McClanahan Leads UTA To Victory

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ARLINGTON, Texas – Lonnie McClanahan scored 21 points to lead UT Arlington to an 81-68 victory over Appalachian State on Thursday night at College Park Center.

The Mavericks improved to 15-10 and 9-6 in the Sun Belt Conference after their third win in the last four games. The Mountaineers dropped to 9-15 and 6-9.

McClanahan made 8 of 10 shots and reached double figures for the 16th time this season. The senior guard added three assists and has led UTA in scoring seven times.

McClanahan didn’t do it alone. Senior forward Greg Gainey added a career-high 19 points and six rebounds. A pair of freshmen off the bench – forward Kevin Hervey (15 points and four rebounds) and guard Erick Neal (11 points, six rebounds and six assists) – also put up big numbers.

UTA shot 56.3 percent in the second half and outscored Appalachian State 49-34. The Mavericks also enjoyed advantages of 30-20 in points in the paint and 39-25 in bench scoring.

Neither side could get much separation in a back-and-forth first half that featured seven lead changes and three ties. The shooting percentages for both sides were in the low 40s, as open shot were hard to come by.

The Mountaineers went into halftime up 34-32 behind 16 points from Frank Eaves. Hervey had eight points for the Mavericks, with Neal adding six points, and Gainey and McClanahan each scoring five.

The Mavericks would finally get some breathing room midway through the second half, with McClanahan leading the surge by getting the basket in transition. UTA opened up a 60-53 lead and kept control from there.