ARLINGTON – Two days after the biggest win in program history, the UT Arlington women's basketball team returns to the hardwood with a match-up with Rice on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. inside the College Park Center.
3-POINTERS
- UTA welcomes in Rice on Saturday afternoon inside the College Park Center. It is the seventh meeting between the Lady Mavs and Owls wil UTA holding a 4-2 advantage all-time including four straight wins. It will be their first meeting since Nov. 13, 2009 when UTA took an 81-64 win inside Texas Hall.
- The Lady Mavs come of their first ever win over a nationally-ranked opponent as they defeated No. 13/17 South Florida on Thursday evening by the score of 61-56.
- It was Head Coach Shereka Wright's first win over a nationally-ranked opponent as a head coach in only her second season.
HISTORIC WIN
The Lady Mavs knocked off No. 13 South Florida on Thursday, Dec. 2, inside the College Park Center.
It was the Lady Mavs first-ever win over a ranked opponent in program history. Prior to the USF win, the Lady Mavs were 0-73 against ranked opponents in the AP Poll era beginning in 1976-77.
The Lady Mavs had only been within 10 points in 10 match-ups in their entire history.
It is also beleived to be the first win for UTA in the Coaches Poll era as well, where USF was ranked No. 17.
LAST TIME OUT: USF NOTABLES
- In the fourth quarter, UTA was 10 of 13 (77%) from the free throw line with all free throws coming with under 3:35 to play.
- It was one of UTA's most brilliant performances as they held South Florida to 22 of 68 (.324) from the field, the lowest total for any opponent this season.
- UTA shot 23 of 52 (.442) from the field as it is the fourth straight game the Lady Mavs have shot 40% or better.
- UTA dominated the paint, holding a 40-28 advantage as well as a 12-4 advantage in fastbreak points.
- UTA held a 41-39 advantage against a tough rebounding USF team that averaged 41.3 rebounds per game. It is only the second time this season UTA has outrebounded an opponent.
- The Lady Mavs did not make a 3-pointer for the first time since Jan. 3, 2012 in a loss to Fresno State at home, 78-48.
- The last time the Lady Mavs won without making a 3-pointer was Dec. 31, 2011 when UTA defeated Houston Baptist at home, 78-61.
SCOUTING RICE
- Rice comes in to the season at 3-2 overall with wins over St. Edward's, Texas Southern, and Pacific and losses to SBC-foe Louisiana and Oklahoma State.
- Against Pacific in their last outing, the Owls entered the Thanksgiving break riding high following an 81-73 home victory. Rice had five players score in double-figures for the first time since the Owls' 81-62 victory at Texas Tech last season on Dec. 5, 2020.
- Sophomore forward Ashlee Austin is having a career season thus far, her third with the Owls. The Johns Creek, Ga. native has scored in double-figures in each of Rice's five contests and is averaging a team-best 16.8 points (6th in C-USA) on 52.9 percent shooting (4th in C-USA), along with 7.6 rebounds per game (8th in C-USA), all of which are career-highs.
- Austin is currently 25th in the country in offensive rebounds per game as she is averaging an impressive four per contest.
- Rice freshman forward Malia Fisher is making her presence felt as a freshman and put together her best performance of the season in the win over Pacific with 14 points and 17 rebounds, both season-highs. Fisher ranks second in C-USA in rebounding (9.8) and blocks per game (2.0).
- The Owls have been very strong in 3-point defense this season as they hold opponents to 22.1% shooting from behind the arc.
- This will be the first road contest for Rice as they just completed a five-game homestand to open the season.
- Rice is coming off a season in which they went 23-4 (12-2) and won the program's first ever WNIT Championship. The Owls went 5-0 in the postseason, including a 71-58 victory over Ole Miss in the title game.
A STARR IS BORN
No player has quite made an impact quite like
Starr Jacobs has in her first seven games with the Lady Mavs.
Jacobs is currently eighth in the nation in field goals made with 62, 20th in the country in points per game with 19.7, 26th in the nation in steals per game with 3.0, and 26th in the nation in field goal percentage at 59.0.
This past weekend in Las Vegas, Jacobs combined to go 26 of 41 (63.4%) from the field while averaging 27.5 points to go with 3.5 steals.
Jacobs added her name to the record books as her 14 made field goals against UNLV on Nov. 27 was good for the third-most all-time in a single game in UTA history. Her 12 made field goals against Kansas City on Nov. 28 tied her for ninth all-time.
Jacobs matched a season-high with 28 points at UNLV. Jacobs has also had three steals or more in five straight games. Sunday was Jacobs's third game with 25 points or more this season.
Additionally, Jacobs has been on a tear on the defensive end, averaging 3.0 steals per game and nearly four steals per game in her last three contests alone. Jacobs 21 steals are first in the Sun Belts and 26th in the country.
BIG KAT REACHES 400
With an assist in the second quarter against #13/17 South Florida on Dec. 2, 2021, senior
Katie Ferrell became the third Lady Mav in school history to eclipse 400 career assists.
Ferrell inches closer to second all-time thus far in the 2021-22 season as she is only seven behind Terra Wallace.
Ferrell will have an outside chance to become the all-time leader in assists as she is 157 behind Krystal Buchanan.
TERRYN MOVES TO 8TH
With her fifth assist in the first quarter on Nov. 28 against Kansas City, senior
Terryn Milton moved into eighth all-time in career assists, passing Cierra Johnson. Milton finished with seven assists in the game to move to 317 career assists and now sits at 319 after the USF game.
