UT Arlington Defeats Texas State

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ARLINGTON, Texas – UT Arlington extended its winning streak over rival Texas State to seven by closing strong and beating Bobcats 66-55 in a defensive battle Monday night before 2,306 fans at College Park Center.

The Mavericks improved to 10-7 overall and 4-3 in the Sun Belt Conference, while Texas State dropped to 10-7 and 4-4. UTA has won seven of its last eight home games.

“We knew it was going to be a hard-fought game,” UT Arlington coach Scott Cross said. “They’re very good defensively, they’ve very tough and they’re very patient offensively. They make us defend them for the entire 30-second shot clock.

“Our guys dug down deep. I thought our zone was good down the stretch. We hit some big shots, hit our free throws and got some big rebounds as well. I’m proud of our guys. It was a big win.”

Greg Gainey led the Mavericks with 12 points and six rebounds off the bench. The senior forward made 4 of 8 shots, including two big baskets in the closing minutes as UTA finished the game with a 14-2 run.

“He’s been shooting the ball unbelievably well,” Cross said of Gainey. “He was the one guy who was hitting shots outside tonight.”

Senior guard Lonnie McClanahan added 11 points and six boards. Freshman guard

Erick Neal scored nine and fellow freshman forward Kevin Hervey had eight rebounds.

UTA held the Bobcats to 29.6-percent shooting and held a 30-12 advantage in points in the paint. The Mavericks bench outscored Texas State’s 34-18.

The Mavericks set the pace early and jumped out to a quick 12-4 lead behind six points from Neal. Texas State would settle in reeled off nine consecutive points to go up 13-12.

UTA answered with its own 9-0 run and would lead for the remainder of the half. Texas State guard Ethan Montalvo hit a 3-pointer to close out the first, pulling the Bobcats within 30-28.

Gainey scored six to match Neal for team-honors in the first half. McClanahan had five points and Hervey grabbed six boards. Emani Gant (13 points) had six points for Texas State.

Both teams were shooting less than 40 percent at the break. UTA had a 21-4 edge in points in the paint and 13-7 in second-chance points.

The lead change sides several times in the second half before the Mavericks were able to get some separation. A pair of hard drives to the basket by guard Jamel Outler sandwiched around forward Brandon Williams’ one-handed follow slam gave UTA a 49-42 advantage and forced a timeout from Texas State.

The Bobcats followed with a 9-1 spurt to inch ahead 51-50. Gainey’s knocked down a 3-pointer from the right wing at the 2:58 mark to put UTA in front 55-53. Gainey also rebounded a missed free throw and scored to make it 57-54 with less than two minutes to play.

“We had to bear down, and make stops and make free throws,” McClanahan said. “And that’s what we did.”

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