ARLINGTON  – An exciting test awaits the red hot UT Arlington Lady Mavericks on Saturday as UTA goes for its sixth consecutive win when it hosts No. 25 USC at College Park Center at 2 p.m. on ESPN+. 

The Lady Mavs, taking care of in-state rivals Houston and UTSA earlier in the week, improved to 7-2 with just one final home tuneup awaiting UTA in the nonconference. The No. 25 Trojans fell for just the first time on the road at No. 24 Texas A&M in their last time out. With the opportunity for a statement win for a program, UTA is seeking its first win over a Power 5 program since 2004 (Kansas), having fallen victim to a heartbreaking buzzer beater against Arkansas earlier in the season. 

The Trojans (9-1) are the first ranked opponent to visit College Park Center since No. 15 Oklahoma State in 2012, and just the fourth for UTA to face under coach Krista Gerlich. 

With the team catching fire in the win column, it has been a flurry of offense from senior Cierra Johnson that has helped propel the last two wins. Johnson took over the game on the road against Houston, scoring nine points in the final three minutes and overtime to help UTA win its first-ever matchup with the Cougars in 10 attempts. Against UTSA, she scored five points in the final two minutes, including the game tying shot, the winning free throw, and a jumper to put pressure on the Roadrunners to go up three with just 20 seconds remaining. 

The leadership of UTA's senior and junior classes have only pushed the underclassmen as a season storyline continued with Terryn Milton and Katie Ferrell lighting up the stat sheet. Milton tied for a game-high 11 points, grabbing four steals, while Ferrell had a game-high 10 rebounds to go with four assists. 

Following closing the 2018 portion of the home schedule Saturday, UTA heads across I-30 to take on Metroplex rival SMU to end nonconference on Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. 
 
FOLLOWING THE LADY MAVERICKS 
All of UTA's 14 home games at College Park Center will be featured on ESPN+. Saturday's battle features Ron Thulin and Jada Butts on the call. 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 and USC are meeting for the first time in program history... UTA is is 0-6 against the Pac-12 all time, meeting Utah on the road in 2017... Johnson needs just 13 points to move up to 17th in UTA history, she has 1,031 entering Saturday. She needs 5 steals to tie for ninth in Sun Belt history... UTA features the third-best nonconference record in the league behind Troy (8-2) and South Alabama (11-0).
 
COACHING STAFF
UTA coach Krista Gerlich is in her sixth season at the helm of UTA and enters with a record of 251-129 overall and 83-77 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 travels to take on SMU in the final game of 2019. UTA topped the Mustangs with a 3-pointer to win the game with seconds on the clock in the matchup at CPC last season. 
 
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.

CLEAR BAG POLICY
In an effort to enhance public safety and the fan experience, for all UTA men's and women's home games this season the College Park Center will implement a clear-bag policy. All purses, containers, backpacks or anything larger than a small clutch bag are prohibited, and items must be placed in a clear tote bag not to exceed 12" x 6" x 12". For more information, fans are encouraged to visitUTAMavs.com/BasketballGameday.