UTA Loses At South Alabama
MOBILE, Ala. – UT Arlington didn’t hold on to a nine-point lead late in the second half and fell to South Alabama 88-85 in overtime Saturday afternoon at Mitchell Center.
The Mavericks saw their winning streak come to an end at eight games, falling to 13-3 overall and 4-1 in the Sun Belt.
UTA had several chances to tie the game on its final possession, getting up three 3-point tries. Jalen Jones had the first two looks and Erick Neal’s final attempt just before the final buzzer all hit the back iron.
The Mavs had rallied from a 12-point deficit in the first half and appeared to be in control down the stretch in regulation. The Jaguars (7-10, 2-4) finished strong, and Shaq Calhoun’s 3-pointer with 21.7 seconds left in OT proved the difference.
Kevin Hervey led the Mavs with 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including 3-8 on 3-pointers. Hervey locked up his eighth double-double of the season with 11 rebounds. The sophomore’s nine career double-doubles are tied for 25th all-time at UTA.
Kaelon Wilson added 13 points for the Mavericks off the bench. Wilson scored 10 in the second half, including nine points during 16-2 run that turned a 58-50 deficit into a 66-60 lead. Wilson had the final two points in the spurt on an emphatic alley-oop slam from Neal.
Neal didn’t start for the first time this season, but scored 17 and dished out
six assists. Neal had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation with a long 3-point attempt. He did tie it at 85-85 with a 3-pointer with 38.1 seconds left in OT.
Jones had 10 points, and Jorge Bilbao scored seven and grabbed nine boards.
Georgi Boyanov led South Alabama with 24 points, including two free throws with 21.6 seconds left in regulation that tied the game 78-78. Ken Williams added 23 points for USA. The Jaguars were down nine points with 7:13 left in regulation.
Hervey started out hot by scoring 12 of UTA’s first 16 points, but the Mavs found themselves playing from behind. USA’s 7-0 run left the Jaguars up 36-24 and led to a Mavericks’ timeout.
Wilson and Neal answered with 3-pointers out of the stoppage to ignite an 8-0 run that forced a South Alabama timeout. The Jags settled down at took a 43-34 lead into halftime.
Hervey didn’t score for the remainder of the half. Neal had seven points and Jones scored six. Williams led all scorers with 14 points at the break.
