Neal has career-high 38, UTA rallies to beat Appalachian St.

Feb 2, 2018, 04:26 am

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Erick Neal had a career-high 38 points and Kevin Hervey added 18 points with 14 rebounds to lead UT Arlington to an 89-77 comeback victory over Appalachian State on Thursday night.

The Mavericks drilled 10 of 16 (63 percent) from beyond the arc with Appalachian State making just 8 of 31 from distance.

Neal was 11 of 19 from the floor, hitting five from distance, and making 11 of 12 free throws. Hervey was 6 of 8 from the line as the Mavericks made 29 of 38 free-throw attempts. Appalachian State made 13 of 16.

Nathan Hawkins added a career-best 19 points for UTA (14-10, 5-6 Sun Belt Conference).

Appalachian State held a 39-35 halftime advantage. UTA took its first lead, 58-57, since early in the game when DJ Bryant made two free throws with 8:10 left. Neal drained a 3 and followed with a layup as the Mavericks took the lead for good 63-60 with 6:24 left.

The Mavericks made 16 free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

Ronshad Shabazz led the Mountaineers (9-15, 4-7) with 31 points, one shy of his career high.