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Unlikely foes tangle in Southland title tilt

Sun 16th, March 2008

Katy, TX (Sports Network) - In an improbable matchup, the seventh-seeded Texas-Arlington Mavericks will take on the fifth-seeded Northwestern State Demons in the Southland Conference Tournament championship game.

UT-Arlington is not only aiming for what would be a school record 21st win, but the team can earn its first-ever bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Mavericks knocked off second-seeded Lamar in the quarterfinal round before beating third-seeded Sam Houston State in Friday's semifinals by a 72-66 final.

As for Northwestern State, it will appear in its fourth consecutive Southland Conference title tilt. Two years ago, the Demons won this event and went on to beat Iowa in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Northwestern State beat fourth-seeded Southeastern Louisiana by 20 points in the quarterfinals before notching a 69-66 triumph over top-seeded Stephen F. Austin in the semifinals.

Earlier this season, the Demons beat the Mavericks by an 86-82 final, but UTA owns a 25-21 advantage in the all-time series.

Texas-Arlington finished a lackluster 7-9 against conference opponents during the regular season, but the team is 20-11 overall. While the Mavericks lack a true star, there are a number of capable performers in the lineup. Anthony Vereen is generating 13.2 ppg on 56.4 percent shooting from the floor, and Rog'er Guignard adds 12.9 ppg. Another solid contributor is Jermaine Griffin with his 12.4 ppg and 7.2 rpg. UTA is generating 73.5 ppg while limiting foes to 68.0 ppg. In the semifinal victory over Sam Houston State, Vereen came off the bench to score 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor in only 23 minutes of action. As for Guignard, he is generating 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting accuracy from three-point range. UTA shot 50 percent from the floor in the clash to overcome 55.6 percent shooting from the foul line and 18 turnovers.

Northwestern State is just 15-17 overall, but the club's 9-7 conference mark during the regular season was certainly respectable. The top option at the offensive end for the Demons is Trey Gilder, who is posting 16.3 ppg to go along with 6.1 rpg. Colby Bargeman is the only other double-digit scorer in the lineup, as he is generating 11.5 ppg. The Demons are netting 73.7 ppg, but they are yielding 79.4 ppg to the opposition. In the thrilling win over top- seeded Stephen F. Austin on Friday, Gilder tallied 22 points to go along with eight rebounds. As for Keithan Hancock, he scored 20 points off the bench, and Bargeman added 12 points. The Demons committed only nine turnovers in the clash while forcing 18 giveaways, key to the upset.

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