CEDAR CITY, Utah (Interstat) — Marcell McCreary scored a career-high 39 points, including 24 in a dominant second half, to lead Texas-Arlington to an 86-77 comeback victory over Southern Utah in a Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball game Saturday night at Centrum Arena.

The Mavericks, who trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half, outscored the Thunderbirds 49-36 after halftime to improve to 10-5 overall. Southern Utah dropped to 4-11.

The most important stretch of the game came early in the second half, when Texas-Arlington erased a four-point deficit with a 15-2 run to seize control. The surge was fueled almost entirely by McCreary, the 6-foot-4 guard from Fort Worth, Texas. He hit a trio of three-pointers during the burst, the last giving the Mavericks a 56-48 lead with 16 minutes, 20 seconds remaining. Southern Utah never recovered, getting no closer than five points the rest of the way.

McCreary’s performance was a career best, surpassing his previous high of 16 points. He shot 11 for 19 from the field, including 7 of 12 from three-point range, and added 10 of 12 from the free-throw line. He also contributed three steals in 34 minutes. His backcourt mate, Raysean Seamster, added 11 points and five assists.

Southern Utah was led by a trio of players with 13 points each: Elijah Duval, Jaiden Feroah and Isaiah Cottrell. Cottrell also had five assists and three blocks, while Feroah blocked three shots.

The Thunderbirds started strong, using an early 12-0 run to build a 15-6 lead and maintained a 41-37 advantage at halftime. They shot 48.3 percent from the field in the opening period but cooled to 36.1 percent in the second half as the Mavericks tightened their defense.

Texas-Arlington’s efficiency proved decisive. The Mavericks scored 86 points on just 73 possessions, an offensive rating of 118.0, by shooting 51.9 percent from the field and a blistering 57.9 percent from three-point range. They also converted 19 of 25 free throws. Southern Utah, which scored 77 points on 77 possessions for a 100.0 rating, was hampered by 7-of-21 shooting from beyond the arc and 14 turnovers.

The Mavericks also won the battle for extra possessions, forcing 13 turnovers while committing only nine and grabbing nine steals. Southern Utah held a slight edge in rebounding and blocked six shots.

A crowd of 796 at Centrum Arena saw Texas-Arlington win its second straight game and continue a positive start to WAC play. Southern Utah, which has lost three of its last four, was projected by Interstat’s ELO system to have only a 23.4 percent chance of victory before the game.

Texas-Arlington next plays at home against Abilene Christian on Jan. 10. Southern Utah travels to face Utah Valley on Jan. 8.