STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Following a challenging non-conference schedule, the UT Arlington men's basketball team jumps back into WAC play this week, beginning with a matchup at Tarleton State on Thursday, Jan. 4, at 7 p.m.
 

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Game 14	UT Arlington (6-7, 1-1 WAC) @ Tarleton State (9-4, 2-0 WAC)
Date | Time	Thursday, Jan. 4 | 7 PM
Tickets	Purchase
Video	ESPN+
Radio	620 AM | 102.5 FM
Audio Stream	Varsity Network App | UTAMavs.com
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Game Notes	UT Arlington | Tarleton State | WAC

OPENING TIP(s)

• UTA played the nation's 13th-hardest non-conference schedule. The Mavericks have already faced five NET Quad 1 opponents in addition to a Quad 2 foe, including three in a row to end the non-league docket (Texas Tech: Q1, North Texas: Q2 and #21 Texas: Q1).
   
• The Mavs played a pair of WAC games in late November and early December, picking up a win over Abilene Christian, 86-71, and suffering a narrow loss at preseason favorite Grand Canyon, 76-69, in a contest UTA led with under 90 seconds remaining.
   
• Through those two games, UTA leads the WAC in 3-point percentage (48.6%) and is 2nd in field goal percentage (51.5%). For the entire season, UTA paces the WAC in assists per game (16.1) and offensive rebounds (13.3).
   
• DaJuan Gordon needs just four rebounds to reach 600 for his career. The grad transfer is one of only four players this year to come off the bench against a D-I foe and record at least 15 points and grab 15 rebounds when he accomplished the feat versus Air Force on Dec. 16. Gordon did not score at #21 Texas; the last time he was held scoreless this year (against Texas State), he responded with a team-high 16 points versus Abilene Christian the next game.
   
• UTA boasts the following top-60 individual national rankings:
  
  Shemar Wilson
  Offensive Rebounds: 25th (3.5/gm)
  Blocks Per Game: 35th (2/gm)
  Double Doubles: 50th (4 total)
  
  DaJuan Gordon
  Double-Doubles: 50th (4 total)
  Defensive Rebounds: 58th (6.2/gm)
   

TWEETABLES
1) Brandyn Talbot (7 points per game) has not played the last three games after suffering a concussion against Air Force, and he is questionable for Thursday's tilt with Tarleton State.
2) All six of UTA's wins have come when it has scored 70+ points; six of its seven losses have occurred when the Mavs have failed to score at least 70 (exception: 82-80 at New Mexico).
3) UTA knocked down 12 3-pointers at #21 Texas – the 2nd-most triples the Longhorns have allowed this season (14 by then-#8 Marquette).
4) UTA's nine double-doubles leads the WAC: Wilson (4), Gordon (4) and Aaron Cash (1). Grand Canyon (8) and Tarleton State (7) have the next most, and UTA's nine are two more than four teams combined: Seattle U (1), Utah Valley (2), Stephen F. Austin (2) and Abilene Christian (2).
 
LOW-BLOCK MATCHUP
Wilson's four double-doubles are tied with Gordon for the 2nd most in the WAC this year behind Tarleton State's KiAndre Gaddy who has five.
 
Wilson has a conference-leading seven games of double-figure rebounds, while Gaddy is tied for the 2nd most with five. Gaddy is 1st in the WAC in offensive rebounds per game (4.5) and Wilson is 2nd (3.5).
 
Gaddy is responsible for the most blocks in a game this year by a WAC player with seven, while Wilson is tied for the 2nd most with five.
 
That five-rejection performance came at Texas Tech on Dec. 21, and Wilson followed it up with four blocks two games later at #21 Texas on Monday. Those are the two-highest block totals of Wilson's UTA career.

ABOUT TARLETON STATE

• Tarleton State's two WAC wins came by a combined four points as the Texans won at Stephen F. Austin, 68-66, and at home versus UT Rio Grande Valley, 77-75.
   
• The Texans closed their non-conference docket with a 79-66 win at Loyola Marymount on Dec. 29. In that game Gaddy posted 24 points and 12 reboards en route to being the second Tarleton player this season (Jakorie Smith) to be named WAC Player of the Week on Tuesday.
   
• Tarleton leads the league in fewest points allowed (63.2) and free throw percentage (74.2); the Texans are 2nd in 3-point defense (32%) and turnover margin (+3).
   
• The Texans have 16 new players this year – the most of any team in the nation. Smith leads Tarleton at 14.8 points per game, while Gaddy averages 13.3 and pulls down a team-best 7.8 rebounds. Lue Williams (11.9) and Devon Barnes (10.1) round out the quartet of double-figure scorers.
   
