BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Jordan Reves made a layup and blocked a shot in the closing seconds as UT Arlington opened the season with a dramatic 62-60 victory over CSU Bakersfield on Friday night at the Icardo Center.
"Very thankful. It's a great win on the road against a very good Bakersfield team," UT Arlington coach Scott Cross said. "Our guys played extremely hard. We would have liked to execute better, but to be able to get a win when you're not playing your best is a testament to the guys."
The Mavericks found themselves down 60-59 with 34.6 seconds left. The Roadrunners applied full-court pressure, which was broken by a Shaquille White-Miller pass to Jamel Outler. Taking it hard to the basket, Outler passed up a good shot for a better one, passing it to Reves under the basket. The senior center laid the ball in for the win.
Freshman guard Drew Charles made one of two free throws with 5.8 seconds left to give UTA a two-pointer lead. Reves blocked a potential game-tying layup with less than a second remaining. CSUB had one last chance, but a desperation jumper came up short and the Mavericks took home their first win of the season.
Outler led UT Arlington in scoring with 15 points. Reves had 13 points and 14 rebounds. Junior forward Brandon Edwards also had a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards.
The first half played out more like a sprint than a basketball game. Both sides could have gone without the 35-second shot clock, as jumpers were fired up with little regard for running offense. Of the first 31 shots taken by both teams, 12 were 3-pointers.
"You have to get into the flow, especially in the first game of the season," Cross said.
UT Arlington held the early lead, as sophomore Outler nailed a pair of early 3-pointers. Karol Gruszecki also drilled a 3-pointer for the Mavericks.
UTA took its biggest lead of t he first half following an impressive stretch from Greg Gainey. The junior transfer scored on three consecutive possessions to put the Mavericks up 23-16.
UT Arlington took a 30-29 advantage into the halftime break. Gainey paced all scorers with 10 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting off the bench. Outler had eight points, while Brandon Edwards pulled down eight rebounds.
The Mavericks are off for a week before opening the College Park Center schedule with the most anticipated home game in school history. UT Arlington welcomes Oklahoma to CPC on Friday, Nov. 16 for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
For more information regarding UT Arlington season tickets for the upcoming men's and women's basketball season log onto UTAMavs.com or call 817-272-6319. Men's Season tickets start as low as $66 and include all 14 home games. Women's season tickets are $49 and include all 14 home games.
UTA students don't forget to log onto your MyMav account to purchase your All-Sports Pass for $50 this gives you entry into all home UTA Athletic events. For more information call 817-272-6319.
