ARLINGTON, Texas – UT Arlington men's basketball got itself back into the win column Saturday with a 77-68 win at home over Louisiana-Monroe. Forward/Center Lance Ware led the way with 17 points, six rebounds, three blocks, two steals and two assists, while forward Diante Smith added 16 points, four assists, three rebounds and a steal off the bench in the win.
 
"I was really pleased with how we started the game," head coach KT Turner said following the win. "We got off to a good jump on these guys, but then we had a lapse and gave them life and let them get back into the game. I'm happy we got the win, but we've still got a lot of stuff we've got to clean up. My most concerning thing is our rebounding – we've got to get our rebounding better. I'm not too concerned about free throws, we're going to make free throws, but once we get our rebounding down, we're going to be a good team."
 
UTA jumped out to a 10-2 lead behind Ware, who scored six quickly in the opening run. It was quickly 28-9 behind some hot three-point shooting. The Mavs led by as many as 19 in the first half, and after a ULM halfcourt buzzer-beater, UTA took a 45-30 lead into the locker room.
 
The Mavericks withstood a punch from ULM, as the Warhawks utilized a run to cut the lead to one, however UTA was able to again seize control behind Ware, Smith and guard Brody Robinson, who finished with 11 points, five assists and three steals.
 
It was that trio who were involved in a key sequence that ultimately stretched the lead beyond reach. Robinson's steal on the defensive end led to a fastbreak for Smith and Ware, who ran a 2-on-1 to perfection, finishing it with a thunderous alley-oop from Smith to Ware to push the Maverick lead to 63-54 lead. ULM would get as close as six, however the Mavs closed things out, picking up their second win over the Warhawks this season, 77-68.
 
UTA is back in action on Wednesday, Dec. 18, from the College Park Center in Arlington against Evansville (3-7). The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and on the Varsity App, 102.5 FM and KTNO 620 AM with the Voice of the Mavs, Josh Sours.
 
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