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SPORTS
| february 12, 2004
Men's Basketball
Mavs drive for 1st road win
They will go to Lake Charles,
La. for their 2nd match-up of the season against McNeese State.
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| The Shorthorn: Mark Roberts |
| Senior forward Donny Beacham
lines up a shot during practice Wednesday afternoon
at Texas Hall. Beacham may not play in tonight’s
game due to an injury. |
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By Britney
Tabor
The Shorthorn sports editor
Winning on the road is important, and some Mavericks basketball
players say it’s the only thing that will help the team advance
in the Southland Conference standings.
Tonight, the Mavericks will play the McNeese State Cowboys in Lake
Charles, La. at 7:30. This is the second match-up of the season
between the teams. In the first meeting, the Mavericks walked away
with a 77-75 win at Texas Hall, and tonight they hope for another.
Senior guard Keith Howell said this game will be competitive because
UTA has not won on the road, and McNeese has not played many games
at home. Howell said for the Mavs to be victorious, they have to
play with energy for the entire 40 minutes like they did in their
last game, a victory at home against Southeastern Louisiana.
The Cowboys hold a record of 1-7 in conference. This will be their
second game at home, where they have an 0-1 record.
Coach Eddie McCarter said despite McNeese’s record, they have
a good team that could pull out a win on any given night. He said
the Mavericks have to limit and contain McNeese’s three-point
shooters.
“They’re a lot bigger than we are in size, so we’re
going to have our hands full,” McCarter said. “I feel
like it’s going to be a tough game, but if we rebound, take
care of the ball, control our turnovers and have a good shooting
percentage, then we have a good chance of winning.”
Senior forward Derrick Obasohan said a higher confidence level and
the previous victory over McNeese are two advantages the team has
entering the game. The Mavericks have already given a game away
at home to Monroe, and they hope to get that win back by defeating
McNeese on the road, he said. Obasohan said they prepared for this
game by focusing on themselves first, and then concentrating on
their opponents.
“You can’t be a good team unless you win on the road,”
he said. “If we don’t have ourselves straight, we can’t
work on anyone else.”
The Mavericks may have to do without two of their big players. Senior
forward Donnie Beacham and sophomore forward Steven Thomas may sit
out due to injuries. Beacham fell on his back after shooting a field
goal in Saturday’s game and Thomas injured his ankle in practice
Monday.
McCarter said if these two are unable to play, the team will look
to the younger athletes to go out and play well.
“We’re going to need our younger players to step up,”
he said. “We need them to play now and even when those guys
are healthy, to add more depth to the team.”
Obasohan said he is motivated to play a good game at McNeese because
it’s his last season, and he wants to reach the playoffs and
eventually win the conference title. For that to happen, the players
have to do their best no matter the circumstances, he said.
“We’re trying to win every game,” Obasohan said.
“We tell the young guys all the time that if they pick us
up, we’re not going to let them down.”
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