LAS VEGAS – A 12-0 start off the opening tip set the tone for an emphatic UT Arlington runaway victory as the #3-seeded Mavericks made a resounding statement in their 2024 WAC Tournament debut with a record-setting 109-78 win over #6 Stephen F. Austin in the quarterfinals Thursday night inside Orleans Arena.
 
The hottest team in the WAC showed exactly why it has now won seven straight as UTA was never threatened, led by as much as 37 and on the behind a single-game program mark and WAC Tournament record 19 3-pointers registered the most points by any team in the history of the conference tournament.
 
WAC Sixth Player of the Year Phillip Russell delivered a season-high 30 points in only 19 minutes, making seven 3-pointers to tie for the 3rd most in WAC Tournament history and equaling the 5th most in program lore (record: nine, 3x).
 
He was one of four double-figure scorers for the Mavs: WAC First Team selection DaJuan Gordon (17), WAC Freshman of the Year Makaih Williams (16) and Dwayne Koroma (11). Brandyn Talbot just missed that threshold with nine points on three 3-pointers, and the Mavs are now a perfect 9-0 when the Canadian makes 2+ triples.
 
Below are additional UTA records and further information from Thursday's incredible performance:

• 109 Points
  • Breaks the previous WAC Tournament record of 107 by Boise State in a triple overtime contest in 2008 against New Mexico State.
  • Most points in a postseason game in program lore; the previous was 105 at BYU in the 2017 NIT. It is also UTA's most points in a conference tournament game, besting the prior record of 98 established in double overtime against Sam Houston in the 2001 Southland Conference Tournament.
  • 2nd-most points at a neutral site in program history (113 versus San Francisco in 1991).
  • Tied for the 13th most in program history in a regulation game versus a Division-I opponent.
     
• 19 3-Pointers
  • Surpasses the previous WAC Tournament record of 17 by New Mexico State in 2019.
  • Two more than UTA's previous single-game record of 17, which had been reached twice previously – including earlier this season versus UT Tyler.
  • Tied for the most by any team in the nation this season against a D-I opponent.
     
• 26 Assists
  • Tied for the most in a WAC Tournament game (Hawaii issued 26 helpers against TCU in 2001).
  • The most by UTA this season against a D-I foe; tied for the most overall (26 vs. UT Tyler).
     
• 61 2nd-Half Points
  • The most in any half of any WAC Tournament game (previous: 59 by New Mexico State in the 2nd half of a 1987 contest).
     
• Russell's 7 3-Pointers
  • Tied for the 3rd most in a WAC Tournament game; the all-time record is eight by two players in 2015 and 1997.

Facing an SFA team which made national headlines with its buzzer-beating finish in Wednesday's 1st round over Abilene Christian, UTA made sure none of that momentum carried over as the highest-scoring team in the WAC shot a season-best 58.7% (37-63) from the floor while the league's best 3-point shooting squad connected at a 47.5% (19-40) from beyond the arc.
 
With the win, UTA advances to face #2 Tarleton State in the semifinals on Friday again at 10:30 p.m. CT (8:30 local). That contest will be broadcast live on ESPNU, streamed on ESPN+ and also heard nationally on SiriusXM 970, in addition to locally on 102.5 FM, 620 AM and the Varsity Network App.
 
The Texans went 23-8 in the regular season and finished with a 16-4 WAC record to earn a double bye to the semis as a result of their top-2 finish in the league. The Mavs lost both games to Tarleton this year by a combined four points – 78-76 in Stephenville on Jan. 4 and 80-78 in Arlington on Feb. 15. In each contest, the Mavs had shots in the closing seconds to win, or force overtime.
 

BOX SCORE NUGGETS

• The win moves UTA to 19-13 on the season, while the loss drops SFA to 18-15.
• Akili Vining posted nine points, six assists and five rebounds.
• Aaron Cash notched eight points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
• Koroma and Shemar Wilson each pulled down six rebounds to aid in a 40-21 rebounding edge for UTA, including a 14-8 advantage on the offensive end which led to a 25-8 differential in second-chance points for the Mavs.
• Williams equaled Vining's six assists to represent the most by any player.
• Russell also passed out four assists along with his 30 points. That point total is two better than his previous high this season and marks his fifth-career 30+ point game.
• The Mavs utilized the following starting lineup: Russell, Williams, Gordon, Cash and Wilson; Wilson is the only Mav to start all 32 games this season.
• That starting quintet is now 4-0 this season and has won those four by an average of 21.2 points.
• UTA committed just 10 turnovers, which is its 2nd fewest this season (seven at Seattle U on Feb. 29).

QUOTABLE
"We came into the game knowing we had to match SFA's physicality, but the biggest focus for us was our defense. We came out and guarded, and that created a lot of offense for us. I'm really happy the way our guys responded and how we played."
– UTA Head Coach KT Turner
 

GAME FLOW
UTA knocked down three 3-pointers inside the first two minutes of the contest to race out to a 9-0 lead, prompting an SFA timeout just 1:52 into the tilt. That lead swelled to 12-0 by the 16:30 mark following a Wilson free throw as the Mavs executed at a high level on both ends.
 
The Mavs continued to perform nearly perfect at both ends and eventually extended that cushion to 18, 28-10, at the midway point following a fastbreak two-handed throwdown by Cash. UTA would keep a double-figure advantage the rest of the night despite three of its top-4 scorers on the season – Russell, Gordon and Williams – each having two fouls before the 10-minute mark.
 
Unfazed by the foul trouble and a streaking SFA side which entered the game winners of three in a row, UTA continued to keep its foot down, and following an 8-0 run cracked open a 21-point lead, 36-15. That quickly expanded to 24, 42-18, following back-to-back triples from Talbot to force the Lumberjacks into a third timeout not even 15 minutes into the game.
 
UTA held on to that 20+ point lead for the remainder of the half and carried a 48-27 edge into the halftime locker room thanks to 56% shooting from the floor (14-25) and 11 assists on those 14 makes.
 
In the 2nd half, UTA led by at least 20 the entire time with the exception of a 16-second stretch when SFA cut it to 19, 57-38, before the Mavs forged back ahead by a margin of as much as 37, 89-52, with eight minutes remaining.
 
THIS AND THAT

• The Mavs are now 10-2 over their last 12 games, with the only losses in that stretch coming by a combined three points.
• Six of UTA's seven wins during its current streak have been by double digits.
• The seven-game winning streak is UTA's longest since an eight-game stretch Feb. 4-Mar. 2, 2017.
• All 19 of UTA's wins this year have come when it scores at least 70 points.
• UTA is now one win shy of its first 20-win season since going 21-13 in 2017-18.
• UTA is now 3-2 all-time in three WAC Tournament appearances: 2-1 in 2013, 0-1 in 2023 and 1-0 so far in 2024.
• Four of UTA's six lowest-turnover games this season have now occurred over the past six contests: Thursday night, Feb. 22 versus Southern Utah (11), Feb. 29 at Seattle U (7) and Mar. 2 at Utah Valley (11).
• Five of UTA's six highest-scoring games of the season against D-I opponents have taken place since the start of February.

   
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