MONROE, Louisiana – UT Arlington men's basketball knocked off Louisiana-Monroe 84-70 on Monday night in Monroe thanks to a strong defensive effort and four players in double figures. Big-man Lance Ware led the way with 17 points, nine rebounds, three steals and two blocks and forward Jaxon Ellingsworth added 16 points and nine boards off the bench for the Mavs who got back into the win column.
 
"I was really, really pleased with how they responded in the second half," head coach KT Turner said following the win. "We challenged them at halftime to turn it up some and they did. We felt like they were guarding most of the game, but we just knew we could turn it up a little bit more and we did. Turned them over, we started trapping them more on ball screens and turned them over to get some easy baskets, which helped us a lot."
 
UTA fought through a tough-shooting first half, but were able to make enough stops defensively to stay in the game and eventually surge ahead in the final minutes to take a 34-30 lead into the break. Guard Darius Burford finished with 10 points, five assists, four rebounds and a pair of steals and had a key offensive board and putback in the waning seconds of the half to extend the Mavs' lead to four.
 
"The sky is the limit for us when we figure things out defensively," Turner continued. "We're going to get open looks and when we get them, we have guys who can make them. It's all about our defense – I've been saying it since June that if we get our defense down, we can be a really good team."
 
The Mavericks never looked back, and came out in the second half firing. They finished 15-of-34 from 3-point land, and opened the period knocking down five of their first six from deep to build a quick double digit advantage.
 
Guard Jaden Wells, who scored all 11 of his points in the second half, hit the first of three straight for the Mavs to push the lead to 10 at 48-38. Burford then connected in transition and guard Brody Robinson knocked in another from deep to extend the lead. Guard Brandyn Talbot chipped in with nine points on 3-of-4 from distance in the victory.
 
Ware scored 13 of his 17 in the second half, highlighted by a steal and one-man fast break that he finished well to stretch things to 62-47.
 
The UTA lead swelled to as many as 25, with 5:12 to go in the game. Forward Diante Smith returned from injury and despite not scoring, pulled down five rebounds, had four assists and blocked a shot in 12 minutes off the bench. Guard Jarren Cook also made his Mavs debut, and scored his first basket as a Maverick, a three-pointer, and finished with three points in the win.
 
Next up for UTA is another road test, as the Mavericks travel to Joneboro, Arkansas, to take on the Arkansas State Red Wolves (5-3) on Thursday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m. CT. That game will broadcast live on ESPN+ and on the radio on the Varsity App. Shortly after that, the Mavs and Warhawks will meet again in Arlington on Saturday, Dec. 14, this time in Arlington, at 2 p.m. CT.
 
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