ARLINGTON – A hot start for UT Arlington was followed by an uncharacteristic performance on the defensive end on Saturday afternoon as the Mavericks allowed Seattle U to shoot a season-best percentage from the floor en route to a 76-61 setback inside the College Park Center to the defending WAC Regular Season Champions.
 
Seattle U connected at 53.8 percent (28-52) from the field against a UTA side that was limiting opponents to just 41 percent for the year as the Redhawks led for nearly 34 minutes in a contest that was closer than its final margin would indicate. UTA trailed by just six, 59-53, with a little more than five minutes remaining before SU pulled away on its way to a fourth-straight win.
 
Shemar Wilson established a scoring high during his time at UTA with 18 points to go along with eight rebounds to lead the Mavs in both categories despite playing just 22 minutes due to foul trouble.
 
Kyron Gibson got into double figures for the sixth time in the last seven games with 13 points and also added a game- and season-high seven assists – the second-most helpers a UTA player has issued this year.
 
True freshman Chendall Weaver continued his emergence as one of UTA's consistent scoring threats as he delivered 11 and also corralled six rebounds for the Mavs, who shot 45 percent (14-31) from the field in the 1st half but just 27 percent (8-30) in the 2nd half, including a 1-13 effort from 3-point range.
 
Led by Wilson, UTA stormed back from an early 6-0 deficit to orchestrate a 10-0 run – seven of which came courtesy of the sophomore big man. Wilson had nine points, and the Mavs had a 12-9 lead, when he was whistled for his second foul just 4:40 into the game. He went to the bench and did not return the rest of the 1st half, and Seattle U capitalized, taking the lead with 10:30 remaining and never relinquishing it the rest of the game.
 

BOX SCORE NUGGETS

• With the loss, UTA drops to 5-12 overall and 0-4 in the WAC, while SU moves to 12-4 and 3-0.
• True freshman Brandon Walker scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds – all of the offensive end to tie a season high.
• Aaron Cash notched five points and five rebounds.
• UTA ranks 2nd in the nation in offensive rebounding at 14.6 per game, and surpassed that average on Saturday with 16 en route to a 16-8 edge in second-chance points.
• Wilson is 8th nationally by averaging 3.9 offensive rebounds per game, and he also eclipsed that number against the Redhawks by pulling down five.
• Wilson's previous UTA scoring high was 16, set three times earlier this season – most recently on Thursday versus Utah Valley.
• The only time Gibson hasn't reached double-figure points in the last seven contests was when he tallied nine at California on Dec. 21.
• Humphrey has the most UTA assists in a game this year with 11 versus Howard Payne.
• Entering the game ranking 6th in the nation in 3-point attempts (29.3) and 31st in makes (9.3), Seattle U finished the day going 10-20 from deep and also out-scored UTA in the paint, 34-28.
• The nation's 11th-leading scorer, Cameron Tyson, delivered a game-high 20 points for SU. Kobe Williamson recorded a double-double off the bench with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
• UTA committed just nine turnovers – tied for a season low also set against LSU and Drexel.
• The SU field goal percentage surpasses its previous best of 53.2 (33-62) at Portland, and is also the second-highest allowed by UTA this year (California: 56.5 percent, 26-46).
• UTA utilized the same starting lineup as its game Thursday: Marion Humphrey, Gibson, Weaver, Cash and Wilson. It's the eighth time that group has commenced a game this year – the most of any unit.

QUOTABLE
"Seattle U shot the ball extremely well and we just didn't have an answer defensively. We were able to respond for about the first three-quarters of the game and kept it within reach, but we again just missed some open looks and struggled to score. That brought our energy down and we let up on defense down the stretch. We just didn't finish with energy and a will to win like we have been."
– UTA Head Coach Greg Young


GAME FLOW
Seattle U knocked down 3-pointers on both of its first two possessions to jump out to the aforementioned 6-0 start, but playing with pace UTA fired off the 10-0 response and built a 10-6 lead just over three minutes into the contest.
 
With Wilson sidelined, UTA remained mostly in a one-possession game until the Redhawks established an eight-point edge, 33-25, inside of four minutes remaining. UTA would trim its deficit to three on a couple of occasions before SU took a 41-36 lead into the halftime break.
 
SU re-established its eight-point edge, 46-38, in the early stages of the 2nd half, but the Mavs fought back and pulled within three, 50-47, at the 12-minute mark. However, the Redhawks responded with a 7-0 surge to create either side's first double-digit lead to that juncture, 57-47, with under eight minutes left.
 
UTA was able to get back to within two possessions, but Seattle U executed at both ends down the stretch and eventually built a cushion as large as 17 before settling for the 15-point victory.
 
THIS AND THAT

• This is UTA's first 0-4 start to a conference season since 1988-89. That year, the Mavs began Southland Conference play 0-7.
• All four of Seattle U's losses this year have been to either Power 5 members (Washington, Oregon State) or top-50 NET opponents (Utah State, Iona).
• Seattle U won a share of the WAC regular season in 2021-11 along with Stephen F. Austin by going 14-4 in the league.
• The WAC is currently ranked as the 12th-best conference (out of 32) in the nation.

NEXT UP
UTA will embark on arguably its most challenging road trip of the season next week when the Mavs face the preseason top-2 teams in the WAC. It begins on Thursday, Jan. 12, at preseason favorite Grand Canyon before heading to New Mexico State – picked to finish 2nd – on Saturday, Jan. 14.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
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