ARLINGTON, Texas -- Faith Pope scored 14 points, Kevin Hervey added 12 and UT-Arlington held off Fordham for a 77-72 win in the season opener for both teams Saturday night.

Leading by as many as 17 points midway through the second half, UT-Arlington saw its advantage evaporate as Fordham slowly chipped away. The Rams tightening the gap to 73-72 on Mandell Thomas' bucket with 1:12 left. But the Mavericks hung on and Erick Neal sealed the win with 4-for-5 shooting from the free throw line over the final 40 seconds.

Jalen Jones added 11 points and Jorge Bilbao had 10 for UT-Arlington, which shot 43 percent from the field and held a 43-35 rebounding advantage.

Fordham was led by Thomas, who hit five 3-pointers and finished with 21 points. Jon Severe added 16 points, Antwoine Anderson had 12 and Ryan Rhoomes 10.