LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Fourth-seeded UT Arlington men's basketball (18-13) advanced by a 69-63 final score over the fifth-seeded Southern Utah Thunderbirds (10-21) on Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the WAC Tournament at Orleans Arena.
 
UTA finished with 12 steals, one shy of their season high, and outrebounded Southern Utah 50-40 by securing 20 offensive boards. Each of the Mavericks' last seven wins have now come when holding opponents under 65 points. The Mavs, the nation's top 3-point defense, forced the Thunderbirds into just 6 of 31 shooting (19.4 percent) from beyond the arc.
 
After trailing in the early going, the Mavericks took a 19-15 lead on a follow-up slam by Raysean Seamster off a UTA steal. It capped an 8-0 run by the Mavs over two-plus minutes. Seamster ended the night with his third double-double of the season (12 points, 12 rebounds) after grabbing eight offensive boards.
 
The Mavs managed a five-point lead at halftime, 29-24, despite shooting just 30 percent (12 of 40) from the floor.
 
The Mavs started 0-for-10 from deep and made their first 3-pointer with just 14:05 left in the game, when Jordan Lowery found the bottom of the net from the left corner. That gave UTA its first double-digit lead of the game at 40-30.
 
Marcell McCreary finished with a team-high 18 points to go along with eight rebounds. Lowery filled the stat sheet with 12 points, four rebounds, four assists and five steals, while Cash Chavis had 14 points, three rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots.
 
UTA advances to the semifinals of 2026 Air Force Reserve WAC Basketball Tournament and will face top-seeded Utah Valley (24-7, 14-4 WAC) Friday. Game time is set for 8 p.m. (CT)/6 p.m. (PT). The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and will air live on the radio on the Varsity Network App with the Voice of the Mavs, Josh Sours, on the call.
 
– #BuckEm –
 
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