ARLINGTON, Texas – UT Arlington men's basketball (8-5, 0-1 WAC) dropped its conference opener 69-63 at home to Tarleton State (10-4, 1-0 WAC) on Monday night at the College Park Center.

The Mavs got off to an incredibly slow start, falling behind by as many as 18 to the visiting Texans. UTA was able, however, to erase most of that lead, closing the half on a 16-3 run to cut the halftime deficit to 35-30.

Much of the slow start was self-inflicted, as the Mavs turned the ball over 10 times, which led to 12 Tarleton State points. Freshman big man Amari Reed equaled his career high in points in the first half alone, scoring all nine of his points to keep the Mavs in the game. A monster alley-oop finish from Reed through contact for a three-point play helped breathe life into the Mavericks, cutting the lead to 25-13.

Senior forward Raysean Seamster scored four of his 11 points in the final minutes of the first half, including a floater as time expired to cut the Tarleton State lead to five. The Mavs finished the half at 45% shooting (9-of-20) but hit seven of their last 10 shots from the field to close the period.

UTA continued its comeback and eventually tied the game at 37-37 on a Marcus Rigsby, Jr., three, and took the lead at 40-39 when senior Marcell McCreary buried another triple. The Mavs never led by more than one, however, and eventually their 18 turnovers and the 27 Tarleton State points they led to were too much to overcome.

Tarleton State rebuilt its lead to double figures in the final three minutes, leading 64-54, and the Mavs utilized a 9-0 run to cut the lead to one, but were unable to get over the hump again. Tarleton State's leading scorer Dior Johnson (22.8 ppg) was held to just two points after getting into early foul trouble.

Seamster finished with 11 points and eight rebounds, while McCreary added 12 points, six rebounds and a pair of assists and freshman guard Jordan Lowery set a new career high with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting.

The Mavs will remain home at the College Park Center on Thursday, Jan. 1, when they host California Baptist (10-4, 0-1 WAC) at 2 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and on the radio on the Varsity Network App with the Voice of the Mavs, Josh Sours, and Parker Eidson on the call. Fans can purchase tickets here. 

-- #BuckEm –

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).