Box Score Dec. 31, 2016
Box Score | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery 
| USATSI Photo Gallery
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Erick Neal and Jorge Bilbao each recorded double-doubles, leading UTA men's basketball to a 90-69 win over Coastal Carolina - marking the 10th consecutive win for the Mavericks - in the Sun Belt Conference opener for both teams, on Saturday evening at the College Park Center.
In a game that was tied at 35-35 at halftime, the Mavs exploded offensively in the second period, outscoring Coastal Carolina 55-34 in the final 20 minutes.
Neal led the way for the Mavs with his third double-double of the year and the seventh in his career. He finished with 13 points, 11 assists, four rebounds and three steals. He has had 11 assists in two consecutive games. Bilbao earned his first double-double of the year and the ninth of his career, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
UTA (11-3, 1-0 SBC) won its third consecutive league opener while facing Coastal Carolina (5-8, 0-1 SBC) for the first time in program history as the Chants are in their first season in the Sun Belt Conference.
The 10-game winning streak is the the second-longest in the history of the program, passing a nine-game stretch by the 2003-04 team. UTA set the program record in 2011-12 with a 16-game winning streak.
The game marked the first men's-women's doubleheader of the season for the Mavs. The UTA women's basketball team (9-3, 2-0 SBC) opened the Saturday afternoon doubleheader with a 60-58 win over Coastal Carolina in its second league game of the year.
KEY STRETCHES
First Half
UTA took command of the game early with a 12-5 run over five minutes to take a 14-11 lead with nearly seven minutes coming off the clock. Drew Charles led the charge with three 3-pointers, with Kevin Hervey collecting five points and five rebounds in the first six minutes of the game.
With both times stagnant in scoring the basketball, UTA got seven straight points, a 3-pointer in the corner from Nathan Hawkins, a dunk in traffic from guard Kaelon Wilson and an offensive rebound and putback from Jorge Bilbao, giving the Mavs a 21-13 lead with 10 minutes remaining. Coastal took the lead at the charity stripe before Hervey drilled a 3 pointer to give the Mavs a 29-28 lead with 4:32 left in the half but the Chants immediately answered with a trey of their own for a two-point advantage. The teams traded buckets over the end of the first period, with UTA getting a triple from Erick Neal for a 35-34 lead with two minutes left in the period.
The half ended in a 35-35 game, with UTA shooting just 32 percent from the field and CCU owning a 23-20 lead in rebounding. Charles led UTA with nine points, Hervey adding eight points and seven boards and Neal finishing the frame with seven points and six assists.
Second Half
UTA guard Jalen Jones opened the scoring with a triple to give the Mavs an early lead in the second half. UTA then used a 6-0 run, capped by a Jones bucket at the rim in transition, to force a CCU timeout with the Mavs leading 47-41 with 16:39 remaining in regulation. Neal gave the Mavs their first double-digit lead with a trey and a 53-43 advantage with over 14 minutes left.
With 11:55 remaining in the second half, UTA owned a 57-43 lead, spurred by a 16-2 run over the previous six minutes. Neal added an exclamation with a feed to Wilson at the rim for a dunk in transition and a 61-45 lead with just over 11 minutes remaining. The Mavs added to their lead with a pair of Wilson free throws for a 69-47 lead, part of a 10-0 run, as the game reached its final 10 minutes.
KEY STATS
Bilbao and Neal highlighted the performance with their double-doubles. Hervey finished a rebound shy of the milestone, adding a team-leading 16 points and nine rebounds. Charles had 12 points, two rebounds and three assists over 20 minutes, with Hawkins finishing with 10 points and Wilson adding 11.
NEXT
UTA returns to action on Monday, Jan. 2, hosting Appalachian State at 7 p.m. at the College Park Center. The game will be broadcast live on UTAMavs.com and on KEXB 620-AM with the Voice of the Mavs, Josh Sours, calling the action.
The 2017 Sun Belt Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are scheduled for a week of March Madness in the Big Easy. New Orleans will once again be home to the two championships that will take place at Lakefront Arena from March 7-12 and ticket books can now be purchased from your school's ticket office. For more information, visit the Sun Belt Conference's championship central websites - Men's Championship - Women's Championship - and be sure to follow the #FunBelt on social media - @SunBelt.
