ARLINGTON, TX -- The UT Arlington men's basketball team went into halftime trailing Cal Baptist 39-27, but fought back from the deficit to tie the game at 67-67, force overtime and eventually defeat the Lancers 82-79 at home Thursday behind a career night from forward Raysean Seamster.
The Mavericks (12-13, 5-6 WAC) had five players score in double figures, led by Seamster, who had 29 points and eight rebounds. Lance Ware tacked on 14 points, eight rebounds, five steals and two blocks and Darius Burford helped out with 12 points, six assists and three steals.
"I wasn't particularly happy with how we started the game," head coach KT Turner said following the comeback win. "We started really slow and they got off to a great start. But I'm really happy how our guys stayed connected and just fought. We could have easily folded. At halftime they just stayed together, they were positive, and all they talked about was getting it back on the defensive end and rebounding. I'm just really happy and proud of these guys for responding to the adversity and fighting back.
"We had some guys step up, Raysean played really [well] and DB [Darius Burford]. We did a good job handling their physicality. They had 20 offensive rebounds and I didn't like that, but we didn't turn the ball over either and that helped us. I'm happy that these guys fought, that's what this program is about and they did that. We have to do a good job of building on that."
UT Arlington shared the ball well in Thursday's game, racking up 18 assists on 27 made field goals. Burford's six assists paced the Mavericks and Brody Robinson also helped out with five assists of his own.
UT Arlington did a great job disrupting CBU's shots in the contest, coming away with six blocks. Ware's two rejections led the way individually for the Mavericks.
How It Happened
UT Arlington struggled out of the gate, falling behind 39-27 heading into halftime.
After intermission, UT Arlington kept the Lancers from increasing their lead before going on a 13-0 run, finished off by Seamster's jumper, to seize a 54-53 lead with 6:07 to go in the contest. The Lancers then fought back to even things up at 67-67 and send the game to overtime. UT Arlington took care of business in the paint, recording 22 of its 40 points in the lane.
CBU then snagged a 69-67 advantage with 4:22 left in the first overtime before UT Arlington responded by going on a 6-0 run, finished off by Seamster's layup, to seize a 73-69 lead with 2:59 to go in the period. The Lancers narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Mavericks still held on for the 82-79 win.
Game Notes
» UTA rallied from a 12-point 39-27 halftime deficit to force overtime and ultimately pick up the victory.
» UTA tallied 18 total assists in the game.
» The Mavs are now 20-5 at home under head coach KT Turner during his tenure.
» UTA has won five of it's last seven, and four straight at home.
» Every UTA starter scored in double figures.
» Five UTA players scored 10 or more points.
» The UTA defense forced 14 turnovers.
» The Mavericks were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, recording six blocks as a team.
» UTA trailed by 17 points with 13:12 to play in the second half and was fueled by a 20-2 run to eventually take the lead.
» Raysean Seamster led the Mavericks with a game-high 29 points.
» UTA got eight rebounds from both Lance Ware and Raysean Seamster.
UTA remains home on Saturday and hosts Grand Canyon (18-6, 8-2 WAC). The game tips off at 2 p.m. CT, and will be broadcast live on ESPN+, and on the radio on the Varsity App, 102.5 FM and KTNO 620 AM. Grand Canyon narrowly escaped with a 64-60 win at Tarleton State Thursday night.
-- #BuckEm –
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