• Joseph Jones was named acting head coach on Dec. 19. He had been filling in for head coach Billy Gillispie since Nov. 18 due to medical circumstances, and he is 7-2 in that timeframe leading the Texans.

TEXAS GAME NOTABLES

• Kade Douglas led UTA in scoring for the third time this year with 17 points off the bench on the strength of five 3-pointers – the third time the true freshman has made 5+ triples in a game.
• After securing a career-high six rebounds at North Texas on Dec. 23, Makaih Williams broke that against #21 Texas with eight caroms.
• UTA's 12 3-pointers marked the fourth time this year it has made a dozen or more in a contest.

SCORING DEPTH
The Mavs have already had 11 players reach double-figure points in a game this year (highs): Wilson (29), Russell (28), Gordon (24), Douglas (20), Akili Vining (16), Cash (17), Fabio Basili (15), Talbot (14), Williams (14), Dwayne Koroma (12) and Freds Pauls Bagatskis (11).
 
Of those 11, Wilson (4x), Douglas (3x), Gordon (2x), Russell (2x), Basili (1x) and Cash (1x) have led UTA in scoring.
 
CLEANING UP THE WEEKLY AWARDS
UTA has had three different players win either WAC Player of the Week or Newcomer of the Week this season: Gordon (Player, Nov. 13), Wilson (Player, Nov. 20) and Russell (Newcomer, Dec. 18). UTA and Grand Canyon are the only schools in the WAC with three different players earning weekly awards this year.
 
Gordon and Wilson became the first set of UTA teammates to be named conference Player of the Week in the same season since 2017-18 when Kevin Hervey and Erick Neal both received the recognition when the Mavs were in the Sun Belt Conference. Furthermore, since the WAC began issuing Player of the Week honors in 1982-83, that was just the sixth occurrence of the same school winning each of the season's first two awards:
 
1984-85: San Diego State
1998-99: New Mexico
1999-00: SMU
2015-16: New Mexico State
2017-18: Utah Valley
 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE
Gordon is one of only two UTA players in program history to begin his tenure with the Mavs by posting three-straight double-doubles. The only other was Damon Johnson in 1994 (Nov. 26-Dec. 2). No player has ever had four-consecutive double-doubles to begin a UTA career. He is now tied with Wilson for the 2nd-most double-doubles in the WAC this year with four.
 
PROLIFIC OFF THE BENCH
Gordon became just the sixth player in the nation this year – and only the fourth versus a D-I opponent – to come off the bench and record at least 15 points and 15 rebounds in a game when he accomplished that feat against Air Force. Furthermore, he's now only the second player to achieve those totals off the bench in a winning effort against a D-I foe (Missouri State's N.J. Benson with 17 points and 16 rebounds in an 87-69 victory over fellow WAC member Abilene Christian on Nov. 20).
 
RECORD-TYING 3-POINT PERFORMANCE
UTA tied a single-game program record with 17 made 3-pointers on Nov. 11 against UT Tyler. That mark had only been reached once previously – on Dec. 8, 2015, against Bradley. Those 17 triples are three more than any other WAC team this year.
 
LONG-RANGE THREAT SIDELINED
In that UT Tyler contest, Bagatskis knocked down three 3-pointers and scored 11-straight points for UTA in the 1st half. However, the Georgia Tech transfer has not played in a game since then after suffering a left ankle injury in practice the week of Nov. 13, and he will be out indefinitely.
 
HISTORICAL PERFORMANCES
In its 74-37 win over UNT Dallas on Dec. 6, the Mavs had 26 offensive rebounds to tie for the 6th most in single-game program history and most in any game since 1996. Of those 26 o-boards, 25 were secured by players (one team rebound) to represent the 6th-most offensive rebounds by any team in the nation this year.
 
Individually, Cash – who had 17 points and 17 rebounds – was responsible for 12 offensive rebounds to tie for the most in program lore with Johnny McDowell (1992) and Sam Norton (1984). Those dozen o-boards are also the most by any player in the nation this year (four players with 11; five with 10). The 17 total rebounds are the most by any player in the WAC this season.
 
