ARLINGTON – The UT Arlington women's basketball team begins a huge January road trip as they will play five of their next six games away from home beginning on Thursday evening against Georgia State at 5 p.m. (CT) inside the GSU Sports Arena.
3-POINTERS
- The UT Arlington women's basketball team begins a long stretch on the road as they take on Georgia State on Thursday evening in Atlanta. The road contest begins a stretch of five of the Lady Mavs' next six games away from the College Park Center.
- It will be the 13th meeting between the Lady Mavs and the Panthers and the first meeting since the 2019-20 season. UTA has won two straight over Georgia State as well as four of the last five. The Lady Mavs lead the series 9-3 and are 4-2 on the road against the Panthers.
- UTA is 3-0 in games coming off a loss this season. The Lady Mavs are 7-2 overall in the Shereka Wright era after dropping a contest.
LAST TIME OUT: TROY NOTABLES
- UTA dropped a tough conference bout with Troy last Saturday afternoon inside the CPC by the score of 59-48.
- The Lady Mavs started the game 7 of 14 (.500) in the first seven minutes of the game. They went on to go 11-for-56 (.196) the rest of the way.
- UTA pulled down a season-high in rebounds with 45 and offensive rebounds with 18.
- After finishing with 20 or more fast break points in back-to-back conference games, the Lady Mavs only had four fast break points on Saturday.
- The Lady Mavs forced 18 Troy turnovers and finished with nine steals as a team led by four from Terryn Milton and three from De'Sha Benjamin.
- UTA finished with a season-low 24 points in the paint. It is the first time this season they finished with under 30 points in the paint.
- Terryn Milton is the first player this season to go for a double-double. Her 10 rebounds are a new career-high.
- The Lady Mavs held Troy to 59 points, their lowest offensive output of the season. The Trojans came in averaging 82.2 points per game.
SCOUTING GEORGIA STATE
- Georgia State sits at 6-7 on the season and 0-1 in the Sun Belt. The Panthers were idle since Dec. 19 because of COVID-19 before taking on Coastal Carolina on Jan. 8 and falling 75-61 on the road.
- The Panthers were without their top three scorers against the Chanticleers last Saturday.
- The Panthers return five players who started 10 or more games last season. The key returners for GSU include Taniyah Worth (8.5 ppg, 3.2 rpg), Hannah Sadler (8.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg), Tehya Lyons (6.1 ppg, 46 assists), and Kam Dziak (5.0 ppg, 30 3FG made).
- Ashley Foster leads GSU in scoring at 11.3 ppg through her first 12 games. She scored a career-high 19 points at Florida to open the season and has reached double figures in seven games.
- Kamryn Dziak leads the Panthers with 21 made 3-pointers and has made a three in 12 of 13 contests she's appeared in this season.
- Taniyah Worth, as well as Dziak, are tied for third in the SBC in 3-point field goals made per game at 1.6.
- Nyla Jean leads the Sun Belt in free throw percentage at .889 on the season, just above UTA's Terryn Milton. Jean is also second in steals per game in conference play with 3.0.
- In her last three games, Moriah Taylor is 8 of 11 (.727) from behind the arc, including three 3-pointers in a game against Tulsa and Coastal Carolina.
- Georgia State enters Sun Belt Conference play after one of its most successful Sun Belt seasons. Posting a 9-7 record, the 2020-21 Panthers earned the No. 2 seed in the Sun Belt East Division, GSU's first No. 2 conference seed since 2001 in the Atlantic Sun.
FIVE STARR
Starr Jacobs has put together an unbelievable season by every metric thus far for the Lady Mavs.
Jacobs is 27th in the country in field goal percentage (.566), 25th in the nation in field goals made (98), and 28th in the country in points per game (19.2). Jacobs is also 77th in the NCAA and second in the Sun Belt in steals per game with 2.33.
Jacobs has scored 10 or more points in all 12 contests this season and 20 or more points in six games this season. Additionally, Jacobs has made five or more field goals in every single contest this season and shot above 50% in nine of 12 games.
The one struggles Jacobs had at times this season was at the free throw line, but in the last few weeks, she has began to made an impact at the charity stripe.
