Southland Conference

KATY, Texas - A 3-point shot just before the buzzer bounced off the rim, and 49 years of UT-Arlington's absence in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament was finally over.

UTA players, coaches and fans who made the trip to Katy, Texas, for the Southland Conference championship game celebrated an 82-79 victory against Northwestern State long after the Demons final shot fell short. UTA savored the moment for a couple of hours, remaining at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas, for the NCAA Selection Show on ESPN.

Watching a big-screen television in the aren'a hospitality room, players jumped from their seats and cheered when ESPN announced UTA would head to the South Regional and play Memphis. A game in Little Rock on Friday is what the Mavericks were hoping for. It's not far away, and UTA beat Arkansas-Little Rock earlier this season on the road.

"I can't describe the feeling," said UTA coach Scott Cross, a player on UTA's 1998 team that narrowly missed a chance to advance to the NCAA Tournament. "Our guys played their hearts out. We're knew it was going to be a very difficult game. We knew Northwestern State is a second-half team. Our guys stepped up big and made every possession count - especially on the defensive end of the floor. We were able to get stops when we needed to."

UTA (21-11), whose 21 victories is a school record, led most of the second half and even extended its advantage to 10 points, 72-62, with 7:28 left in the game. But the Demons (15-18), who shocked Stephen F. Austin a night earlier by erasing a 13-point second-half deficit, clawed back to within two points, 74-72, with 3:57 left.

But each time the Demons got close, UTA sent inside to tournament Most Valuable Player Anthony Vereen, who finished with 25 points and nine rebounds. Vereen's tip-in put UTA back up by four. With 2:22 left, Northwestern State cut it to 78-77. Vereen was fouled and hit two foul shots to put UTA back up by three, 80-77.

Two more Vereen free throws made it 82-79 with 11 seconds left.

Northwestern State leading scorer Trey Gilder's shot with three seconds left bounced away, and Rod Epps grabbed the rebound for UTA.

"We know the history; we look at the tournament programs, and all these schools have their tournamentt appearances listed, and it just says, 'None," by our name," said Vereen, who was 6-for-10 from the field and 13-for-15 from the 3-point line. "Now, when you look, it'll say 2008. We're proud to be the team that was able to get it done."

UTA sharpshooter Rog'er Guignard had 17 points and five rebounds, while Rod Epps added 12 and Larry Posey chipped in 11.

Gilder finished with 20 points and was a big reason the Mavericks couldn't shake the Demons when it looked like they might take control of the game. Each time UTA extended its lead past five, Northwestern State would hit one of their 10 3-pointers.

But the Demons inability to stop Vereen in the post - and UTA's foul shooting down the stretch - proved too much to overcome. Northwestern State was making its fourth consecutive appearance in the SLC title game.

"My hat is off to Scott Cross and UTA," Northwestern State coach Mike McConathy said. "They came in and did a wonderful job - they came and competed."