With the schedule about to get even tougher, the UTA Mavericks just buckled down and took care of business Saturday.
Lamarcus Reed and Kevin Butler combined for 35 points as the Mavericks ran pat Texas State 73-53 at the College Park Center, running their winning streak to 15 games and moving to 11-0 in the Southland Conference.
The Mavs were all over the Bobcats defensively, holding them to 29 percent shooting and dominating the boards 32-20.
That doesn't mean there aren't things the Mavs can work on. They turned the ball over 23 times, which is something coach Scott Cross said even before the game that they need to cut down on.
That allowed the Bobcats to stay within striking distance for much of the game, as a steal and layup by Wesley Davis helped cut a 15-point down to 10 just before halftime.
Texas State kept the game near the 10-point range for the first part of teh second half, but they could not get any closer. Then Ingram's three-pointer put UTA up by 17 with 12 minutes to play.
But the Mavs really beat the Bobcats on the inside for the game, outscoring the Bobcats 42-14 in the paint. They got six straight points in the lane followed by a Butler free throw to go up 65-48 with under 6 1/2 to play.
The Mavericks are one win away from 20 for the season, but they now have three straight on th eroad, including next Wednesday's game at Stephen F Austin and their "Bracketbusters" game at Weber State.
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