Defensively, the 37 points UTA allowed were its 2nd fewest all-time behind only a 36-point performance against SMU in 1989 – a game the Mavs actually lost, 36-31. Those are the only two times in the 64+ years of the program UTA has held a team under 40 points.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
0) Vining did not have a turnover while issuing eight assists against Alcorn State on Nov. 22, becoming just the fourth UTA player since 2010 to have at least eight assists and zero turnovers versus a D-I foe, joining Javon Levi, Brian Warren and Neal. Additionally, with seven points and five rebounds to go along with the eight assists and no turnovers, Vining was the first player in the nation to finish with at least those totals coming off the bench since Feb. 26, 2022; dating back to 2017, only eight other players in the country have registered that stat line against a D-I opponent.
 
1) Wilson finished with eight points, 11 rebounds, five blocks and three steals at Texas Tech – the only player in the nation this year with at least those totals in a game.
 
1) UTA defeated Oral Roberts in the season opener on Nov. 6, 75-71. It was the only game in the last 13 years that the Mavs won, scored at least 70 points and shot less than 35% from the field.
 
2) Both Wilson (29 points, 11 rebounds) and Gordon (13 points, 14 rebounds) recorded double-doubles at New Mexico on Nov. 16 to become the first UTA players since Nov. 28, 2020, to accomplish the feat.
 
3) The Mavs had three players secure double-figure rebounds versus Oral Roberts: Wilson (14), Gordon (14) and Koroma (11). That marked just the second time since 1990 that UTA had three players with 10+ boards in a game (2016 vs. Arkansas State). There have only been two games in program history – both against non-DI opponents – in which four UTA players grabbed double-figure rebounds.
 
5) Five times already this year UTA has scored 75+ points against D-I competition; the Mavs accomplished that feat just four times all of last season (regular and postseason). Furthermore, UTA has tallied 80+ in regulation three times this year; that occurred three times total in the previous two regular seasons.
 
7) UTA connected a 54.5% clip (12-22) from 3-point range against Abilene Christian on Nov. 29 in the WAC opener to tie the 7th-best percentage in single-game program history (minimum 10 makes).
 
8) Gordon did not score against Texas State on Nov. 25, but pulled down eight rebounds before fouling out. He is just the fifth UTA player since 2010 to secure 8+ rebounds in a game and not score (Montez Young Jr., Jabari Narcis, Hervey and Stuart Lagerson).
 
17) Talbot has made 17-straight free throws dating back to Nov. 12 of last season when he missed late in the 2nd half against Southwestern.
 
25) The Mavs distributed the ball to the tune of 25 assists on 27 made field goals versus Abilene Christian. Only three other teams in the nation since 2015 have had 25+ assists on 27 or fewer makes: Minnesota in March of 2023, Davidson in February of 2020 and Pittsburgh in February of 2017.
 
38) Against Grand Canyon on Dec. 2, UTA shot 46.2% (24-52) from the floor while holding the Lopes to 37.5% (21-56) – representing just the second time since 2010 the Mavs lost a road game when shooting at least 46% and holding their opponent under 38% (Mar. 5, 2015, at Georgia Southern, 76-64).
 
40) Cash played all 40 minutes in the UNT Dallas contest, becoming just the third UTA player in the last 13 seasons to log all 40 minutes of a regulation game (Erick Neal and Lonnie McClanahan).
 
46) The Mavs shot 46% from the field and finished +9 in the rebounding column (45-36) at New Mexico, representing their only non-conference loss since 2010 when shooting at least 46% and posting at least +9 on the glass.
 
57) Opposite ACU, UTA shot a season-best 57% (27-47) from the floor – the best any Maverick team has shot against a D-I opponent since 2018.
 
75) UTA's 75 points against Oral Roberts were its most in a season opener against a D-I opponent since notching 85 against Loyola Marymount in 2017.
 
80) Versus New Mexico, UTA lost a road non-conference game (82-80) when scoring 80+ points for the first time since a 90-81 setback to Creighton on Dec. 18, 2017.
 
86) The 86 points UTA scored in its 86-71 win over Abilene Christian were its most in any regulation conference game since a 91-86 win over Sun Belt Conference member Louisiana on Jan. 15, 2021. The Mavs scored 86 despite no player making more than five field goals.
 
90) 90% of Douglas's points (87 of 97) this year have come via the 3-pointer (29 makes); five games of 3+ triples.
 
NEXT UP
UTA remains on the road when it heads to Stephen F. Austin (8-5, 1-1 WAC) for 2 p.m. tipoff on Saturday, Jan. 6.
   
PURCHASE TICKETS
Secure your seat(s) all season long to see the re-energized UTA men's basketball program in action at the College Park Center. Purchase single game or season tickets at UTATickets.com, call 817-272-9595 or email boxoffice@uta.edu.

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