UT Arlington (7-6, 2-1) vs. Troy (8-5, 3-1)
Thursday Jan. 14 | 5:15 p.m. | Troy, Ala.

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By Michael Eldridge | @DFWSportsMike

ARLINGTON, Texas - Two sides of the Sun Belt spectrum collide on Thursday when UT Arlington's top scoring defense meets the conference's highest scoring offense in Troy.

The Lady Mavericks (7-6, 2-1) continue their three-game road trip with eyes on pushing their away streak to four games. UTA's defense enters the matchup allowing just 53.7 points per game - 22nd in the nation, while Troy features the sixth-best offense at 85.2 points per game. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:15 p.m.

"You have to be more intense about it and more adamant anytime you play a team that scores that many points," UT Arlington coach Krista Gerlich said. "You have to be cognitive about transition defense. On the flip side of that, we have been taking care of the basketball to not give them easy buckets on the transition."

Ashley Beverly-Kelley has been the catalyst of the Troy attack, leading the conference with 19.9 points per game. For UTA to hold back the Trojans attack, it will need to keep its trend of holding its opposition well below their normal production.

The Lady Mavericks have held four of their last five opponents to less than 50 points. The defensive production has helped UTA win its last two games by more than 31 points.

Sophomore Cierra Johnson provides the first line of UTA's defense. Johnson is fifth in the nation with 3.54 steals per game, she had came one shy of her career high in her last time out with six against Appalachian State.

With the tough task ahead, Gerlich has kept the focus on her team in practice.

"Our kids have to continue to come out and play for 40 minutes," Gerlich said. "They have to play with energy and confidence. We need our bench to continue to produce and give our starters some breaks and not lose any momentum when we do that. It is going to be difficult and a great challenge for us, but we are excited about the opportunity."

The Lady Mavericks and Trojans split last season, both winning at home. However, Troy holds a 3-2 edge in the all-time series.

Notable: UTA is above .500 for the first time this season after its win over App State last Thursday. ... UTA coach Krista Gerlich is four wins away from reaching 200 in her career. ... The Lady Mavs close their road trip on Saturday against South Alabama. UTA swept its series against the Jaguars last season.