FRESNO, Calif. – The Lady Mavericks are on the road for the first time in the 2018-19 campaign as they begin a five-game road trip with a two-game swing through California, starting with Fresno State on Friday at 7 p.m. CT. 

UT Arlington opened the season with a 2-1 start after wins over Jackson State and Grambling State, falling to Arkansas on a buzzer beater. The trio of games have showcased the depth of the UTA lineup with upperclassmen shining, but the underclassmen thriving. Senior Cierra Johnson leads the squad with 15.0 points per game, while senior Lauren Billie is just behind her at 14.0 points per game. Freshman Katie Ferrell has been a force on the stats sheet, leading the Sun Belt with 6.7 assists and 3.7 steals per game, while her more than six boards a game are a team best. 

Taking the show on the road will be a new challenge for the group as the matchup with Fresno State marks the second consecutive year that the Lady Mavs and Bulldogs meet in a Black Friday showdown. UTA topped Fresno State 67-54 last year, but the two leading scorers from the meeting have departed, leaving a new group to be featured. Friday also marks second trip in three seasons over the Thanksgiving weekend. UTA won the SHU Thanksgiving Classic in 2016 after taking down both San Diego State and Seton Hall in New Jersey. 

For Misty Dossey, its an opportunity to take the momentum built up on the road. Dossey had a breakout game against Grambling State as she was just two rebounds shy of the team's first double-double this year. The freshman knocked away four shots in Tuesday's win. 

"It is our first trip, so it will be fun to experience that and get a feel for it," Dossey said. "We have a lot of momentum, and once you start winning games you get more confident in the team and in yourself. It drives you and gives you motivational fire between the entire team."

The freshmen group has provided nearly 35 percent of the teams scoring and have UTA setup to bring a lot of depth to each of its matchups this trip. 

A part of the five-game trek, UTA will close its stay on the west coast with a matchup with San Francisco on Sunday. UTA will then travel to UIW (Dec. 2), Oral Roberts (Dec. 6) and Houston (Dec. 17) before returning back to College Park Center to host UTSA (Dec. 20) and USC (Dec. 22)
 
FOLLOWING THE LADY MAVERICKS 
Friday's meeting with Fresno State is featured on GoBulldogs.com via a web stream. A subscription is not needed. 

All of UTA's 14 home games at College Park Center will be featured on ESPN+. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 per month, or $49.99 per year and cancel anytime. Fans wishing to see behind-the-scenes action and get updates from the court are encouraged to follow the team's Twitter account at www.twitter.com/ladymavhoops. Live stats for each of UTA's games can be found at UTAStats.com. 
 
KNOWLEDGE NUGGETS
UTA has dropped just two November games in the last three seasons... Cierra Johnson moved up to second in UTA history and 11th in Sun Belt history with 259 career steals. She needs 26 to reach UTA's all-time leader in Allison Gray (285). Johnson has 950 career points as she approaches becoming the 19th member of the UTA 1,000-point club... Fresno State leads the all-time series 3-1 and are 2-0 when playing in Fresno... UTA was 5-9 away from home last year... The five-game trip is the longest in nonconference under coach Krista Gerlich. 
 
COACHING STAFF
UTA coach Krista Gerlich is in her sixth season at the helm of UTA and enters with a record of 246-128 overall and 78-76 at UTA. Talby Justus was named the program's associate head coach during the offseason, while Jordan Vessels was named an assistant coach after serving as the team's Director of Operations. Assistant coach Ashley Crawford remains the team's recruiting coordinator. 

LOOKING AHEAD
UTA and San Francisco battle for a second consecutive season on Sunday at 4 p.m. CT. UTA topped USF 56-54 at College Park Center on Dec. 21 to close nonconference. Laurynn McGown knocked down three treys on the way to 14 points, while UTA fought off a late rally by the Dons as USF outscored UTA 12-4 in the fourth. 
 
HOME TICKET INFORMATION
Single-game tickets start at just $6 for women and $8 for men, with group rates, military discounts and other cost-saving packages available as well. For additional information related to group tickets, contact Assistant Director of Marketing & Outbound Sales Jeremy Malnes at 817-272-9607 or via email at jeremy.malnes@uta.edu. Season tickets also remain on sale for as low as $50 per seat. For seating options and pricing, as well as Maverick Club benefits, click here. 

Additionally, with a purchase of men's basketball season tickets (Starting at $99), fans are eligible to receive complimentary season tickets to women's basketball, volleyball, softball and baseball for the entire 2018-19 season via the Mav Mania All Sports Pass. For more information on opting in to this complimentary package, or for any other season-ticket questions, please contact the UTA Box Office at 817-272-9595 or visit the College Park Center during regular business hours.