· Box score
ARLINGTON — Junior Melvin Smith reached double figures for the 21st time this season, but Larry Posey’s double-double helped lead Texas-Arlington to an 81-52 victory over UTSA on Thursday night at Texas Hall.
Smith scored 11 points, his 19th double-digit outing in the past 20 games, and led the Roadrunners (6-18, 2-9 SLC) in scoring for the 13th time this season. Junior Isaiah Allen added nine, while freshman Dezon Otis and senior Dwain Hall both had a season-high seven.
Posey had a double-double at the half and finished with game highs of 15 points and 15 rebounds. Cardell Hunter (11), Tommy Moffitt (10) and Ro’ger Guignard (10) also reached double figures in scoring for the Mavericks, who won their fifth straight game to move to 6-6 in the league and 11-14 overall.
UTSA struggled from the floor, shooting just 32.7 percent (17-52). Meanwhile, UTA shot 50.9 percent (29-57) and outrebounded the Roadrunners, 47-32.
The Mavericks used a 14-4 run to break open a tight game early, building a 32-18 lead with just over two minutes to play in the first half.
A 5-0 run to start the second half pushed the lead to 41-23, and an alley-oop dunk from Jermaine Griffin made it a 19-point game at the 15:58 mark.
The lead would grow to as many as 36 in the second half as UTA made six 3-pointers and forced 12 UTSA turnovers in the half.
The Roadrunners return home to host rival Texas State in the annual homecoming game on Saturday. Tip is set for 6 p.m. at the Convocation Center and the contest will be televised live on Time Warner Cable channel 50.
