UTA Advances To Sun Belt Quarterfinals
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NEW ORLEANS – UT Arlington advanced to the Sun Belt Conference Championship quarterfinals with Thursday night’s 68-65 victory over UL Monroe at Lakefront Arena.
The Mavericks (15-16) will face UL Lafayette (20-11) Friday night at 8:30 p.m. The Rajin’ Cajuns (20-11) beat UT Arlington in both regular-season meetings.
Senior guard Reger Dowell led UT Arlington with 18 points despite 6-18 shooting. Junior guard Jamel Outler scored 16, including eight consecutive points as UTA surged ahead late in the game.
Junior center Anthony Walker added season highs in points (12) and rebounds (10). Making his sixth start of the season, Walker had 10 points after halftime. He scored four times off offensive rebounds in the second half, three being dunks.
Junior guard Lonnie McClanahan scored 12 off the bench, and senior forward Brandon Edwards grabbed 12 rebounds.
Dowell opened the scoring for the Mavericks with a 3-pointer. The Warhawks took an early timeout after senior guard Kyle McElvain drilled his first 3-pointer for an 8-4 UTA lead.
The game remained close throughout the first half before UL Monroe began to separate in the final minutes. The Warhawks went into the locker room up 36-32 thanks to a late run.
The Mavericks were shooting only 34.5 percent (10-29) in the first half. Dowell scored a team-high nine points, with McClanahan adding seven. Edwards had six rebounds.
After ULM scored the first basket of the second half, the Mavericks reeled off an 8-2 run that included two follow-up slam dunks by Walker and a Dowell-to-Walker alley-oop to tie the game at 40.
UT Arlington retook the lead (50-49) after a pair of McClanahan free throws at the 9:28 mark. Outler tied the game at 60 with a 3-pointer and gave UTA a 63-60 edge with three free throws with 3:34 remaining.
