA held advantages in points off turnovers (19-8) and second-chance points (15-7). The Mavs also had a six-point edge in made free throws (19-13) despite the Buckeyes going to the line more (27-22).

Notable
Sophomore forward Julian Harris made his first appearance of the season in the first half. ... Bilbao hit a baseline prayer at the shot clock buzzer to put UTA up 66-58. The shot was reviewed by replay and stood. ... Ohio State lost to an unranked team for only the second time in the 12-year tenure of Buckeyes coach Thad Matta.

Up next
The Mavericks complete a three-game road stretch Monday night at Memphis. Tip is 7:30 p.m. on ESPNews and KKGM 1630 AM.

Quotable
Scott Cross, UT Arlington head coach
On the win in Columbus
"This was one of the biggest wins, if not the biggest win, in the history of the program. For sure, [this win] was the biggest for me individually ... I felt like going into the season that we could upset one of the big boys with this team because we do pass it well, we do shoot it well. We saw glimpses of it in our first two games. We had lulls in the second half, but we were able to put together two halves tonight. Our guys stepped up and made big shots. We shot extremely well from the free-throw line, as well as the rebounding."

On the hot start in the 2nd half
"At halftime I told our guys, 'You all played a good first half, but it's time for us to play 40 minutes. This is a game where you can tell your kids [and] grandkids 20 years from now about it. We knew that coach Matta was probably going to be on his guys at halftime about rebounding, so they were going to come out and crash the boards even harder."

On 3-point shooting in the second half
"I think we're a really good 3-point shooting team when we take good shots. I let our guys play fast, so sometimes they forget what a good shot is and what a bad shot is so we have to remind them in film. When we take good shots, we usually hit them."

More on the win
"It's unbelievable. I'm so proud of our guys. They played their heart and soul out. At halftime we were playing really well and guys were stepping up. Jorge and [Nick Pallas] got in foul trouble, and Kevin had to play some 5 for us, as did Julian. Kennedy Eubanks gave us some great minutes. Down the stretch our guys just stepped up, hit some free throws and big shots. Most of all we defended and rebounded, and that's why we won this basketball game."

Junior forward Kevin Hervey
Keys to game
"Coach Cross focuses a lot on rebounding and defense, so we knew coming in here this team is going to be bigger than us and stronger than us. We wanted to box out and do it the fundamental way, and that's what we came in here and did."