ARLINGTON, Texas --- The UT Arlington women's basketball team (7-8, 1-2 WAC) will hit the road Saturday to take on Abilene Christian (7-7, 1-2 WAC) at 1 p.m. inside Moody Coliseum.
STORYLINES
- This weekend's matchup will be the first meeting between the two programs since Nov. 27, 2013, where the Wildcats produced a 79-72 victory inside the College Park Center in Arlington. That was the only time the two programs met since 1987. The Lady Mavs hold an 8-6 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to a 37-19 victory for Abilene Christian on March 2, 1973.
- The Wildcats are coached by Julie (Roewe) Goodenough, who scored 649 career points as a member of the Lady Mavs women's basketball team from 1989-91 after transferring in from Western Texas College. Following her playing career, she served as an assistant coach in the 1991-92 season.
- Offensively, the Lady Mavs have been led by the duo of Starr Jacobs and Kayla White, who are averaging a combined 34 PPG over three conference games. Jacobs is tied for fifth in the WAC with 18 of those 34 while White is tied for 8th, which makes UT Arlington one of three teams in the conference with multiple players among the top 10 in scoring along with Sam Houston and UTRGV.
- UTA has opened the conference season ranked 10th among 13 teams in scoring, rebounding and free throw percentage. On the flip side, the Lady Mavs are second in assists and third in scoring.
INDIVIDUAL NOTABLES
- Jireh Washington produced 12 points along with team-highs in rebounds (6) and assists) in Wednesday's loss to UTRGV. It was the third time this season she has produced at least 10-5-5 in those categories. She also had a streak of 12 consecutive free throws made snapped in the game.
- De'Sha Benjamin had a pair of assists vs UTRGV and is now just 11 shy of 100 in her career.
- Taleyah Jones registered the fifth double-digit scoring performance of her rookie season against UTRGV, tallying 11 points on 2-of-4 shooting from long distance. She has made at least one 3-pointer in six of her past seven outings, and her total against UTRGV tied her season high.
- Starr Jacobs, who averaged 19 points, 10.5 rebounds, four steals, 2.5 assists and 0.5 blocks while shooting .542 from the field over a pair of games to open WAC play last week, opened this week with another strong performance, registering a team-high 16 points along with four rebounds, three steals and two assists. It was her fifth straight game in double-digits, her 13th of the season and the 41st of her UTA career.
- Kayla White added 14 points and four rebounds for her eighth double-figure scoring effort over the past nine outings, as well as her fourth straight and 10th overall. In the previous outing against Tarleton, she poured in season-bests in points (21) and field goal percentage (.643).
- Shyia Smith made her 15th straight start to open the campaign, and she is the only Lady Mav to start every game. Overall, it was her 29th-consecutive start dating back to Jan. 20, 2022 against Texas State.
LEADING THE WAY
UT Arlington's 92 points against Tarleton is tied for the second-highest output (Sam Houston vs Seattle) by a WAC team in a conference game so far this year. Utah Tech holds the high mark (99), which they achieved against SFA (1/5). The 34 made field goals and 23 assists against the Texans are also second-best totals behind Utah Tech's performance. UTA's 17 assists per game in the WAC is second-best.
SHORT TURNAROUND
UT Arlington opened WAC play Dec. 29 with a 67-61 loss at California Baptist at 8 p.m. CT. Following a 1:59 a.m. CT flight out, the team arrived back at the CPC around 5 a.m. and began prep later that day for their Dec. 31 game against Tarleton.
HOME SWEET HOME
The UTA women have won five of seven games to open this season inside the College Park Center, where they have called home since Feb. 1, 2012 when they defeated UTSA in their first contest in their new home arena. Since then, the Lady Mavs have compiled a record of 93-57 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 69-19 record.
| 2022-23 |
5-2 |
| 2021-22 |
8-4 |
| 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 |
93-57 |
BACK TO THE WAC
UT Arlington is back in the WAC after previously spending one year as a member of the conference in the 2012-13 season, where they finished 4-14 in league play and tied Texas State for ninth in the regular season standings. UTA spent the past nine seasons (2013-22) as a member of the Sun Belt Conference, where they are the reigning tournament champion. Prior to their initial WAC tenure, the Lady Mavs were a 48-year member of the Southland Conference (1963-2012) – of which it was a founding member.
New Mexico State, UTA and Seattle U are the only three current WAC schools that were also members of the league in 2012-13.
