TROY, Ala. – Behind 31 points from Edric Dennis, a second-straight 50+ percent shooting performance from the floor and a third-consecutive game of double-digit 3-point makes, the UT Arlington men's basketball team (15-15, 11-6 Sun Belt Conference) completed a road sweep with a 79-66 win over Troy (11-17, 4-12 SBC) Saturday afternoon inside Trojan Arena.
 
Dennis scored 21 of his game-high total in the 1st half and finished with a season-high-tying six 3-pointers as part of UTA's 12 as a team. The redshirt junior came one point shy of matching his season- and career-high as he went 6-10 from 3-point range, 10-17 from the floor and 5-6 from the free-throw line for his second 30+ point showcase of the season.
 
The Mavericks shot 55 percent (12-22) from 3-point range two days after connecting at a season-best 58-percent clip (15-26) at South Alabama. UTA also shot it at a 53-percent rate (29-55) from the floor after a season-best 56 percent (28-50) on Thursday – the only two times all year they've been over 50 percent from the field.
 
UTA poured in 48 1st-half points on the strength of 62-percent shooting (18-29), including a torrid 70 percent (7-10) from beyond the arc to build a 14-point halftime lead, 48-34. That lead would grow to as much as 16 early in the 2nd half before Troy – playing on its Senior Day – mounted a comeback and got its deficit down to just one.
 
However, UTA had a response and retaliated with its own run to easily cruise to its sixth Sun Belt road victory (6-3) of the season – the most, and best record, in program history since joining the league in 2013-14.
 
HEAD COACH CHRIS OGDEN
"Winning in March is hard, and winning on the road in March is really hard. It got dicey there for a little bit, but we got it done. We've got some pop and some confidence right now, and we need to make sure nothing changes. We have to keep working hard and being the most aggressive team."
 
PLAY-BY-PLAY
A back-and-forth opening eight minutes of action quickly shifted in favor of UTA. With the game tied, 16-16, the Mavs clipped off an 8-0 run in just over a minute, punctuated by Dennis's fourth 3 of the day to forge ahead 24-16. A few minutes later with UTA holding a 33-29 lead, the Mavs orchestrated a 9-0 surge to create what was at the time their largest advantage of the game, 42-29, with just over a three minutes remaining.
 
UTA added to its margin and took the aforementioned lead into the intermission. The Mavs scored the first bucket of the 2nd half to open up a 16-point lead, 50-34, but the Trojans responded with a 10-0 run to trim their deficit to just six, 50-44, with 14 minutes remaining. A Pedro Castro 3 momentarily stopped the bleeding, but Troy responded with an 8-0 run, and all told the 18-3 extended run pulled the Trojans within one, 53-52, and prompted an Ogden timeout.
 
Out of that timeout the Mavs' veteran guards responded as Brian Warren and Dennis hit back-to-back 3-pointers, and after a pair of Troy free throws, Castro added another triple which was followed by a Warren layup. Suddenly, UTA had pushed its lead back to double figures, 64-54, as Troy called time with just over eight minutes left.
 
From there, the Trojans – who now have lost nine of 10 – couldn't get any closer than seven the rest of the afternoon as the Mavs led for 35 minutes, were tied for four minutes and trailed for only one.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Warren finished with 13 points on 6-12 from the floor, and also passed out a game-high six assists. TiAndre Jackson-Young was the only other Mav to reach double-figure points with 10, and he added five boards as part of a 35-26 rebounding edge for UTA.
 
Redshirt freshman Castro tied his season/career high with eight points as he went a perfect 3-3 from the floor and 2-2 from 3-point range.
 
The Mavs entered the game ranked 2nd in the SBC by holding league opponents to just 68.9 points per game, while Troy averaged the 2nd-fewest points in league games at just 70.7, and those both were on display as UTA held its 13th conference opponent of the year below their league scoring average.
 
Charles Norman led the Trojans with 15 points off the bench; Darian Adams (13), Spencer Rodgers (11) and Alex Hicks (10) each also reached double-figure points for the hosts, who shot 40 percent (21-52) from the floor and 32 percent (9-28) from beyond the arc.
 
THIS AND THAT
UTA now leads the all-time series, 7-3 … each of the first four games in the series were decided by five or fewer points; however, each of the last six contests – five which have been won by UTA – have been double-figure point margins … led by Dennis's 31, 57 points for UTA came off the bench … the Mavs had a 26-16 edge in paint points … Troy was predicted to finish 4th in the SBC Preseason Poll, with senior Jordon Varnado earning a spot on the Preseason First Team … Varnado (21.5 points and 7.8 rebounds in 20 games) hasn't played eight games after being injured and then suspended.
 
SUN BELT STANDINGS
The win keeps UTA in sole possession of 4th place in the Sun Belt and puts the Mavericks – who have already secured a bye and a top-6 seed in the conference tournament – in a great position for a double bye and a top-4 seed.
 
Texas State remains at the top with a 12-4 mark entering its game later tonight at South Alabama (6-9). Georgia State and Georgia Southern both won on Saturday and are tied for 2nd place with 12-5 records. Texas State plays at UTA next Saturday to conclude the regular season; Georgia State is at Georgia Southern.
 
Louisiana – because of Mardi Gras – plays at home on Sunday against Appalachian State (4-11), and the Ragin Cajuns are in 5th place with an 8-7 record. The only way UTA wouldn't be guaranteed a top-4 seed is if the Mavs lose to Texas State and Louisiana wins all three of its final games (Sunday, Thursday at Little Rock (5-11) and Saturday at Arkansas State (6-10)). If that transpired, UTA and Louisiana would be tied at 11-7, but the Ragin Cajuns would get the tiebreaker due to a head-to-head win over UTA.
 
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 SBC Tournament semifinals; 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 concludes the regular season with a pivotal home tilt on Senior Day against Texas State on Saturday, Mar. 9, 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).