Anthony Walker registered a double- double with 12 points and 10 rebounds as the Mavericks of Texas-Arlington slipped by ULM, 68-65, in the opening round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament at Lakefront Arena.
Reger Dowell tallied a team-best 18 points and handed out four assists for the sixth-seeded Mavericks (15-16), although he shot just 2-of-11 behind the 3- point line on the night. Jamel Outler accounted for 16 points off the bench and fellow reserve Lonnie McClanahan 12 points. Brandon Edwards cleared a game-high 12 rebounds.
The seventh-seeded Warhawks (10-17) were paced by Tylor Ongwae with 20 points, shooting only 1-of-6 behind the 3-point line before fouling out. Marvin Williams came up a rebound shy of a double-double as he contributed 14 points for ULM.
The Warhawks shot 43.3 percent from the field in the first half and led by as many as eight late in the period before clinging to a 36-32 advantage at the break. Arlington was just 34.5 percent accurate from the floor through the first 20 minutes, converting 5-of-16 beyond the arc.
After hitting a decent 4-of-10 on the perimeter in the first half, ULM fell to a dismal 1-of-12 in the second frame, opening the door for the UTA comeback.
With the victory, the Mavericks now head to the quarterfinals on Friday where they will take on third-seeded Louisiana.
[SportsNetwork.com]