2012-13 WAC Membership (Current Affiliation)
Denver (Summit)
Idaho (Big Sky)
Louisiana Tech (Conference USA)
New Mexico State
San Jose State (Mountain West)
Seattle U
Texas State (Sun Belt)
Utah State (Mountain West)
UT Arlington
UTSA (Conference USA)
2022-23 WAC Membership
Abilene Christian
California Baptist
Grand Canyon
New Mexico State
Sam Houston
Seattle U
Southern Utah
Stephen F. Austin
Tarleton
UT Arlington
UT Rio Grande Valley
Utah Tech
Utah Valley
A STARR BEYOND ARLINGTON
Senior forward
Starr Jacobs had quite the debut last year in her first season as a Lady Mav after a WBCA All-American JUCO career at Temple College, earning Sun Belt Player of the Year recognition along with becoming a four-time SBC Player of the Week, landing a spot on the NCAA's Starting 5 (2/9) and being named First Team All-Texas and Dave Campbell's Texas Junior of the Year.
In 2021-22, Jacobs was:
- The only player in the nation to average at least 21 points, two steals and 1.5 assists per game while shooting at least 50 percent from the field.
- One of just two players nationally along with DePaul's Aneesah Morrow to average at least 21 points, two steals and shoot at least 50 percent from the field.
- One of two players along with Michigan's Naz Hillmon to average 21 points, 1.5 assists and shoot at least 50 percent from the field.
This season, Jacobs carried that momentum over, being named the WAC's Preseason Player of the Year by the media and ESPN.com while becoming the first player in program history to be named to the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Preseason Watch List.
And so far, Jacobs has produced again this year.
- Double-figure scoring in 13 of 15 games
- Two games with 20-plus points, including a season-best 29 against Toledo
- Career-high 14 rebounds against California Baptist
- Three double-doubles
- .503 field goal percentage
- Leads team in scoring, rebounding and steals per game
OFFENSIVE POWERHOUSE
Fifth-year guard
Kayla White has had a tremendous start to the season after transferring in from Southern Methodist. The team's second leading scorer at 13.5 per game, she leads the Lady Mavs in 3-point percentage (.364) while ranking second in field goals made (65) and third in free throw percentage (.708). She poured in a season-best 21 against Tarleton, recorded a team-best 16 points in a key road win over Houston that included several big baskets down the stretch and tallied 20 points in a home win over Texas. Despite missing a pair of games due to illness, she has totaled double-digit points in nine of the past 10 and 10 of 13 overall this year.
HEATING BACK UP
After missing five games due to an injury, fifth-year point guard
Jireh Washington is rounding back into form. At the time of her injury against Toledo on Nov. 26, the Arkansas State transfer was the team's leader in scoring, assists and steals. In her first two games back - Arizona (12/21) and California Baptist (12/29), she totaled 12 points, six in each outing. On Dec. 21, she returned to the starting lineup and has averaged 11 points, seven rebounds, 5.5 assists and a steal since. In Wednesday's game against UTRGV, she produced her second straight and third game overall this year with at least 10 points, five rebounds and five assists.
ONE OF 12
In the season opener against Texas Southern,
Jireh Washington registered 11 assists, which was just the 12th time a player has notched that many in a game in program history.
DECEMBER TO REMEMBER
Freshman guard
Taleyah Jones, who has now reached double-figure scoring in four of the past seven games, finished as the team's third-leading scorer in the month of December with 11.6 per contest behind
Starr Jacobs (15 PPG) and
Kayla White (13 PPG). On top of that, she was a team-best 7-of-17 (.412) from long distance in the month. She had a 12-point outing against No. 16 Arizona, which followed an explosive performance against Texas A&M - Texarkana where she became the 11th freshman in NCAA Division I play this year to score at least 30 points in a game. Including Florida State's Ta'Niya Latson, who has achieved the feat five times, the following 15 players have combined for 20 such instances this year.
