ARLINGTON – The UTA women's basketball team continues Sun Belt Conference play this weekend when they welcome the Warhawks of ULM (2-4, 0-0 SBC) to the College Park Center. UTA and ULM meet in a 6:00 p.m. matchup on Friday, Jan. 8, followed by a 4:00 p.m. contest on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 9).

GAME 1
Matchup: ULM (2-4, 0-0 SBC) vs. UTA (3-3, 1-1 SBC)
When: Friday, January 8 | 6:00 p.m.
Where: College Park Center | Arlington, Texas
Live Stats | Live Video (ESPN+) - Ron Thulin (Play-by-play) & Mike Petersen)

GAME 2
Matchup: ULM (2-4, 0-0 SBC) vs. UTA (3-3, 1-1 SBC)
When: Saturday, January 9 | 4:00 p.m.
Where: College Park Center | Arlington, Texas
Live Stats | Live Video (ESPN+) - Ron Thulin (Play-by-play) & Mike Petersen)

UTA PROJECTED STARTERS
C | #3 Misty Dossey
G | #5 Jordynn Hernandez
G | #21 Terryn Milton
F | #31 Bre Wickware
F | #34 Shyia Smith

CHASTAIN STILL OUT
Junior guard Claire Chastain, a 2020-21 Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Third Team selection, is still out for an indefinite amount of time due to COVID protocols and recovery.

The Shawnee, Okla. native played in the season-opener against Texas A&M-Commerce (Nov. 25) and finished with eight points, five assists and four rebounds, but has not seen the court since.

UP NEXT
UTA will hit the road for the first time in SBC play next weekend. The Lady Mavs will head to Lafayette, La. to face the Ragin' Cajuns of Louisiana in a 2-game Sun Belt Conference series. The squads will face-off Jan. 15 (6:00 pm) and Jan. 16 (4:00 PM).

NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Lady Mavericks averaging 16.0 assists per game, which ranks 53rd in the country. UTA also rank in the top 100 nationally in field goal percentage defense (74th; .368), rebound margin (68th; 6.0) and scoring defense (96th; 62.2).

DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
So far this season, UTA has allowed 373 total points, holding the opposition to just 62.2 points per game, which ranks 96th nationally.

The Lady Mavs have held opponents below 65 points four times this season. UTA has also limited two opponents 35 percent shooting or less from the floor, while forcing three of their six opponents into 14+ turnovers.

WHEN PREPARATION MEETS OPPORTUNITY
After averaging no more than six points per game in their collegiate careers, Shyia Smith and Bre Wickware have been asked to take on bigger offensive roles for the Lady Mavs this season and they have answered the call.

A transfer from Wichita State, Smith's best season came last year when she averaged 6.1 points and 5.1 rebounds on 41.4 percent shooting. The Idabel, Okla. native in her first season in the Blue and Orange is leading the team in scoring (16.2 ppg) and rebounding (6.3 rpg) and is shooting .557 from the floor.

Wickware, who turned in the best season of her collegiate career in 2019-20 after averaging 3.1 points and 2.2 rebounds, is UTA's second leading scorer (12.7) and second on the team in rebounding (5.7).

WELCOME TO THE STAFF
UT Arlington head women's basketball coach Shereka Wright named KaeLynn Boyd as the new Graduate Assistant Manager with the program.

Before coming to UTA, Boyd served as an Assistant Coach at Jacksonville Junior College (2019-20) in Jacksonville, Texas and Arkansas-Fort Smith (2018-19).

She also led the St. Helena High School program from 2016-18, where she led the team to its first playoff season in decades.

Boyd played basketball for three seasons for NCAA Division I University of Rio Grande Valley (former Texas-Pan American) before finishing her collegiate playing career and graduating from NCAA Division I Southeastern Louisiana State. She started 60 games and racked up 778 points, 305 boards, 297 assists, 132 steals and knocked down 81 triples during her collegiate career. Boyd spent the 2018 season playing professionally overseas for K.B. Tirana, which is based in Tirana, Albania.

Boyd, a native of New Orleans, La., graduated with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Psychology with a minor in Kinesiology from Southeastern Louisiana State in 2016. She will pursue her master's in social work at UTA.

TIX ON SALE
A limited amount of season tickets are now on sale for the 2020-21 UT Arlington men's and women's basketball seasons. Single-game tickets to the first few home games are also available for purchase.
 
UTA Athletics officials plan to allow approximately 600 spectators at each home game this season. Tickets can be purchased by visiting UTATickets.com, or by calling the UTA Box Office at 817-272-9595 Monday-Friday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
 
All seating will be located in the lower bowl of the College Park Center, and will be socially-distanced in pods of two (2) or four (4) seats.

FOLLOW THE LADY MAVS
For the latest news on UTA Women's Basketball, log on to UTAMavs.com or stay connected to the Lady Mavs on social media. Follow the Lady Mavericks on Twitter @UTAMavsWBB, on Instagram @UTAMavsWBB and on Facebook at Facebook.com/UTAMavsWBB.