UT-Arlington beats Georgia State 85-70 in Sun Belt opener

Dec 30, 2015, 10:48 pm

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Kevin Hervey had 17 points and eight rebounds, and UT-Arlington beat Georgia State 85-70 in the Sun Belt Conference opener for both teams Wednesday night.

Jalen Jones made three 3-pointers and scored 15 points for the Mavericks (10-2), who outrebounded Georgia State 45-29. Kaelon Wilson had 11 points and Erick Neal scored 10.

UT-Arlington pulled away with a 15-5 run for a 51-39 advantage and led by no less than nine from there. The Mavericks took the lead for good in the first half with a 14-0 run and Georgia State pulled within 36-34 early in the second half.

UT-Arlington coach Scott Cross notched his 163rd career victory, moving to first on the Mavericks' all-time list. Cross began his coaching tenure at UTA in the 2006-07 season.

Jeff Thomas hit seven 3-pointers for 21 points to lead the Panthers (7-3), the defending Sun Belt champion and NCAA tournament representative.