Gabi Fields, Northern Colorado - 36 vs Colorado State
Ta'Niya Latson, Florida State - 34 vs Texas Southern
Mara Braun, Minnesota - 34 vs Lehigh
Ta'Niya Latson, Florida State - 34 vs Kent State
Micah Gray, Texas Southern - 33 vs UCF
Ta'Niya Latson, Florida State - 32 vs Georgia Tech
Jazmyn Stone, College of Charleston - 32 vs Charleston Southern
Ali Saunders, Valparaiso - 32 vs UAB
Ta'Niya Latson, Florida State - 32 vs Florida
Ta'Niya Latson, Florida State - 31 vs Clemson
Raven Preston, Elon - 31 vs Davidson
Mya Hansen, Boise State - 31 vs BYU
Kylie Lavelle, Drexel - 31 vs La Salle
Kenley McCarn, UT Martin - 31 vs Troy
Rosa Smith, Idaho - 30 vs Sacramento State
Sharnecce Currie-Jelks, UT Martin - 30 vs SEMO
Micah Gray, Texas Southern - 30 vs Grambling
Taleyah Jones, UT Arlington - 30 vs Texas A&M - Texarkana
Cotie McMahon, Ohio State - 30 vs South Florida
Darianna Littlepage-Bugges, Baylor - 30 vs Tennessee State
MILESTONE WATCH
Starr Jacobs
- 180 points shy of 1,000 in her career at UT Arlington
Shyia Smith
- 19 points shy of 800 in her NCAA career
- 6 rebounds shy of 300 in her UT Arlington career
Jireh Washington
- 9 points away from 1,300 in her NCAA career
- 16 steals away from 200 in her NCAA career
Kayla White
- 56 points away from 1,300 in her NCAA career
- 22 rebounds shy of 400 in her NCAA career
AMONG ACTIVE NCAA CAREER LEADERS
Jireh Washington and
Kayla White both rank among the nation's best in multiple career statistical categories. Washington is 113th among all active Division I players in scoring (1,291), 48th in free throws made (322) and 28th in free throw attempts (481). Meanwhile, White is 137th in points (1,244) among active Division I players.
FUN WITH NUMBERS
10+ POINTS IN A GAME
Jireh Washington - 69
Kayla White - 63
Starr Jacobs - 41
De'Sha Benjamin - 36
Shyia Smith - 30
Taleyah Jones - 5
Kamaria Gipson - 5
Nya Threatt - 1
20+ POINTS IN A GAME
Starr Jacobs - 18
Jireh Washington - 15
Kayla White - 12
De'Sha Benjamin - 3
Shyia Smith - 1
Taleyah Jones - 1
30+ POINTS IN A GAME
Starr Jacobs - 2
Kayla White - 1
Jireh Washington - 1
Taleyah Jones - 1
10+ REBOUNDS IN A GAME
Starr Jacobs - 7
Kamaria Gipson - 5
De'Sha Benjamin - 3
Shyia Smith - 3
Jireh Washington - 2
10+ ASSISTS IN A GAME
Jireh Washington - 1
CAREER DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Starr Jacobs - 7
Shyia Smith - 2
Kamaria Gipson - 2
De'Sha Benjamin - 2
Jireh Washington - 1
CATEGORY LEADERS
PPG
Starr Jacobs – 15.4
Kayla White – 13.5
Jireh Washington – 12.0
Shyia Smith – 7.9
Taleyah Jones – 7.7
RPG
Starr Jacobs – 6.3
Shyia Smith – 5.5
Kamaria Gipson – 4.0
De'Sha Benjamin – 3.8
Kayla White – 3.5
APG
Jireh Washington – 5.1
Starr Jacobs – 2.1
Kayla White – 1.6
De'Sha Benjamin – 1.3
Shyia Smith – 1.2
SPG
Starr Jacobs – 2.9
Jireh Washington – 2.3
Kayla White – 1.6
Alexsyah Goudeau – 0.9
Taleyah Jones – 0.9
De'Sha Benjamin – 0.9
BPG
Shyia Smith – 0.6
Kamaria Gipson – 0.6
De'Sha Benjamin – 0.5
Starr Jacobs – 0.3
Alexsyah Goudeau – 0.3
GOUDEAU STEPS UP
Alexsyah Goudeau made the first of six consecutive starts this year on Nov. 29, producing her first of three straight games with a season-high eight points. She also grabbed a season-best six rebounds against Baylor on Dec. 7. She has scored in 14 of 15 games this year, including five with at least five.
SMITH COMES UP CLUTCH
Fifth-year senior
Shyia Smith made the game-winning layup with 16 seconds left in the team's 75-72 win over Texas A&M – Commerce.
