ARLINGTON, Texas -- The UT Arlington men's basketball team overcame a slow start and clamped down defensively to pick up a 67-57 win over Tarleton State (11-17, 6-7 WAC) at home Saturday in front of 5,183 fans at the College Park Center. It marked the seventh-largest attendance in men's basketball history for the Mavs at the CPC.
"First, I want to thank the fans for coming out tonight," head coach KT Turner said following the win. "They were big time, they really helped us win this game tonight and they were huge – I want to give them a special thank you.
"As far as the game, we started out really slow, but our defense kept us in it. We just kept defending, defending, defending. Our offense wasn't there, shots weren't falling, but we were getting really good looks and we knew we were going to start knocking them down eventually, and we did. I'm just proud of the guys how they kept fighting and stayed together once again."
The Mavericks (13-14, 6-7 WAC) had four players score in double figures, led by Darius Burford, who had 13 points and eight rebounds. Brandyn Talbot added 12 points off the bench and Raysean Seamster chipped in as well with 11 points and two blocks.
The Mavs grabbed 38 rebounds in Saturday's game compared to Tarleton State's 35, led by Burford's eight boards. The Mavericks also put in work on the offensive glass, turning 12 rebounds into 13 second chance points.
The UT Arlington defense held Tarleton State shooters to only 36.8 percent from the field, including 18.2 percent from three-point range and outscored the visitors 38-28 in the second half.
How It Happened
UT Arlington struggled out of the gate, falling behind by as many as 14 in the first half, but cut it to 29-23 heading into halftime.
UTA went on a 10-0 run to seize a 33-30 lead with 15:42 to go in the contest. The Mavericks kept expanding the margin and held off the Texans for the 67-57 win.
Game Notes
» The Mavericks held the Texans to only 36.8 percent shooting from the field.
» The Mavericks put on a passing clinic, recording an assist on 73 percent of made baskets.
» UT Arlington had a great night defensively, holding Tarleton State to 18 percent from beyond the arc on 11 attempts.
» The UT Arlington bench came alive by scoring 22 points to its scoring output.
» UT Arlington had a 38-35 edge on the boards in the win.
» The UT Arlington defense forced 16 turnovers and scored 20 points off of those.
» The Mavericks were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, recording seven blocks as a team.
» UT Arlington cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 12 offensive boards in the game.
» Darius Burford led the Mavericks with 13 points.
» UT Arlington got a game-high eight rebounds from Darius Burford.
» Raysean Seamster tallied his team-high 20th game scoring in double figures (11 points).
» Freshman Cameron Jackson had seven rebounds and two blocks in 15 minutes (the most minutes he's logged all season).
The Mavs travel Thursday to Phoenix take on Grand Canyon (20-6, 10-2 WAC). The game tips off at 8 p.m. CT, and will be broadcast on ESPN+ with and on the radio on the Varsity App, 102.5 FM and KTNO 620 AM with the Voice of the Mavs, Josh Sours. UTA fell 82-75 to the Lopes at home on Feb. 15. GCU knocked off Cal Baptist at home 66-64 on Saturday night.
-- #BuckEm –
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