ARLINGTON, Texas – UT Arlington men's basketball (15-11, 7-7 WAC) upended Utah Tech (16-12, 9-5 WAC) by a 63-50 final Thursday night at College Park Center, holding the Trailblazers to their lowest point total of the season.
 
The Trailblazers, who had won six straight and came into the game with a share of first place in the Western Athletic Conference, had averaged 80.2 points per game over their winning streak.
 
Offensively, UTA got to the rim all night, scoring 46 points in the paint to just 16 for Utah Tech. In addition, the Mavs held a 16-5 advantage in second-chance points and outrebounded the Trailblazers 43-27.
 
Clinging to a 44-41 lead after not making a field goal for more than seven minutes and allowing seven straight points, the Mavericks went on a scoring binge with eight points over the next 1:40 to build an 52-41 advantage with 8:59 remaining. Utah Tech was unable to get closer than seven the rest of the way.
 
Marcell McCreary finished with a team-high 13 points and added seven rebounds and four assists. Bahsil Laster had 10 points and a career-high nine rebounds to narrowly miss a double-double, while Cash Chavis contributed a dozen points.
 
UTA closed the first half on a 9-0 run over the final three-plus minutes to grab a 33-26 lead at intermission. McCreary scored the final five points with back-to-back driving layups, the second coming off one of his two steals, as well as a free throw with 1.1 seconds left. The Trailblazers did not score in the final 4 ½ minutes.
 
The Mavs close out their home schedule Saturday, Feb. 21, when UTA faces Utah Valley (19-7, 9-4 WAC) at 2 p.m. It will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and on the radio on the Varsity Network App with the Voice of the Mavs, Josh Sours.
 
– #BuckEm –
 
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