GIPSON COMES UP BIG
Kamaria Gipson, a third-year transfer from San Diego State, helped the Lady Mavs produce a pair of wins in games against Texas Southern (11/7) and Texas A&M - Commerce (11/12) behind back-to-back double-digit scoring performances, including her second career double-double on the 12th. She also added a 10-rebound performance against nationally-ranked Baylor (12/7).
AMONG THE NATIONAL LEADERS
The Lady Mavs rank among the top 75 teams nationally in four categories:
- Free throw attempts per game (12th, 23.53)
- Free throws made per game (26th, 15.33)
- Steals per game (43rd, 10.3)
- Turnovers forced per game (58th, 19.4)
Individually,
Starr Jacobs has ascended to the top 30 nationally in three categories:
- Total steals (16th, 43)
- Steals per game (23rd, 2.87)
- Total free throw attempts (30th, 88)
EXPERIENCED LINEUP
Despite injuries getting in the way at times, UT Arlington has used the same lineup for the past two games and six times overall. It is a group that has combined for 471 games of NCAA Division I experience, and that total becomes 513 games of collegiate experience if you include the 42 games that Jacobs played at the JUCO level.
CHALLENGING NON-CONFERENCE SLATE
The UT Arlington women's basketball team wrapped up a tough non-conference slate on Dec. 21 with a loss to No. 16 Arizona. It was the third nationally-ranked team the Lady Mavs have played as UTA fell to No. 16 Oklahoma on Nov. 20 and No. 19 Baylor on Dec. 7.
On top of that, UTA went on the road and nearly upset now 12-1 Kansas, trailing twice by just one late in the fourth quarter, the second time which came on a layup from
Starr Jacobs with 3:36 left before falling 79-74. Then, in the Maggie Dixon Classic against the Sooners, the Lady Mavs took a 74-73 lead with four minutes left in the game on a jumper from
Jireh Washington, but Oklahoma went on a 5-0 run and closed the game on a 16-6 spurt.
On Nov. 26 in Daytona Beach, UT Arlington lost to Toledo, a team that defeated No. 19 Michigan on Dec. 8 and has opened the season 10-2 behind a seven-game winning streak. Last year, the Rockets won the regular season MAC title with a 19-1 record before finishing the season 29-6.
UT ARLINGTON BY THE NUMBERS
Milestone Wins
100th - 65-50 vs Texas Woman's – 11/13/79
200th - 64-51 vs Texas Wesleyan – 2/2/87
300th - 73-55 vs Nicholls State – 2/15/96
400th - 67-63 at Louisiana Monroe – 2/1/03
500th - 54-41 vs TAMUCC – 1/26/08
600th - 65-58 vs Appalachian State – 2/13/16
700th - 60-40 at Arkansas State – 2/26/21
By The Decade
1972-82: 147-135 (.521)
1982-92: 109-165 (.398)
1992-02: 135-141 (.489)
2002-12: 169-132 (.562)
2012-22: 161-131 (.551)
2022-present: 7-8 (.467)
Overall: 728-712 (.506)
OPENING WITH HISTORIC OFFENSE
The 102 points that UT Arlington scored in the season-opening win over Texas Southern represented the most the program has ever produced in a season opener and fell just one shy of the overall single-game record. It was the eighth time the Lady Mavs have reached the century mark in 50-plus seasons of basketball. In fact, it was the most points they've scored in a game in nearly 25 years dating back to a 102-point outing against UTRGV on Jan. 26, 1998.
OPENERS
The Lady Mavs are now 25-26 all-time in season openers, as well as 37-14 in home openers. This was the seventh-consecutive season they opened the season at home, and they are 8-1 over the past nine openers.
RESTOCKING THE PANTRY
While UT Arlington returns seven players from last year's roster (six that saw action), the Lady Mavs are replacing six players, highlighted by three key outgoing transfers -
Terryn Milton (Oklahoma State),
Claire Chastain (Oklahoma State) and
Katie Ferrell (Texas Tech).
Milton, Chastain and Ferrell comprised UTA's second, fourth and sixth leading scorers while Ferrell, Milton and Chastain were the second, third and fourth top rebounders, respectively. If that isn't enough, Milton, Ferrell and Chastain - in that order - were the top three assist producers on the team.
In total, UT Arlington is replacing over 40 percent of its contributions in five key categories:
Scoring - 44.5 percent
Rebounding - 60.5 percent
Assists - 75.2 percent
Steals - 52.5 percent
Blocks - 66.7 percent
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