UTA Falls Short At Western Kentucky
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BOWLING GREEN, Kentucky – Of the heartbreaking losses experienced by UT Arlington this season, none may sting more than Thursday night.
The Mavericks were in position to seize their biggest win to date in their maiden voyage through the Sun Belt Conference. UT Arlington led for much of the night, but Western Kentucky closed strong to claim a 77-72 victory at E. A. Diddle Arena.
The Mavericks had the league’s second-place on the ropes, taking leads of 15 points in the first half and 12 in the second. The Hilltoppers took their first lead with less than four minutes left and held on.
UT Arlington had its three-game winning streak snapped in falling to 9-11 overall and 4-4 in the Sun Belt. Western Kentucky improved to 14-7 and 6-2 . The Mavericks conclude the first half of the conference season Saturday at league-leading Georgia State.
“They really took it to us,” UT Arlington coach Scott Cross said. “They got to the line
39 times and we got there 20. If you can be that aggressive and get twice as many free throws as us, it’s going to be a long night.
“Our guys did a great job in the first half, but in the second half turnovers, offensive rebounds and those little things ended up costing us.”
UTA junior guard Lonnie McClanahan scored a career-high 28 points on 9-17 shooting from the floor and 10-11 from the line. He added three assists and two steals in 30 minutes.
“He was the one guy that was able to get to the basket and make plays for us,” Cross said.
Senior forward Brandon Edwards added 19 points and seven rebounds. Senior guard Reger Dowell scored 12. The Mavericks outshot WKU (49.0 percent to 45.1 percent), but were outrebounded (36-28).
The Mavericks played the first half with pace offensively and were active defensively. UTA scored the game’s first six points, with McClanahan netting two buckets in the early spurt, and never trailed over the opening 20 minutes.
Junior guard Jamel Outler nailed two 3-pointers in another surge as the Mavericks opened up an 18-7 edge. Edwards and Dowell followed with 3-pointers to give UTA its largest lead at 24-9 with 11 minutes left in the half.
The Hilltoppers climbed out of the 15-point deficit and pulled with four late in the half. The Mavericks rebounded and went into the locker room up 40-33.
Three Mavericks had scored in double figures at the break – Edwards (11), McClanahan (10) and Dowell (10). Chris Harrison-Docks led WKU with 15 points. UTA shot 53.8 percent in the half, with the Hilltoppers at 46.4 percent.
The Mavericks extended their lead to start the second half, going up 47-35. WKU turned up the pressure defensively and reeled off an 11-0 run aided by three UTA turnovers on inbound plays.
Western Kentucky tied the game for the first time (57-57) on George Fant’s free throw with 6:33 left. UTA junior center Anthony Walker fouled out on the play.
UT Arlington regained the lead on McClanahan’s two foul shots with 5:40 to play. The Hilltoppers went ahead for the first time in the game (63-62) on T.J. Price’s free throw with 3:59 remaining.
The Mavericks were down 71-70 on McClanahan’s driving three-point play with 1:14 left. WKU was able to hold on by knocking down foul shots in the final minute.
The Mavericks and Hilltoppers will meet against March 1 in Arlington.
