UTA knocks off Texas for first time 72-61
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) Kevin Hervey was a bit uncomfortable when the basketball game started. The UTA forward, returning from a torn ACL, needed some time to regain his bearings.
He was certainly sturdy on Tuesday night. Hervey scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and UTA defeated Texas for the first time ever, 72-61 Tuesday.
The Longhorns (3-3) won the first 11 games in the series but needed overtime for a seven-point victory last season. Drew Charles supplemented Hervey with 12 points, all in the second half. Jalen Jones and Jorge Bilbao scored 10 each.
Hervey averaged 18 points while making 45 percent of his shots before the injury forced him to miss the final 19 games last season. Before Tuesday, the 6-foot-7 junior averaged 12 points and was shooting 34.8 percent.
''Any injury a person has, there will be some doubt,'' Hervey said. ''The process is overcoming the mental adversity.''
UTA (5-3) missed its first 11 3-point shots in the first half before hitting two of its last three. Hervey made one with 15 seconds left to give the Mavericks a 30-27 halftime lead.
''I think we saw glimpses tonight of what he is capable of doing,'' UTA coach Scott Cross said. ''I think he is starting to get confidence.''
Texas was even worse on 3-pointers in the first half, missing 13 of 15.
The Mavericks heated up in the second half, converting 5 of 12 treys, including four by Charles. Texas never improved, making 1 of 8 in the second half.
Tevin Mack led Texas with 19 points. Kerwin Roach scored 16 but committed six turnovers. Jarrett Allen produced 13 points and 12 rebounds.
The Longhorns have lost three straight, but the previous two were against Northwestern and Colorado from Power Five Conferences.
''Everybody's mad,'' Roach said. ''There should be a better result. Even though the shots aren't falling, it's what else can you do?''
Texas coach Shaka Smart was disappointed that deficiencies on offense led to lapses on defense.
''What happens is when your shooting, or your offense isn't going the way you want as a team, as an individual, it has a residual effect on your defense,'' Smart said. ''That's not acceptable.''
BIG PICTURE
UTA: The Mavericks have been competitive against their last two opponents from Power Five conferences. Last season Texas-Arlington won consecutive games against Ohio State and Memphis.
Texas: The Longhorns struggled at home for the second time against a mid-major opponent. They beat Incarnate Word by five on opening night, albeit while two key Longhorns were suspended for violation of team rules.
SOPHOMORE SLUMP
Texas guard Eric Davis has converted just 6 of 36 3-pointers, 16.7 percent accuracy. Last season Davis hit 38.2 percent of his 3-pointers.
''He's not playing with a lot of confidence,'' Smart said. ''He's not playing with an aggressiveness. Eric Davis is a good shooter. Hes struggling right now.''
UP NEXT
UTA is at North Texas on Saturday afternoon.
Texas hosts Alabama on Friday night.
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Little Rock Holds Off UCA in Overtime
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CONWAY, Ark. – Little Rock (5-2) held on in overtime for an 89-87 win over Central Arkansas (1-5) at the Farris Center on Tuesday night. Led by Marcus Johnson Jr.'s 18 points, five Trojans finished the game in double figures.
The win improves Little Rock to 9-0 against the Bears since moving to Division I in 1978-79.
Jalen Jackson and Kemy Osse scored 15 points each for the Trojans. Lis Shoshi scored 13 points and grabbed five rebounds. Andre Jones came off the bench to score 10 points.
Central Arkansas led by as many as four points in overtime, going up 86-82 on a basket by Jordan Mathieu at the 4:10 mark. The Trojans tied the game at 86 on a Johnson 3-pointer before taking the lead for good on Johnson's floater that put Little Rock on top 88-87 with 20 seconds left in overtime. After Jordan Howard's jumper was off the mark, Johnson secured the rebound and made 1 of 2 free throws to bring the game to its 89-87 final score.
Little Rock finished the game shooting 50 percent from the floor and 50 percent from 3. UCA also shot 50 percent from the floor and made seven 3s on the night.
The Trojans led by six at halftime, but Central Arkansas used a 14-0 run early in the second half to take its first lead since the opening minutes, going up 64-60 on Howard's transition layup at the 11:32 mark.
The Trojans were up 81-75 after Osse's basket with a little over a minute to play in regulation. UCA pulled back within two, 82-80, on Tanner Schmit's floater with 36 seconds to go. Still up two, Little Rock went to the line with 17.5 seconds to go. But Maurius Hill's first of the 1-and-1 was off the mark.
After the rebound, the Bears' Derreck Brooks was able to score the tying basket with four-tenths of a second remaining to send the game to overtime.
The game featured five ties and seven lead changes.
UCA scored the game's first point but Little Rock responded by scoring the next 13 and built a 19-8 lead by the game's first media timeout. The Trojans began the game by hitting 6 of their first 8 shots from the floor.
The Bears would storm back, scoring 10 straight as part of a 13-2 run that tied the game at 25 with 9:20 to play in the half. Jones scored the final six points of the half for the Trojans as Little Rock took a 50-44 lead at the break.
Johnson finished the first half with 11 points as four more Trojans finished the half with at least seven points.
Little Rock is back in action Saturday against Tulsa in the team's first #PackTheJack game of the season at the Jack Stephens Center. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. and the team's 2016 Sun Belt Championship and NCAA Tournament banners will be unveiled in a pregame ceremony.
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Pearson has 1st double-double, Texas State beats McNeese St.
SAN MARCOS, Texas (AP) Nijal Pearson and Kavin Gilder-Tilbury combined for 44 points to lead Texas State to an 80-68 win over McNeese State on Tuesday night.
Pearson was 8 of 15 from the floor for 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the first double-double in his career. He also dished out seven assists. Gilder-Tilbury had 21 points and seven rebounds. Bobby Conley added six points and had a career-best three steals for Texas State (3-3).
Tyler Blount nailed a 3-pointer midway in the first half to break open a tight game and start a 16-2 run as the Bobcats took a 43-24 lead into the break. The Cowboys did make a late charge, closing to 73-62 following a Jamaya Burr trey with 2:01 remaining. Pearson answered with three points in the closing minutes to secure the win.
LaBarrius Hill had 15 points and nine rebounds and Jarren Greenwood added 13 points for McNeese State (2-4).
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McLean scores 19 of 26 in 1st half, Mocs top Chanticleers
CONWAY, S.C. (AP) Tre' McLean had 26 points and nine rebounds, Makinde London added 11 points and seven boards, and Chattanooga beat Coastal Carolina 68-52 on Tuesday night.
McLean hit 4 of 7 3-pointers and London made 3 of 6 as the Mocs were 9 of 27.
Justin Tuoyo had four blocks to give him 61 for his Chattanooga (5-2) career. He has at least two blocks in all seven games this season.
Chattanooga started the game by knocking down five of its first seven shots and had a 41-23 lead. McLean led the way in the first half with 19 points and Mocs were 8 of 13 from 3-point range.
Jaylen Shaw scored 12 points and Elijah Wilson added 11 points for Coastal Carolina (2-5), which shot 37 percent from the field and only hit three of its 15 3-point attempts.