LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  – If Thursday night was any indiction, UT Arlington is poised to make a run at the conference crown in 2018-19. UTA will have its opportunity to make a statement when it takes on defending league champion Little Rock on Saturday afternoon at the Jack Stephens Center at 3 p.m.

The Lady Mavericks pushed their overall record to 12-4 and 4-1 in the Sun Belt after topping Arkansas State 100-73, the team's first 100-point game since 1997 and just the sixth in program history. The win, the team's first in Jonesboro, Ark. since 1986, kept UTA on pace with the league leaders with both Little Rock (8-8, 4-1) tied in second, just a game behind league leader Troy. 

Cierra Johnson posted her 10th double-digit scoring effort of the season with 23 points. The senior is averaging 20.5 points over her last four games. Brooke Alexander knocked down a career-high 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting, helping UTA in its season-high mark of 11 3-pointers made. 

To remain at the top of the league, UTA will have to end a eight-game negative streak against the Trojans. UTA nearly ended the run last season as it came back from a double-digit deficit in the fourth, seeing a game-tying attempt bounce off the rim with just seconds on the clock. UTA is 2-8 all-time against Little Rock and 1-4 when playing in Arkansas, the lone win coming in 2004. UTA will point to success on the road this season for another positive heading into Saturday's tilt. UTA is 7-2 away from home this season. 

FOLLOWING THE LADY MAVERICKS 
A live stream of Saturday's matchup is available on LRTrojans.com via a subscription to the service. 

All of UTA's 14 home games are featured on ESPN+, while select road contests will also be available. 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 is 10-0 when it leads at halftime and 11-1 when leading going into the final 10 minutes. The lone loss came on a buzzer beater from Arkansas... UTA is 12-0 when it leads or is tied in turnovers forced, but 0-4 when giving up more... UTA has featured eight double-digit winning games this season and three of 99 points or more. The most under coach Krista Gerlich... The team's four-game winning streak is the second longest active streak in the league, only behind league-leader Troy who has eight in a row.

LOCKING DOWN THE HOME COURT
UTA was 13-2 at College Park Center during the 2017-18 season with the lone losses coming to Houston and South Alabama... UTA is 28-7 at CPC dating back to the 2016-17 season... The Lady Mavs went over the .500 mark during last season for the first time since opening CPC in 2012. UTA is 53-46 all-time at CPC. 

RECORD-BREAKING NONCONFERENCE
UTA's 8 wins in nonconference were the most in program history in non-league action. UTA has reached 7 several times, last in 2016... UTA posted a 5-game road winning streak to close non-league action... Cierra Johnson led the team in scoring with 13.3 points per game. She became the 19th player in program history with 1,000 or more points... UTA had featured wins of 20 or more points in 5 of the nonconference matchups... UTA defeated Houston for the first time after dropping the first 10 meetings.
 
COACHING STAFF
UTA coach Krista Gerlich is in her sixth season at the helm of UTA and enters with a record of 255-131 overall and 87-79 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. 

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.