ARLINGTON – A balanced offensive attack combined with one of UT Arlington's best defensive performances of the season propelled the Mavericks to a 64-56 win on Senior Day over Arkansas State Saturday inside the College Park Center.
 
The win clinched the 3rd seed in the Sun Belt's West Division for UTA with a 9-8 league record heading into next week's conference tournament in Pensacola (more info later in this release).
 
In a game which featured 18 lead changes and four ties, it was one exchange with just over four minutes remaining which proved to be the difference for UTA. With Arkansas State leading, 56-55, Shahada Wells hit a jumper with 4:06 left to put the Mavs back in front, and that would be the final swap of the night as the Mavs closed the game on a 9-0 run to take both matchups from the Red Wolves this weekend.
 
Wells just missed what would have been his first double-double of the season with 12 points and a season-high nine assists. David Azore – playing in just his third game back from an injury which kept him out almost all of conference play – also closed in on a double-double with 12 points and a team-best nine rebounds. Patrick Mwamba led UTA in scoring with 13 as nine of the 10 Mavs who logged game action scored.
 
UTA limited A-State to just 34 percent from the floor (21-62), including only a 28-percent clip (9-32) in the 2nd half as the 56 points for the Red Wolves are tied for the 2nd-fewest the Mavs have allowed to a Division-I opponent this season.
 
Additionally, UTA committed only eight turnovers – its third-straight game of single-digit giveaways – as the Mavs once again took care of the ball to head into the conference tournament on a high note.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• UTA improves to 13-12 overall, while A-State falls to 10-12.
• On Senior Day, Davis Steelman and Lazaro Rojas got starts (their 8th and 2nd of the season, respectively), joining Wells, Azore and Mwamba to account for the 10th different starting lineup of the season for the Mavs.
• Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu grabbed seven rebounds and rejected two shots.
• Steelman secured six boards and added four points.
• Sam Griffin (7), Rojas (5), Grayson Carter (5) and Nicolas Elame (4) rounded out the UTA scoring.
• UTA shot 41 percent (24-59) from the floor and 42 percent (8-19) from 3-point range.
• UTA got A-State's Norchad Omier into early foul trouble as the freshman who possesses the 4th-most double-doubles in the nation sat the majority of the 1st half but still finished with nine points and a game-best 11 rebounds in only 21 minutes.
• Marquis Eaton led the Red Wolves with 15 points.

PLAY-BY-PLAY SUMMARY
The lead changed hands three times and was tied once in the opening eight minutes before a quick 7-0 run from A-State pushed the Red Wolves to a 20-16 advantage at midway point of the stanza.
 
But, as has been the case in all four of the meetings between the two teams this year, a counter run ensued, and on a Rojas bucket in the paint UTA went back in front, 23-22.
 
The two teams traded blows over the final minutes of the 1st half before UTA ultimately took a 35-33 halftime advantage into the locker room. Both teams were nearly identical in all key statistical categories in the opening 20 minutes – which ultimately featured 10 lead changes, two ties and neither team separated by more than four points.
 
Both teams continued to go blow-for-blow into the 2nd half until UTA finally opened up either side's first five-point lead of the day off an Azore 3-pointer with 10 minutes to play to make it a 52-47 cushion for the Mavs.
 
That triple from Azore started a stretch of six-straight points from him as UTA eventually built a six-point edge, 55-49, inside of seven minutes. However, A-State rebutted with a 7-0 run to reclaim the aforementioned one-point lead, 56-55, with just over four minutes showing before the closing run by UTA.
 
THIS AND THAT

• UTA honored Steelman, Rojas and manager Jacob Mahjaub pregame as part of Senior Day.
• This was just the second game back from injury for Rojas, who logged six minutes of action on Friday. He had previously missed 13-straight games since Jan. 2.
• This was just the second time all season UTA had its full complement of 16 players available.
• UTA held ULM to 52 points on Feb. 6 and to 56 on Feb. 5 to represent the only better, or equal, defensive performances this season for the Mavs.
• Mwamba reached double-figure points for the fourth time in the last seven games; he had reached that total four times in his first 17 contests this season. 

SUN BELT TOURNAMENT SEEDING
The 2021 Sun Belt Tournament Bracket will be unveiled on Sunday, but below are the current non-official standings and seeding lines for the West Division as determined by regular-season league winning percentage.
 
West Division
1) Texas State
2) Louisiana
3) UT Arlington
4) Arkansas State
5) Little Rock
6) ULM
 
* East Division Is Still TBD
 
NEXT UP
The Mavs will begin the Sun Belt Tournament on Friday, Mar. 5, in Pensacola. The full bracket and matchups will be announced by the league on Sunday.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
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