McNeese State Relentless in Knocking Off Top Seed UT Arlington

McNeese State Relentless in Knocking Off Top Seed UT Arlington

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ESPN3 REPLAY

By Brandon C. Williams
Southland.org

KATY, Texas -- Relentless. No other word best describes McNeese State's 92-72 win over top-seed UT Arlington in Thursday night's semifinal. 

Less than 24 hours after needing overtime to simply outlast defending tournament champion UTSA, the Cowboys exploded out of the gate with a 7-0 lead that only swelled as coach Dave Simmons' squad steamrolled its way into Saturday's 2:05 p.m. championship game against Lamar.

"They just came to play tonight," said Simmons, whose team (17-14) reached the final game for the second consecutive year. "We knew we were capable of playing like that, and I think that's the first time we put it all together, and we put it all together against a really good team."

UTA (24-8) had no solution of the seemingly endless onslaught of gold and blue jerseys streaking down the court. For only the second time this season, the Mavericks allowed an opponent to score more than 90 points as the Cowboys shot a blistering 62 percent from the field in the second half and denied coach Scott Cross' team any respite.

"We ran into a juggernaut," Cross said. "They were clicking on all cylinders. We tried to throw everything we had at them, and it seemed like they had an answer for everything."

Two weeks ago after leading by as much as 29 in a victory over the Cowboys, the Mavericks never led, getting as close as 18-16 with 10:50 left in the first half before McNeese ripped off a 10-2 to extend its margin to 28-18. UTA would close to within seven near the end of the half, a mark that would prove to their high-water point of the evening.

Up 44-32 at intermission, the Cowboys opened the second half in much the same torrid fashion as the first, as Patrick Richard, the conference player of the year, rebounded from a sluggish shooting effort on Wednesday to pound UTA for 20 points, including four from beyond the arc. While Mavericks' sniper LaMarcus Reed (23 points) tried his best to keep the regular season champs within shouting distance, the constant shooting barrage from all directions eventually proved too much for UTA.

"We just stayed on them the whole game," said McNeese guard Jeremie Mitchell, who scored 17 points.

The Cowboys shot 54.2 percent from the field, which just missed being a season-high for highest field goal percentage allowed by UTA, which came into the game limiting opponents to just 65 points per contest.

UTA's season will be extended by at least one more game, as the Mavericks will play in the National Invitation Tournament. It marks the first time since 1981 that the program has played in the NIT. Reed felt that as bad as Thursday's loss was, the team will be ready for whoever they face early next week.

"We have to remember this feeling," he said. "It doesn't feel very good."

As for McNeese, they will take on Lamar for the third time this season. The schools split the first two games, with the Cowboys winning 57-54 on January 11 and the Cardinals taking a 78-68 decision last Saturday.

The win also marks the second straight year both the McNeese men's and women's programs will play for the conference title, with the women playing Stephen F. Austin on Friday night.

"No matter what happens, both teams will represent the league well," said Simmons.
 
 
Postgame Quotes

McNeese State head coach Dave Simmons
Opening statement...

"First of all, I appreciate the effort these gave tonight. They are champions and warriors and they really came to play tonight. We are capable of playing like that, and that is probably the first time we put it all together. And we put it together against a really good basketball team. They have been the class of our league throughout the year. I told our guys this: 'Great moments are presented with opportunity.' This was our opportunity tonight. If they wanted to continue to play basketball, then we would have to get it done tonight. We beat a really good basketball team. All these guys made a great contribution. I am thankful to be coaching these guys. I am benefiting from being their coach."

On tonight's game ...
"Last time we played these guys, we were down 29 at the half. We knew that we couldn't put ourselves in that situation. We challenged them from the 3-point line. We hit some big shots early, and we handled their zone better than we handled the zone last night. We just played a tremendous game, and hopefully we can continue it through Saturday."

On the championship game against Lamar ...
"We are just 50 miles down the road from each other and our recruiting paths cross with one another. It is going to make for a lot of excitement. Lamar had a lot of fans here tonight, and I just hope we can match that intensity with fans on Saturday. It brings a big difference into the game when your crowd is into it. I know Lamar will show up ready to play, and I know our players with show up ready to play. It is going to be a great basketball game. The Southland Conference has always been a tough league, and we see good basketball."

 
McNeese State senior forward Patrick Richard

On McNeese State's team...

"Coming into the year, people may have looked at us different because we lost so much from last year's team. But I knew we had so much talent coming back. Now we are playing some real good basketball at the end of the year.  We have to play our best basketball right now. We are still hungry."

 
McNeese State junior guard Dontae Cannon

On the team's potential...

"It gives us a lot of confidence. Usually we get off to a slow start in the first half, but tonight we played really well for 40 minutes. We can be a really scary team if everyone comes out and plays like they did tonight."

 
UT Arlington head coach Scott Cross

Opening statement...

"It was definitely not the way we wanted to end the Southland season this year. You have to give credit to McNeese State. We ran into a juggernaut tonight. They were clicking on all cylinders. We tried to throw everything we had at them, but it seemed like they had an answer for everything. Our guys battled as much as they good. I am proud of them for what they accomplished this year. I have a bunch unbelievable group of guys that have accomplished so much. It is just one of those games."

 
UT Arlington senior guard Bradley Gay

On his effort on the court...

"I just tried to give my heart to my team. They deserved it. So I just feel like every game, I should at least play my hardest."