She has gotten off to an incredible start this season, averaging 4.6 assists per game, including a season-high nine against Sam Houston on Nov. 13, where she became the ninth Lady Mav in school history to eclipse 300 career assists.
Milton is only 13 behind Gale Haynes for seventh and 15 behind Shalyn Martin for sixth.
Milton is 47 assists away from moving as high as fourth all-time.
Milton, along with Ferrell, has become the second duo in school history from the same recruiting class to each have 300 or more assists in a career. Tamara Simmons and Shalyn Martin accomplished this feat in 2011.
Milton and Ferrell passed Simmons and Martin for the most assists by a duo in school history against Houston on Nov. 17, moving to 676, while Simmons and Martin are at 675. Milton and Ferrell became the first duo to surpass 700 combined assists in the win over UNLV.
| Player |
Year |
Assists |
| 1. Krystal Buchanan |
2001-05 |
561 |
| 2. Terra Wallace |
2003-07 |
409 |
| 3. Katie Ferrell |
2018-pres. |
402 |
| 4. Paige Smithers-Wojciak |
1982-86 |
366 |
| 5. Tamara Simmons |
2007-11 |
341 |
| 6. Shalyn Martin |
2007-11 |
334 |
| 7. Gale Haynes |
1993-97 |
332 |
| 8. Terryn Milton |
2018-pres. |
319 |
| 9. Cierra Johnson |
2014-19 |
315 |
| 10. Carolyn Smith |
1977-81 |
282 |
BREAKOUT BENJAMIN
Senior
De'Sha Benjamin found her mark in the last few weeks for the Lady Mavs.
After only averaging 6.3 points per game in her first three contests, with none of those marks leading to a double digit scoring outing, Benjamin has averaged 15.0 points per game and has scored in double digits in each contest.
Benjamin hit a career-mark against North Texas on Nov. 20 with 20 points and then matched that total on Sunday against Kansas City with another 20 point outing.
Benjamin, a transfer from Alabama, also has hit career highs in field goals made (7), field goals attempted (14), 3-point field goals made (4), and 3-pointer field goals attempted (8).
CALL CLAIRE
After only playing in three games last season and opting out due to COVID-19 concerns, senior
Claire Chastain returns to the floor for her final season and has made an impact on a talented squad.
Chastain has been terrific thus far this season, especially at the free-throw line. Chastain has been clutch at the charity stripe, going 20 of 25 in the fourth quarter or overtime. Additionally, Chastain is 15 of 18 in the final five minutes of a contest this season.
Against UNT on Nov. 20, Chastain had 15 points, a season-high, to go with five boards. She had the game-tying put back in overtime with 54 seconds to go thanks to a strong offensive rebound and then knocked down the game-winning free throw with 0.7 seconds to play to give UTA the win on the road.
Against UNLV on Nov. 27, Chastain was especially clutch as she was 4 of 4 in the final 13 seconds. Earlier, in the fourth, her two free throws had given UTA the lead for good.
She came through again against USF as she was 4 of 5 down the stretch.
WRIGHT NAMED NATIONAL COACH OF THE WEEK
Head Coach
Shereka Wright was named the WHoopDirt.com National Coach of the Week after the UT Arlington women's basketball team picked up a pair of huge wins this past week over Houston and North Texas to move to 3-1 overall.
On Nov. 17, the Lady Mavs went into the half trailing 38-23 and walked out of their home arena on the final buzzer a 69-66 winner in OT over Houston, erasing the 15-point deficit, their largest deficit erased since Jan. 19, 2017 when UTA rallied from 15 down against Louisiana to earn a 79-66 win.
They followed that up with their second-straight overtime game on Nov. 20, a first in school history, and defeated North Texas on the road, 75-74, after erasing an 11-point first half deficit.
It is the first time a UTA coach has been nationally recognized for a weekly award and the first major award since Krista Gerlich was named Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year in 2019.
HOME SWEET HOME
The UTA women have called the College Park Center home since February 1, 2012 when they defeated UTSA in their first contest in their new home arena, 51-40. Since then, the Lady Mavs have complied a home record of 83-51 including five seasons with 10 or more wins.
Since the 2016-17 season, the Lady Mavs have been remarkable at home as they have put together an impressive 61-15 record including a 37-6 record in Sun Belt play as they have not lost more than two games inside their home arena.
Lady Mavs Home Record
2021-22: 3-1
2020-21: 8-1
2019-20: 12-4
2018-19: 12-3
2017-18: 13-2
2016-17: 11-3
2015-16: 7-8
2014-15: 10-5
2013-14: 3-11
2012-13: 3-10
2011-12: 1-4
Total: 83-52
AMONG THE ELITE
UTA has been one of the top teams in the Sun Belt Conference year in and year out since joining the league in 2013-14. The Lady Mavs have been .500 or better every year except their very first season and have currently won 10 or more conference games in seven straight seasons, a conference-leading mark they hold with Troy.
1. Little Rock: 113
2. Troy: 103
3. UTA: 90
4. Arkansas State: 82
5. Louisiana: 79
6. Texas State: 77
7. South Alabama: 62
8. Georgia State: 58
9. App State: 55
10. Coastal Carolina: 41
11. Georgia Southern: 31
ULM: 31
FOLLOW ALONG
For updates, behind-the-scenes photos, videos and more engaging and personal content, be sure to follow the women's basketball program on Twitter (@UTAMavsWBB), Instagram (@UTAMavsWBB) and Facebook (/UTAMavsWBB).