Going into conference play, Jacobs was shooting 18 of 41 (. 439) from the free throw line. In her last three games, Jacobs has gone 16 of 20 (.800) from the line, including 6 of 6 against ULM.
In Las Vegas, Jacobs put together one of her best weekends as she combined to go 26 of 41 (63.4%) from the field while averaging 27.5 points to go with 3.5 steals. She scored 28 on 14 of 24 shooting against UNLV and followed that up with 27 on 12 of 17 from the field against Kansas City.
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.
BIG KAT MOVES TO 2ND
With an assist in the third quarter against Rice on Dec. 4, 2021, senior
Katie Ferrell tied Terra Wallace for second all-time in career assists with 409.
Ferrell moved into sole possession of second place early in the first quarter against Oklahoma State on Dec. 17.
Against #13/17 South Florida on Dec. 2, 2021, Ferrell became the third Lady Mav in school history to eclipse 400 career assists.
Ferrell is currently second in the Sun Belt Conference in assists with 4.9 per game and first in assist/turnover ratio at 2.6. Her assist/turnover ratio is good for 26th in the country.
Ferrell will have an outside chance to become the all-time leader in assists as she is 133 behind Krystal Buchanan. Ferrell is 13assists away from moving into the Top 25 in career assists in the Sun Belt.
TERRYN EYES 7TH AND BEYOND
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 at 315. Milton now sits at 322 assists in her career.
Milton is only one behind Gale Haynes for seventh and three behind Shalyn Martin for sixth. Milton is 34 assists away from moving as high as fourth all-time.
Milton is fifth in the Sun Belt in assists per game with 3.8 and second in the SBC in assist/turnover ratio at 2.2. She had a season-high nine assists against Sam Houston on Nov. 13, where she became the ninth Lady Mav in school history to eclipse 300 career assists.
Milton, along with Ferrell, have 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 at 676. They became the first duo to surpass 700 combined assists in the win over UNLV on Nov. 27.
| Player |
Year |
Assists |
| 1. Krystal Buchanan |
2001-05 |
561 |
| 2. Katie Ferrell |
2018-pres. |
428 |
| 3. Terra Wallace |
2003-07 |
409 |
| 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. |
331 |
| 9. Cierra Johnson |
2014-19 |
315 |
| 10. Carolyn Smith |
1977-81 |
282 |
DISHING OUT DIMES
UTA is first in the Sun Belt in assist turnover ratio and inside the top 50 nationally at 47th. In their 12 games played this season, UTA is 7-1 when they have a plus assists turnover ratio and 7-0 overall when they have at least 15 assists or more as a team. UTA is 25th in the country with the fewest turnovers at only 130.
The Lady Mavs are 1-3 this season when they have a negative assist turnover ratio including three losses by 10 points or more.
The Lady Mavs have 10 or more assists as team in 10 consecutive games including a season-high 20 in a win over Rice on Dec. 4.
DOUBLE-DOUBLE T
Terryn Milton earned her first-career double-double in the home loss to Troy last Saturday. Milton finished with 13 points on the afternoon, including a career-high 10 rebounds to lead the Lady Mavs. It was the first time this season a Lady Mav had a double-double as well as finished with 10 or more rebounds.
Additionally, Milton has been excellent on the defensive end in conference play, finishing with two or more steals in three contests thus far. Milton tied a career-high with five steals against ULM before turning around and picking up four steals against Troy. Her 3.7 steals per game in conference play currently leads the SBC.
BENCH MOB
Two seniors played a huge role off the bench for UTA during their 2-0 opening weekend of conference play as
Camryn Hawkins and
Emma Halverson played vital roles in the pair of victories.
Hawkins played a huge role in the win over Louisiana, finishing with a season-high 11 points, including three 3-pointers, one coming at a key time in the second half to halt a Cajuns run.
Halverson put together one of the better all-around games in her career against ULM as she scored a season-high 11 points to go with eight rebounds, a career-high four assists, and two steals.
The bench has contributed in big ways as of late as it has scored 10 or more points in five straight games.
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: 106
3. UTA: 92
4. Arkansas State: 83
5. Louisiana: 80
6. Texas State: 78
7. South Alabama: 62
8. Georgia State: 58
9. App State: 55
10. Coastal Carolina: 43
11. Georgia Southern: 32
12. 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).
