ARLINGTON – The UT Arlington men's basketball team (12-15, 8-6 Sun Belt Conference) started slow and never recovered from a double-digit 1st-half deficit Thursday night en route to a 76-64 loss to Louisiana (16-10, 7-6 SBC) inside College Park Center.
 
Radshad Davis scored a season-high 17 points, grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and issued a season- and game-best five assists to lead the UTA offense. David Azore was the lone other Maverick to reach double-figure scoring with 13 points while also adding five rebounds.
 
Louisiana delivered an early knock-out punch as the Ragin' Cajuns turned what was an 8-8 tie into a 19-10 lead, and expanded it to as much as 27 before settling for a 46-21 halftime lead.
 
The 21 points were tied for fewest in any half this year for UTA (21, 1st half at Missouri), and the 46 allowed were the 3rd-most in any stanza this season (48, 1st at Gonzaga; 47, 2nd at Arkansas).
 
With an entirely different starting five of DJ Bryant, David Azore, Patrick Mwamba, Davis and Jabari Narcis to begin the 2nd half, the Mavs commenced the stanza on a 13-2 run to trim their deficit to 14, 48-34, not even five minutes into the half. However, a pair of Louisiana 3-pointers on consecutive possessions froze the UTA momentum.
 
That would be as close as the Mavs would get, however, until Mwamba hit a 3-pointer just before the final buzzer to create the final margin. The loss was the third in a row for UTA – the first time this year it has dropped three consecutively in Sun Belt play – but the Mavericks remain in 4th place and only two games out of 1st.
 
HEAD COACH CHRIS OGDEN
"We got punched in the mouth early; they got rolling, but there was a lot we didn't do – specifically driving the ball and not settling for as many jumpers as we did. But we can't over-react. We'll look at the tape and make the adjustments. But we didn't respond at all after getting knocked down early."
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
UTA actually finished with a better shooting percentage (42.9 compared with 40.6) than Louisiana, but the Mavericks got hurt in two key categories: points off turnovers and second-chance points. UTA finished -12 in points off turnovers (22-10) and -6 in second-chance points (12-6); however, in the 1st half those numbers were even more disparaging: 19-4 and 12-0, respectively.
 
The Ragin' Cajuns knocked down 12-of-29 3-point attempts (41.4 percent); the dozen makes are the most triples UTA has allowed in a game all year. Justin Miller delivered a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Ragin' Cajuns, while Jerekius Davis tallied 19, Cedric Russell netted 14 and Jakeenan Gant had 11.
 
Edric Dennis and Brian Warren tallied eight and seven points, respectively, for UTA – the first time all year neither player reached double-figure points. Bryant played double-figure minutes for the first time since Jan. 5, and issued four assists against no turnovers while posting a team-best +/- of +10.
 
THIS AND THAT
UTA used the same starting lineup for the 10th-straight game after utilizing 13 different combinations through the first 17 games of the season … the Ragin' Cajuns were predicted to finish 2nd in the SBC Preseason Poll this year (tied with Georgia Southern) behind last year's tournament champion Georgia State … Louisiana won the regular-season crown last year with a 16-2 record, but fell in the tournament semifinals to UTA.
 
SUN BELT STANDINGS
Despite the loss, UTA still resides in the top 4 of the Sun Belt standings with four regular-season games remaining. ULM went into San Marcos and defeated Texas State on Thursday evening, forcing a tie at the top of the league standings between the Bobcats and Georgia State at 10-4. Georgia Southern is in 3rd at 9-5, while UTA sits a half-game up on Louisiana and ULM both at 7-6.
 
If the season ended today, the Mavs' #4 seed in the conference tournament would give them a double-bye into the quarterfinals. The top-2 seeds receive byes all the way to the Sun Belt Tournament semifinals in New Orleans; the 3-4 seeds get byes to the quarterfinals and the 5-6 seeds automatically advance to the second round. Seeds 7-10 will play in opening-round games hosted on the campuses of the #7 and #8 seeds, with the winners of those contests advancing to New Orleans. The bottom-2 teams do not qualify for the tournament.
 
NEXT UP
UTA remains at home to face ULM on Saturday at 2 p.m.
 
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).