ARLINGTON, Texas — Junior Davion Buster scored a game-high 21 points to lead a second-half rally that saw Lamar University trim a 19-point deficit down to five points late in the game, but the Cardinals couldn’t quite get over the hump falling 56-47 Saturday afternoon at UT Arlington.
The Cardinals (2-8) shot 16-of-62 (.258) from the field and 4-of-20 (.200) from three-point range, numbers that are better when compared against a backdrop of a 1-of-15 start in the opening half.
Despite UTA’s height advantage, the Cardinals didn’t back down battling the Mavericks on the glass for all 40 minutes. UTA won the battle but it was close edging out the Cards, 45-40. The turnover battle was even with the Cardinals turning the ball over 14 times compared to 13 for UTA.
Beaumont native Mason Senigaur recorded his best game in a Cardinal uniform just missing a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds.
The Mavericks finished the game shooting 37 percent from the field (20-of-54), which included six three-pointers. UTA was led by 16 points from David Azore.
UTA took a 10-point lead right out of the gate opening with a 12-2 run. The Mavericks hit five of their first eight from the field. While UTA was shooting better than 50 percent from the field, the Cardinals struggled to find the range converting just one of the first 15 attempts.
Big Red was in the midst of an 0-of-14 drought when freshman Avontez Ledet followed up a missed three by flying to the rim where he took a nice pass from Valentin Catt for the score. Despite facing a distinct height disadvantage, Big Red gave UTA all it could handle on the boards trailing by just two, 16-14, with five minutes remaining in the first.
The Cardinals’ struggles continued for the rest of half as Big Red went into the locker room down 31-12 after shooting just 3-29 (.103) from the field, including an 0-of-10 performance from three-point range. The Cardinals took advantage of their attempts from the stripe converting 6-of-8 (.750) attempts.
UTA finished the opening 20 minutes 12-of-28 (.429) from the field but converted just 3-of-13 (.231) three-pointers. While the Mavericks held the advantage on the boards at the break, the Cardinals gave their hosts all they could handle being outrebounded by just three, 24-21. Both teams turned the ball over seven times in the first 20 minutes of action, but UTA held a 12-4 advantage in points off turnovers).
Cards started the second half two for the first three and forced two turnovers and trimmed the deficit down to 13, 36-23, with just under 15 remaining. Senigaur pulled LU within 12 on a three ball from the top of the key (11:40). He got the shot after working for the rebound in traffic on the other end of the floor. A Buster three moments later pulled LU within 11, 42-31.
Cardinals came out of the under 12 media timeout and got the ball in Buster’s hands with the shot clock winding down and the Austin native pulled up from 27 feet away and buried the jumper to get LU within eight, 42-34, with 10:01 to play.
LU never quit attacking and after a miss junior Corey Nickerson scored his first basket of the game on an put back after a Cardinal miss to pull within 7, 45-38. Trailing by eight with 2:02 remaining, the Cardinals came out of a timeout and got a stop on the defensive end of the floor followed by a Buster three-pointer to pull within five, 52-47, with 1:36 remaining. Unfortunately, the Red and White could got no closer as UTA escaped with a victory.
The Cardinals will be back in action Wednesday when they travel to San Marcos, Texas to take on Texas State. The game against the Bobcats will tip off at 7 p.m. from Strahan Coliseum.