Final Stats

By Art Garcia | @ArtGarcia92

STATESBORO, Georgia - For a half Thursday night, it appeared the UT Arlington Mavericks had figured out a formula to put an end to their current skid.

The change in approach may prove fruitful yet, but the first returns left the Mavericks on the wrong end of an 82-73 final against Georgia Southern at Hanner Fieldhouse. UTA lost its fourth in a row, dropping to 14-7 overall and 5-5 in the Sun Belt at the midpoint of the conference season.

UT Arlington coach Scott Cross debuted a new opening lineup and tighter rotation. The loss of Kevin Hervey for the season has forced change over the last five games. Kaelon Wilson made his first start of the season and the rotation went just eight deep, instead of the 10 that were getting playing time over the last two weeks.

The Mavs were in control throughout the first half, but the Eagles (9-12, 5-6) wore out the nets from beyond the arc in the second half. Georgia Southern, after shooting 3-14 on 3-pointers in the first half, hit 9-16 from downtown in the second.

Georgia Southern had a trio score at least 20 points - Tookie Brown (26), Mike Hughes (23) and Ike Smith (20). The Eagles outscored UTA 55-39 in the second half.

Jalen Jones led the Mavs with a career-high 24 points, with Wilson adding 19 points and 11 rebounds in his first start March 12, 2015. Kennedy Eubanks, coming off the bench for the first time in five games, scored 10.

The insertion of Wilson into the starting lineup paid dividends right from the tip, with the sophomore guard scoring two quick baskets. The Mavs didn't find themselves in an early hole, as has been custom during conference play.

UTA jumped out to a 9-3 lead and didn't trail at any point in the first half. Wilson was hardly the only one providing energy in the opening 20 minutes. Jones came out firing, hitting 4 of 5 3-pointers, several to thwart potential Georgia Southern runs.

Wilson's steal and layup gave UTA its largest lead of the half at 26-16. Jones' fourth 3-point put the Mavs up 34-27 going into the locker room.

Turning Point
Georgia Southern opened the second half with a 9-2 to tie the game 36-36, forcing a timeout from Cross. The Eagles would go up 52-42 and remained in control for the remainder of the contest.

Key Stats
Georgia Southern shot 56.3 percent (9-16) on 3-point attempts in the second half. UTA didn't make a 3-pointer (0-6) in the second half. ... UTA enjoyed a 44-16 scoring advantage in the paint.

Notable
Wilson made his first start this season. Wilson joined Erick Neal, Drew Charles, Jones and Jorge Bilbao in UTA's fourth different starting five of the season. ... UTA spit the two-game season series with Georgia Southern. ... Neal had a game-high eight assists.

Up Next
The Mavericks complete their Georgia trip on Saturday afternoon in Atlanta against Georgia State. UTA beat the Panthers 85-70 earlier this season in Arlington.

The Grease Monkey (200 N Mesquite St) is hosting a Watch Party on Saturday for the Georgia State game on ESPN3. Food and drink specials available, along with prizes for UTA fans.

Quotable
Scott Cross opening statement:
"We've just got to be better. Early in the year we were better. I think right now our team is struggling to find its identity. We did some great things in the first half, but we weren't able to do it over 40 minutes."

Cross on lineup changes:
"We're trying to get guys in there that are playing well, trying to get them a few more minutes and see it that helps us. Obviously, it didn't help us down the stretch. We're just going to keep plugging away and try to figure out something that does work. Hopefully as the season progresses, we'll find something that does work."