ARLINGTON – Playing his final home game on Grad Day,
Aaron Cash converted a putback tip-in just before the final buzzer to give the UT Arlington men's basketball team a walk-off 71-69 overtime victory against Utah Tech on Saturday at the College Park Center.
Marion Humphrey put UTA in front, 69-67, on a jumper in the paint with 30 seconds to play in the extra session. On the ensuing Utah Tech possession, the Trailblazers tied the contest on a driving dunk by Jacobs Nicolds with 6.8 seconds remaining.
UTA interim head coach
Royce Johnson had a timeout in his pocket, but elected not to use it as Humphrey stormed over the timeline with 4.7 seconds left. He drove left just outside the paint and pulled up from 10 feet with 2.8 ticks showing. His effort hit the front of the rim, bounced high off the top of the backboard and simultaneously
Chendall Weaver and Cash got a hand on the putback tip-in with .7 remaining.
Weaver originated the tip, but the ball grazed the tips of Cash's fingers last, giving him credit for the game-winner as the ball dropped through the net as time expired in UTA's first overtime contest of the season.
Cash finished with a team-high 17 points to go along with seven rebounds as he surprisingly registered his first back-to-back double-figure scoring outing of the season.
Also playing on his Grad Day,
Pedro Castro picked a perfect time for his first double-double of the season with a season-high-tying 14 points and season-best 10 rebounds.
Brandyn Talbot continued his emergence as a long-range threat for the Mavs as the Canadian knocked down five 3-pointers for 15 points – the first time in the third-year sophomore's career scoring in double figures in consecutive games. He also issued a career-high eight assists against just one turnover.
Playing without its leading scorer (10.9) and rebounder (7.8) in
Shemar Wilson for the fifth-straight game due to a hip issue – UTA still out-shot Utah Tech from the field (46 percent compared with 42 percent), out-rebounded the Trailblazers (36-35) and picked up a win despite attempting just five free throws in 45 minutes.
Trailing by seven, 56-49, at the midway point of the 2nd half, UTA orchestrated a 10-0 run over four minutes and kept Utah Tech scoreless for nearly seven minutes as the Mavs took a 59-56 lead. However, the Trailblazers responded with a 5-0 run and returned the scoreless favor as they established a 61-59 edge inside of 30 seconds remaining.
Following UTA's final timeout in regulation,
Kyron Gibson found Cash for a layup which he converted and was fouled, leading to the Mavs first free-throw attempt of the game with 25 seconds remaining.
After the free throw was missed, UTA got the defensive stand it needed in the closing seconds, and Castro sped into the frontcourt and pulled up from well beyond 3-point range to try and beat the buzzer, but his effort was just long, precipitating the overtime period.
UTA finished just 4-5 from the charity stripe, becoming only the 10th team in the nation over the past 13 years to win an overtime game when attempting five or fewer free throws.
This was interim head coach 'Snoop' Johnson's fourth game at the helm of the program, and for the fourth-straight time the Mavs knocked down double-digit 3s as they went 11-15 (42 percent). Prior to this four-game stretch, UTA had reached that threshold just once all season against a Division-I opponent.
BOX SCORE NUGGETS
- With the win, UTA improves to 11-18 overall and 6-10 in the WAC, while Utah Tech drops to 12-17 and 4-12.
- Gibson and Humphrey both finished with nine points for the Mavs; Gibson also added five assists.
- Weaver netted five points and six rebounds.
- After being out-scored in points off turnovers in the 1st half, 8-0, UTA out-scored Utah Tech in the 2nd half, 9-3.
- UTA utilized the following starting lineup for the second-straight game (third overall this season): Gibson, Weaver, Castro, Cash and Brandon Walker.
QUOTABLE
"What an outstanding game – what an incredible finish. On our Grad Day, what a way for those guys to finish out their careers at home. Pedro hit some big shots, was aggressive and never shied away, and Cash with the effort at the end for the putback was tremendous. If we go down, we're going to go down being aggressive – we're not going to be second guessing our shots, and we're playing to win."
– UTA Interim Head Coach Royce Johnson
GAME FLOW
Neither team led by more than five in a tightly-contested 1st half; in fact, for all but 25 seconds when Utah Tech briefly held a four-point advantage, it was a one-possession game for the final 14 minutes of the stanza.
UTA shot 50 percent (13-26) from the floor, while holding Utah Tech to 43 percent (12-28), but once again it was turnovers that hurt the Mavs. They gave the ball away 10 times in the opening 20 minutes, which led to the 8-0 edge in points off turnovers for the Trailblazers – including the final two points of the period which gave them a 35-33 cushion on the halftime scoreboard.
Cash tallied the first four points of the 2nd half to put UTA back in front, 37-35, but an 8-0 response by the Trailblazers created either team's largest lead to that juncture at 43-37, three minutes into action.
Utah Tech extended its edge to as much seven, 56-49, at the midway point of the half before UTA clipped off the aforementioned 10-0 run in advance of the frenetic end to regulation and subsequent overtime.
THIS AND THAT
- Prior to the start of the game, UTA honored departing graduate students Castro and Cash.
- UTA also recognized its 2008 NCAA Tournament team at a halftime ceremony.
- The game featured a rare black-red uniform combination as UTA sported black and Utah Red donned red.
- UTA has now alternated losses and wins for the last eight games: L, W, L, W, L, W, L, W.
- After starting WAC play 0-5, UTA is now 6-5 in its last 11 league games, and four of those setbacks have been by 10 points or less.
- This was UTA's first overtime contest of the season after setting a single-season program record last year by playing in six – two shy of tying the all-time NCAA mark.
- Wilson is tied for 2nd in the WAC with five double-doubles this season, and he ranks 11th nationally by averaging 3.6 offensive rebounds per game.
- This was the first-ever meeting between UTA and Utah Tech.
- Utah Tech is in its third season as a D-I member and is in the midst of its required four-year NCAA reclassification period. The Trailblazers (like Tarleton) are eligible to compete in the WAC Tournament, but are ineligible for the NCAA Tournament due to the NCAA mandate.
- The WAC is currently ranked by KenPom as the 11th-best conference (out of 32) in the nation.
NEXT UP
UTA will wrap up regular-season play with its third-straight Utah-based school as the Mavs face WAC leader Utah Valley on Mar. 1 at 7 p.m. (CST). The road trip continues to Seattle U on Friday, Mar. 3, for a 9 p.m. (CST) tipoff.
The Mavs will remain in the Pacific timezone and fly directly to Las Vegas to begin preparations for the WAC Tournament, which for UTA will commence with a First Round matchup on Tuesday, Mar. 7.
Gallery: (2-25-2023) Men's Basketball vs. Utah Tech
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