UT Arlington (7-10, 2-5) vs. ULM (8-9, 2-6)
Thursday, Jan. 28 | 5 p.m. | Fant-Ewing Coliseum

UTA Notes | ULM Notes | UTA Audio ($)

By Michael Eldridge | @DFWSportsMike

ARLINGTON, Texas -- UT Arlington finds itself in a similar position to the 2014-15 season as it sets out on a season-long five-game road trip. The Lady Mavs dropped six out of seven last year before bouncing back to play some of their best basketball down the stretch.

Opening the longest road trip since the 2011-12 season on Thursday at ULM, the Lady Mavericks (7-10, 2-5) have fallen in their last four games. UT Arlington coach Krista Gerlich is hoping to see the same response and leadership that picked it up last season when UTA finished strong in winning eight of its last 11 games.

"I do think you have to have that experience and mindset to snap out of it, but I will say what remains to be seen is our leadership," Gerlich said. "We had some kids in place last year that led us through that and stayed positive and I want our leadership to lead us out of it. We have some young kids doing that for us right now, but I want our leaders to step up and help us get it done."

The Lady Mavs have three that have stepped up to average double-digit averages. Sophomore Cierra Johnson leads UTA with 10.9 points per game, while sophomore Rebekah VanDijk and senior Amara Wainwright are averaging 10.6 and 10.3 points respectfully.

Wainwright sits fifth in the nation with a 45.7 3-point percentage. Johnson continues to lead on both sides of the ball as she has 3.4 steals per game, good for sixth.

Despite the current trend in the standings, Gerlich has made sure to keep a focus on staying positive in knowing that the team has been close in each of its losses.

"We have got to make sure that we keep coming to practice with our heads up and our focus on," Gerlich said. "We are in the games that we are playing in and are a play or two from it being a win rather than a loss. We have to have a winner's mentality and just decide to win."

Following its matchup against ULM, the road trip continues for UTA on Saturday at Louisiana. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.