After losing consecutive road games against TCU and Oklahoma St. by a combined eight points, the UT-Arlington men's team was in need of some good fortune. That good fortune came for the Mavericks in the form of an overmatched Hardin-Simmons team on Saturday at Texas Hall. UTA (9-2) prevailed 74-54 in its first game back at Texas Hall since Western Illinois visited the stage on Dec. 1.
The Mavericks were led by sophomore guard Ro'ger Guignard's 23 points,including seven three-pointers (7-of-15). Sophomore forward Tommy Moffitt, in the starting lineup in place of the injured Brandon Long, scored seven points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Junior Anthony Vereen also added 15 points off the bench for UTA.
Guignard said he and the rest of the team were relaxed and did not put too much pressure on themselves.
"Before this game, I decided to just have fun and play ball," Guignard said. "We were all playing with a lot of confidence."
UTA led by as much as 30 after a 13-0 run in the second half, but the Cowboys were able to pull back to within 20 by the final horn.
Hardin-Simmons (4-5) was led by Mardochee Jean, who finished with 12 points.
The win extends the best start UTA program's history.
--Trey Benedict
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