NACOGDOCHES, Texas – A shorthanded UT Arlington men's basketball team couldn't overcome a couple of key missing players as the Mavericks fell to Stephen F. Austin on Saturday, 92-73, inside William R. Johnson Coliseum.
 
UTA was without two of its three-leading scorers as Phillip Russell (team bests of 15 ppg and 4.4 apg) and DaJuan Gordon (9.7 ppg, 2nd with 7.6 rpg) did not dress due to injuries suffered in Thursday's game at Tarleton State.
 
With a combined average of 26 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists sidelined in Russell (ankle sprain) and Gordon (knee contusion), UTA was missing two of its primary ball handlers and ended up committing 18 turnovers against an SFA team which entered the game ranked 3rd nationally in turnovers forced at 18.9 per contest.
 
Despite an average of 26 points on the bench in what ended up being a 19-point final margin, the Mavs only trailed by four points with 80 seconds remaining in the 1st half. However, a quick 6-0 stretch by SFA to end the frame coupled with a 13-0 run early in the 2nd half put the contest out of reach for UTA.
 
Akili Vining tied a season high with 16 points to lead six Mavs who scored 8+ points. The grad student also issued a team-high-tying five assists, pulled down four rebounds and recorded two steals.
 
Making his first collegiate start, Kade Douglas tallied 13 points and grabbed four rebounds. Shemar Wilson rounded out the trio of double-figure scorers for the Mavs with 11 while also notching a team-most six rebounds and three blocks.
 
Makaih Williams (9), Sterling Gaston-Chapman (9) and Fabio Basili (8) were the three other UTA performances with 8+ points. Williams also passed out five assists to match Vining. The point total for Gaston-Chapman represented a season high, and also were his first points versus a Division-I opponent this year.
 

BOX SCORE NUGGETS

• The loss is the fifth in a row for UTA – all on the road to top-160 NET opponents – and drops the Mavs to 6-9 overall and 1-3 in the WAC, while the win is the fifth in a row for SFA and improves the Lumberjacks to 10-5 and 3-1, respectively.
• UTA shot 43% (23-53) from the floor compared with 50% for SFA (33-66). The Lumberjacks also connected at 48% (12-25) from the 3-point line, while the Mavs went just 9-24 (38%).
• The 92 points UTA allowed were the 2nd most any Maverick opponent has tallied this year (#3 Arizona: 101).
• Matt Hayman led a quartet of SFA double-figure scorers with 20 points. Jalil Beaubrun (15), AJ Cajuste (15) and Sadaidriene Hall (12) added to the scoring efforts for the 'Jacks.
• UTA used its seventh different starting lineup of the season: Vining, Williams, Douglas, Dwayne Koroma and Wilson. Wilson is the only Mav to start all 15 games this year; Koroma has started all 14 contested in which he's appeared.

QUOTABLE
"SFA came out physical, and we need to get a lot more physical; they just out-toughed us, and I don't stand for that. We obviously can't wait to get Phillip and DaJuan back, but there's no excuses today. I thought Sterling stepped up and gave us some good minutes not just scoring but his energy and effort was great."
– UTA Head Coach KT Turner
 

GAME FLOW
SFA led for the majority of the 1st half, but a late push created a double-figure lead at halftime – the largest for either team in the opening 20 minutes.
 
With UTA trailing by just four, 31-27, with a little more than a minute remaining in the period, the 'Jacks closed on a 6-0 run over the final 1:17 to open up a 37-27 halftime advantage. Turnovers once again plagued the Mavs as they gave the ball up 13 times and only issued six assists.
 
That baker's dozen of giveaways allowed SFA to attempt 10 more field goals than the Mavs in the half as both teams shot in the 40-percent range from the floor.
 
It remained a 10-point margin, 42-32, a few minutes into the 2nd half, but the aforemtioned 13-0 run by the 'Jacks extended their lead to 55-32 five minutes into the period, it grew to as much as 28 at one point and the Mavs could get no closer than 15 the rest of the day.
 
THIS AND THAT

• UTA – which has played the nation's 11th-hardest non-conference schedule this season and 14-most difficult overall – is now 0-8 on the road this year for the first time since 2000-01.
• The all-time series between the two long-time foes is now in favor of UTA by just a single win, 32-31.
• Basili had scored just seven points total since registering a career-high 15 at Grand Canyon on Dec. 2.
• Russell and Gordon remain day-to-day with their injuries.
• SFA's Latrell Jossell (9.1 ppg) did not play with a foot injury sustained in Thursday's win at UTRGV.

NEXT UP
UTA finally returns to the College Park Center next week for the first time since Dec. 6 to begin a three-game homestand. It commences on Thursday, Jan. 11, when the Mavs welcome 2023 NIT semifinalist Utah Valley for a 7 p.m. tipoff. UTA is 5-1 at home this season.
   
PURCHASE TICKETS
Secure your seat to see the re-energized UTA men's basketball program in action at the College Park Center. Purchase tickets at UTATickets.com, call 817-272-9595 or email boxoffice@uta.edu.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
For updates, behind-the-scenes photos, videos and more engaging and personal content, follow the men's basketball program on X (formerly Twitter) (@UTAMavsMBB), Instagram (@UTAMavsMBB) and Facebook (/UTAMavsMBB).