DENTON, Texas – Facing a team on its home floor which is receiving votes in the national polls, the UT Arlington men's basketball team (3-7) led for the majority of the game, but a late run by North Texas (10-1) and a last-second shot from the Mavericks which just rolled off the rim produced a 63-61 victory for the Mean Green Saturday at The Super Pit.
 
UTA had a chance to force overtime, but after going coast-to-coast off a missed free throw, Radshad Davis's potential game-tying contested effort from close range just rim out as the final buzzer sounded (click here to watch the video) as UNT won its 10th game – tied for the most in the nation this year.
 
Brian Warren led UTA with 15 points, while TiAndre Jackson-Young delivered a season-high 12 on a season-best three 3-pointers. David Azore bounced back from a scoreless outing at Missouri Tuesday to finish with 11 and also issued a career-best six assists. Despite missing time in the 1st half after he tweaked his ankle, and in the 2nd half because of cramps, Andres Ibarguen still delivered eight points and team-best eight rebounds while blocking a career-high four shots.
 
UTA was once again without its second-leading scorer Edric Dennis (14 per game), as the junior missed his third-straight game with a foot injury.
 
Despite his absence, the Mavs' offense was blistering most of the night, and they created a 12-point lead, 54-42, with just over 11 minutes to play before UNT – which ranks 10th nationally in points allowed per game at just 58 – made a run. The Mean Green, who have now won 15 of their last 17, put together an extended 17-1 run over the next 10 minutes as they limited UTA to just a single made free throw to open up a 59-55 lead.
 
The lead was still five, 63-58, with 30 seconds showing, but after a Warren free throw, a missed UNT free throw on the front end of a 1-and-1 and a Davis putback layup at the other end, the Mavs had trimmed the deficit to just two with 5 seconds left. A foul on Ryan Woolridge sent him to the line for two attempts, but he missed both. Davis grabbed the rebound and went full throttle into the frontcourt, getting all the way to low blocks before getting his attempt up and having it just roll out.
 
HEAD COACH CHRIS OGDEN
"We just have to continue to trust the process. That's what I told our guys in the locker room after the game. We fought hard tonight; we played with passion; we were aggressive and dove after loose balls. It's a tough way to learn, but we'll get there. We're paying the price now, but it's going to be worth it as these moments will build character and give us plenty to learn from moving forward."
 
HOW WE GOT HERE
UTA started the game hot offensively and built a five-point lead on multiple occasions early on, including a 20-15 cushion at the midway point of the opening stanza before UNT embarked on a 12-0 run to take a 27-20 advantage which would end up being its largest of the afternoon. Unfazed, the Mavs showed their resiliency amidst a five-game losing streak and counter-punched UNT's run with a 10-0 stretch of their own to close the opening half and take a 36-31 halftime lead.
 
Sparking that surge for the Mavs was Jackson-Young as the junior delivered nine points, three rebounds and was a perfect 2-2 from 3-point range in the opening frame, with the nine points in just 14 minutes representing his season high in a game.
 
It took just 10 seconds into the 2nd half for the guard to get into double figures as he knocked down a baseline 3-pointer to commence the stanza's scoring, and UTA eventually saw its advantage swell to the aforementioned 12, 54-42, after a DJ Bryant 3-pointer, but that was the final triple of the game for the Mavs as UNT started to make its surge.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
UTA entered the game ranked 34th in the nation in 3-point percentage defense at 28.4, while UNT came into the contest 7th in the country in the same category at 25.7 percent. However, the Mean Green also checked in 10th nationally in 3-pointers made (99) and 20th in the country in 3-point percentage (40.2).
 
The Mavericks made their first four 3-point attempts of the game, and finished the opening half an impressive 6-8 from beyond the arc. The Mavs connected on 9-of-12 from long range at one point of the game, but concluded at 9-19 for 47.4 percent – still their most makes and highest percentage of the season. On the other side, UTA limited UNT to just 4-25 (16 percent) from the 3-point line, representing season lows in both categories for the Mean Green.
 
For the game, UTA shot 42.6 percent (23-54) from the floor, while UNT was nearly identical at 41.4 percent (24-58). Michael Miller led all scorers with 17 points, while Woolridge netted 14 and Umoja Gibson had 12 to round out the trio of Mean Green double-figure scorers. Zachary Simmons just missed a double-double with eight points and a game-best 10 rebounds.
 
THIS AND THAT
UTA used its 7th different starting lineup in 10 games to start the year … the Mean Green converted 16 UTA turnovers into 23 points to finish +14 in that category … Patrick Mwamba had six points and six rebounds for the Mavs … Davis corralled seven boards to go along with four points and a season-best four assists … Warren is now nine points shy of 1,000 for his career … this is UTA's first six-game losing streak since 2010 … UNT was the third opponent in a six-game stretch for UTA which is receiving votes in the national polls; five of UTA's nine opponents in this current stretch are ranked or receiving votes in the national polls … UNT snapped a five-game UTA winning streak in the series and now holds a slim 29-26 edge in the all-time series.
 
IN THE MIDST OF A TOUGH STRETCH
UNT was the third-straight opponent for UTA which played in the postseason last year as the Mean Green won the College Basketball Invitational. It's part of a larger stretch for the Mavs – who are projected by ESPN's Basketball Power Index to have the 7th-harded non-conference schedule in the nation – in which eight of 11 opponents between mid-November and early January played in the postseason in 2018.
 
NEXT UP
That grueling stretch gets no easier for UTA as the Mavs will break for the conclusion of final exams and commencement activities next week before returning to action at the #1 team in the land, Gonzaga, Dec. 18.

CLEAR BAG POLICY
In an effort to enhance public safety and the fan experience, for all UTA men's and women's home games this season the College Park Center will implement a clear-bag policy. All purses, containers, backpacks or anything larger than a small clutch bag are prohibited, and items must be placed in a clear tote bag not to exceed 12" x 6" x 12". For more information, fans are encouraged to visit UTAMavs.com/BasketballGameday.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
To secure tickets for upcoming games and find out about additional gameday procedures, log on to UTATickets.com. Additionally, for updates, behind-the-scenes photos, videos and more engaging and personal content, be sure to follow the men's basketball program on Twitter (@UTA_MBB) and Instagram (@UTA_Hoops).