ARLINGTON – The UT Arlington women's basketball team returns home for the first time in 2022 as they welcome in the defending Sun Belt Conference Champions in Troy for a marquee match-up early on in the SBC season.
3-POINTERS
- The UT Arlington women's basketball team returns home after a three-game road trip as they welcome in defending Sun Belt Tournament Champion Troy to the College Park Center on Saturday afternoon. The Mavs look to move to 3-0 in conference play for the first time since 2019-20 when they also started 3-0. It is UTA's fourth meeting this season against a team that made the NCAA Tournament a year ago.
- It will be the 14th meeting between the Lady Mavs and the Trojans and the first meeting since the 2019-20 season. Troy won the last meeting on their home floor, 85-69, but UT Arlington has won three straight meetings inside the College Park Center, including their last on Jan. 4, 2018, 76-57.
- UTA and Troy have been two of the premier teams in the Sun Belt since the Lady Mavs joined the conference in 2013-14. UTA has won 10 or more conference games in seven straight seasons, a conference-leading mark they hold with Troy.
LAST TIME OUT: ULM NOTABLES
- UTA moved to 2-0 in conference play with a 72-56 road win over ULM last Saturday at Fant-Ewing Coliseum
- Emma Halverson finished with a season-highs in points (11), rebounds (8), and steals (2), while matching a career-high in assists (4).
- Halverson was +19 off the bench, while Camryn Hawkisn was +12 off the bench.
- UTA evens the series with ULM at 34 and have won 14 straight over the Warhawks including eight straight on the road.
- UTA outrebouned ULM 39-38, the first time they have outrebounded an opponent since the USF game on Dec. 2. It is the third time they've outrebounded an opponent this season.
- It is the second straight game UTA finished with 10 steals.
- The Lady Mavs had 12 offensive rebounds on the afternoon. It is their first double digit offensive rebounding outing since Nov. 20 against North Texas.
- Starr Jacobs came into the Louisiana road trip shooting .439 from the free throw line, and proceeded to go 12 of 14 (.857) from the line including 6 of 6 against the Warhawks.
- It is the second consecutive game a player from UTA finished with five steals as Terryn Milton had five in the contest including four in the first quarter.
- Freshman Stephanie Mosley scored her first career points in a UTA uniform in the fourth quarter.
- UTA forced ULM into 18 turnovers and are forcing conference opponents into 17.5 turnovers per game.
SCOUTING TROY
- Troy comes into Saturday's game riding a seven-game win streak after defeating Texas State on Thursday.
- The Trojans have won 17 of their last 18 Sun Belt Conference games and nine in a row dating back to last season (not including tournament matchups).
- Troy had made a 3-pointer in 298 consecutive games.
- Amber Leggett leads the Trojans averaging 14.7 points, good for fourth in the Sun Belt conference, while Felmas Koranga leads the Sun Belt averaging 9.3 rebounds per contest to go with her 13.1 points per game.
- With her 30 triples made, senior Tiyah Johnson leads the Sun Belt conference by five made threes.
- Troy is the top team in the nation at both free throws made and attempted, going to the line 379 times and making 277 free throws. They are second in the SBC, behind UTA, in free throw percentage at 73.1%.
- Troy is also No. 1 in the nation in total rebounds with 782 and offensive rebounds per game with an impressive 18.1.
- Troy is second in the nation in rebounds per game (48.9), seventh in steals (181), eighth in defensive rebounds per game (30.8), and ninth in blocked shots (80).
- Troy has impressive wins this season, but their most impressive came on Dec. 18 when they went into Starkville, Miss., and upset Mississippi State by the score of 73-66.
- The Trojans are the top team in the SBC in NET Rating at 112, with UT Arlington right behind them at 118.
- Last season, Troy won their sixth Sun Belt championship as they defeated Louisiana, 73-65. They went on to the NCAA Tournament, where they fell just short of an upset in the first round to No. 2 seed Texas A&M, 84-80, to finish 22-6 overall.
LADY MAVS STILL RANKED IN MID-MAJOR POLL
The UT Arlington women's basketball team remains ranked in the Mid-Major College Inside Women's Top 25 Poll, sitting at No. 24 in the latest rankings released on Jan. 4. UTA is the only Sun Belt team inside the Top 25.
Following their upset win over nationally-ranked South Florida, the UT Arlington women's basketball team was ranked at high as 20th in the poll.
It was their highest ranking in the poll and the first time they have entered the Top 25 since 2019-20 when they were ranked 25th.
UT Arlington has won eight of their last ten, including wins over Houston, North Texas, UNLV, nationally-ranked South Florida, last season's WNIT Champion Rice, and last season's SBC Regular Season Champion Louisiana.
STARR GAZING
For the second time this season, junior
Starr Jacobs was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week for her performance during the opening weekend of conference play.
Jacobs led UTA to a 2-0 weekend to open SBC play as she led the Lady Mavs to a 62-60 win over Louisiana on Dec. 30 on the road before ringing in the new year on Jan. 1 with a 72-56 victory over ULM. Jacobs averaged 22.0 points per game on 16 of 30 shooting (.533) to go with four boards, two assists, and a steal.
Jacobs earned SBC Player of the Week during the first week of December after a terrific performance against nationally-ranked South Florida and Rice.
Jacobs averaged 15.0 points per game, 8.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 steals, including a 20 point performance against Rice.
Jacobs is 20th in the country in field goal percentage (.585), 24th in the nation in field goals made (93), and 25th in the country in points per game (19.6). Jacobs is also 72nd in the NCAA and third in the Sun Belt in steals per game with 2.45.
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.
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 2.7. Her assist/turnover ratio is good for 27th in the country.
Ferrell will have an outside chance to become the all-time leader in assists as she is 138 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 three behind Gale Haynes for seventh and five behind Shalyn Martin for sixth. Milton is 36 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. |
423 |
| 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. |
329 |
| 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 43rd. In their nine 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 1-2 this season when they have a negative assist turnover ratio including two losses by 15 points or more.
The Lady Mavs have 10 or more assists as team in eight consecutive games including a season-high 20 in a win over Rice on Dec. 4.
WELCOME BACK SHYIA
UTA got a boost on Thursday evening as last year's leading scorer
Shyia Smith came off the bench to provide some much needed depth inside the post.
Smith has been out since the Houston game on Nov. 17 with a concussion and only played 7:21 on Thursday against Louisiana and 16 minutes against ULM. However, her return will be a big boost for the Lady Mavs going forward.
Smith led the team in scoring and rebounds in 2020-21 with 11.6 points per game and 6.0 boards. Coming into the Louisiana game, Smith came in with 6.0 points per game including a 12 point outing against Sam Houston on Nov. 13.
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.
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 84-52 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 62-15 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: 4-1
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: 84-52
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: 105
3. UTA: 92
4. Arkansas State: 82
5. Louisiana: 80
6. Texas State: 78
7. South Alabama: 62
8. Georgia State: 58
9. App State: 55
10. Coastal Carolina: 42
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).
