UT Arlington wallops Appalachian State 84-68 to reach semis

Mar 9, 2018, 11:01 pm

NEW ORLEANS -- Erick Neal scored 37 points, Kevin Hervey added 17 and UT Arlington raced past Appalachian State 84-68 on Friday, advancing to the Sun Belt semifinals.

UT Arlington (20-12), the No. 4 seed, takes on top-seeded Louisiana-Lafayette (27-5) on Saturday. The Mavericks lost twice to Louisiana-Lafayette in the regular season.

The Mavericks led all the way, built a double-digit lead by the midpoint of the first half and held a 43-31 lead on Appalachian State by the break.

Neal was 13 of 18 from the floor, making six of eight 3-point shots, and sank all five free throws as well. Neal scored 13 in the opening 20 minutes, while Appalachian State shot 33 percent for the half and 34 percent for the game (23 of 68). The Mountaineers were just 2 of 22 from distance.

Griffin Kinney scored 22 points to lead No. 5 seed Appalachian State (15-18). Justin Forrest added 17.