ARLINGTON, Texas – The UT Arlington Mavericks men’s basketball team cruised to an 89-56 victory Monday night in the 2026-27 season opener at College Park Center. UTA made its physical presence known, outrebounding the Trailblazers, 64-38, and scoring 56 points in the paint.
It was a chance for UTA, which features 12 new players on its 14-player roster, to show how much it has gelled in the offseason. The 64 rebounds tied for the 8th most in a single game in program history (4x; 2026, 1992, 1987, 1964).
Related posts
“I credit them,” KT Turner said. “They are great kids. They get along and hang out together all the time. Every night with this team it can be somebody different scoring the basketball.”
Senior Noah Shelby led five teammates in double figures with a game-high and college career-high 17 points on 5 of 10 shooting from 3-point range. Junior Teodor Simic had 16 points and nine rebounds in just 18 minutes of action.
A pair of Mavericks notched double doubles in the season lid lifter. Sophomore Niko Bundalo finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds, while junior Jerimiyah Smith had 11 points, 10 rebounds and added six assists.
In addition, junior Miles Goodman, the Mavericks’ lone returner, set a new career high with 10 points, his final tally coming on an emphatic alley-oop. Senior Mier Panoam chipped in eight points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
The Mavs never trailed and broke open the game with a 16-2 run late in the first half to take a 42-22 lead into intermission. UTA improved to 4-0 all-time against the Trailblazers.
“Coach stresses coming in and playing hard,” Bundalo said. “We came in ready to hoop, win and play together and to get this thing rolling.”
UTA limited UNT Dallas to just 23 percent shooting from the field (18 for 77).
“We’re about getting better every day,” Turner said. “I thought we did some good things. You want to win every game you play. It gives you confidence going into Hawaii.”
Next Up
The Mavericks are back in action on Friday, Nov. 6 against Portland in the opener of The Outrigger Rainbow Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii.
https://utamavs.com/sports/mens-basketball
