Nov. 19, 2015
UT Arlington (0-1) vs. Jacksonville (0-1)
Friday | 7:15 p.m. | College Park Center
Live Stream | Live Stats | Preseason WNIT Central
UTA Notes | Jacksonville Notes | Dartmouth Notes | McNeese St. Notes
By Michael Eldridge | @DFWSportsMike
ARLINGTON, Texas - Heading into the consolation bracket of the Preseason WNIT, UT Arlington is hoping to rebound from its season-opening loss when it hosts Jacksonville on Friday at College Park Center.
The Lady Mavericks (0-1) fell to No. 5 Baylor in the opening round of the tournament and were selected to host the consolation rounds. The four-team pod includes Jacksonville, Dartmouth and McNeese State. The winners and losers of Friday's games will collide on Saturday - UTA plays at 7:15 p.m. in both rounds.
"It is exciting for us to be able to play the next two rounds on our home court and in front of our fans," UT Arlington coach Krista Gerlich said. "I know they are ready to get back on the court and play better and have some more success."
UTA found itself in a tough matchup in the opener when it took on the Bears offensively, but had positives on the defensive side of the ball. The 62 points Baylor scored was its third lowest output in three years. Baylor averaged 79.5 points per game in 2014-15.
"You look for the positives and you build on it," Gerlich said. "The things that didn't go your way you have to just learn from it. I though our defensive effort was outstanding and that is something the kids pride themselves on. I would really like turning that same focus and intensity to the offensive side. We can be just as good offensively, but we have to find that swag on offense."
Scouting Jacksonville, the Dolphins fell to USF 74-52 in their opening round game. Jacksonville was 12-17 last season, averaging 61.2 points per game. Gerlich is expecting the Dolphins to play fast and be a tough matchup for UTA.
"Jacksonville is really athletic," Gerlich said. "They are really fast on the perimeter and get to the rim. They like to play fast. We are going to have to make sure our defense is ready for that and it is nice that it is on the heels of Baylor because they were very fast as well. Their full-court press can be dangerous for us. We can't turn the ball over against a team like that because they will make you pay for it."
Single game, season tickets or All Sport Passes are available at UTATickets.com or by contacting the College Park Center Box Office at (817) 272-9595.