NEW ORLEANS – Conference scoring leader Reger Dowell contributed 18 points in a first round Sun Belt tournament matchup and sixth-seeded Texas-Arlington got past No. 7 seed Louisiana-Monroe 68-65 on Thursday night.
It took Texas-Arlington over 10 minutes of the second half to erase a four-point halftime deficit and take a 52-51 lead on two free throws.
The lead swapped hands down the stretch, but the Mavericks held Louisiana-Monroe to just two points in the final 2:37 to hang on for the win. The Warhawks had their chances but failed on two 3-point tries in the final 14 seconds after the Mavericks missed on a couple free throw opportunities.
Tylor Ongwae — averaging a team-high 16.1 points per game — led the Warhawks with 20 points.
Brandon Edwards muscled 12 rebounds and Anthony Walker grabbed 10 boards and scored 12 points for the Mavericks, who will play third-seeded Louisiana -Lafayette on Friday.
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