Jan. 4, 2018

Final Stats | Quotes | Notes

By Bryce Bennett, UTA Athletics Communications

ARLINGTON, Texas -- UTA rode strong performances from seniors Johnny Hamilton, Nathan Hawkins, Kevin Hervey, Erick Neal and Kaelon Wilson to an 86-76 win over Troy, on Thursday night at College Park Center, in a game presented by LBL Architects.

UTA (9-6, 1-2 Sun Belt Conference) posted the win over Troy (7-9, 1-2 Sun Belt) in its home conference opener. The Mavs senior standouts lead the way for the win, with 74 of UTA's 86 points coming from the combination of Hamilton, Hawkins, Hervey, Neal and Wilson.

After the Trojans came out hot and built a nine-point lead just five minutes into the game, UTA picked up the pace and rolled to the win, outscoring Troy 40-33 in the first half and 46-43 in the final stanza. UTA held the lead for 27 minutes of game action, with the lead changing hands nine times - all in the first half.

The Mavs totaled a strong advantage in points in the paint 46-20, while shooting 52 percent as a team and holding the Trojans to 40 percent from the field. UTA also won the battle on the boards, grabbing 38 rebounds, also owning advantages in points off turnovers (18-8) and assists (20-17).

LEADING THE MAVS
Neal led the Mavs with 21 points and seven assists in the victory over the Trojans and Hervey finished with 19 points and three assists. Wilson earned his sixth career double-double scoring 16 points and snatching 10 rebounds off the board. Big man Hamilton scored 11 points shooting 55 percent and two rebounds. Hawkins added seven of his own points and three assists, while Davion Turner shot 100 percent going 4-for-4 scoring 10 with two assists and three rebounds.

NEXT
UTA will return to action on Saturday, hosting South Alabama at 4:15 p.m. CT at College Park Center. the game will be broadcast live on ESPN3.com.

FIRST HALF
Within 30 seconds after tip off, Troy took the lead with a triple from Wesley Person and then was followed again by another three pointer by Kevin Baker to give Troy a 6-0 lead. Kevin Hervey then answered back with a three of his own cutting the lead in half for Troy. UTA opened the first six minutes of the game shooting 2-9 and miraculously turned it around and held Troy scoreless for 4:26. During UTA's solid defense they posted a 10-0 run to take the lead with 10:36 left in the first half. UTA's offensive scoring was highlighted with two big slams from Johnny Hamilton as the Mavs and the Trojans continued to swap the lead. Tallying up to a total of eight lead changes in the first half had UTA heading into halftime with a 40-33 lead shooting 47 percent and Troy shooting 41 percent. Hervey left the first half with 12 points and 5 rebounds and Erick Neal gathered 3 assists.

SECOND HALF
With the second half underway, Hamilton led UTA to a quick bucket with a layup to increase the Mavs lead on Troy to 42-33. The Trojans then followed the basket with a pair of free throws to stay in contention. With a tight lead the Mavericks continued to play at a steady pace and keep the Trojans one step behind them. Hamilton made sure of this with a big block with 11 minutes left in the game and a 54-50 score. With five minutes remaining in the game, Neal leads the Mavs with 21 points and six assists. Alex Hicks has slowly chipped at UTA's lead scoring 9 points for the Trojans in the second-half and 21 points total. With 3:16 left the Mavs led the Trojans 74-66 shooting 50 percent as a team. Hervey gave the UTA some cushion with a big three pointer with 2:50 left in the game and gave the Mavs a 77-67 lead. Kaelon Wilson shined as a senior and gathered his sixth career double-double after a big three pointer for a score of 82-70.

HOLIDAY HOOPS YOUTH TICKETS
For the entire holiday season (through Jan. 6), all youth ages 18 and under will be admitted free to UTA home men and women's basketball games. Tickets are available at the College Park Center box office prior to each game.

PURCHASE UTA HOME GAME TICKETS
Single game, group and specially-priced multi-game ticket packages to attend UTA men and women's basketball events are on sale through the UTA Box Office in person or by calling (817) 272-8585 and online through UTATickets.com. Single game tickets are priced at $8, $12 and $25 per game, depending on seat location. UTA students and faculty staff tickets are available for just $5 per game. Discount Maverick Club (season) and general public (single game) parking is also available. Visit UTATickets.com for detailed information.

SPECIAL TICKET PACKAGES
Specially-priced Sun Belt game ticket packages are available for the remainder of the season through the UTA Box Office. The Sun Belt Fun Pack provides a tickets for every league men and women's game for just $45 per seat, while the Sun Belt Saturday Family Four Pack includes four tickets, four hot dogs and four small sodas for just $40 per game. The Sun Belt 3-Point Thursdays provides a ticket, small popcorn and small soda for just $10 per game.

FOLLOW THE MAVS SOCIALLY
For up-to-date news, photos, videos and updates you can follow UTA sports program online at UTAMavs.com or via any of several social media accounts on twitter @UTAMavs, Instagram @UTAMavs, Snapchat @UTAMavs and Facebook at UTArlingtonAthletics. Follow the UTA basketball programs on Twitter at @UTA_MBB and @LadyMavHoops.