NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The UT Arlington men's basketball team will conclude a busy first week of the New Year while simultaneously wrapping up a season-long five-game road trip when the Mavericks face Stephen F. Austin on Saturday, Jan. 6, at 2 p.m. from William R. Johnson Coliseum.
 

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Game 15	UT Arlington (6-8, 1-2 WAC) @ Stephen F. Austin (9-5, 2-1 WAC)
Date | Time	Saturday, Jan. 6 |  2 PM
Tickets	Purchase
Video	ESPN+
Radio	620 AM | 102.5 FM
Audio Stream	Varsity Network App | UTAMavs.com
Live Stats	SIDEARM Stats
Game Notes	UT Arlington | Stephen F. Austin | WAC

OPENING TIP(s)

• UTA – which has played the nation's 11th-hardest non-conference schedule this season and 13th-most difficult overall – will be looking to snap an 0-7 start on the road this year. The last time the Mavs began a year 0-8 on the road was 2000-01, and their first win that year came on Jan. 6 at Lamar.
   
• On Thursday at Tarleton State, the Mavs erased a 13-point deficit with six minutes left, tied the game at 74-74 on a Makaih Williams layup but a 3-pointer by Lue Williams with 24 seconds left proved to be the difference for the Texans in a 78-76 setback for UTA.
   
• UTA mounted that comeback despite not having two of their top-3 scorers this year in Phillip Russell (15 ppg) and DaJuan Gordon (9.7 ppg) for the final five minutes. Both players sustained injuries 43 seconds apart and did not return, and their statuses for Saturday's contest are uncertain. Gordon reached 600 career rebounds in the game Thursday.
   
• True freshman Williams became the fifth-different UTA player to score 20+ points in a game this year when he delivered a career-high 24 at Tarleton. In the process he also became the seventh UTA player to lead the Mavs in scoring in a game this season.
   
• Shemar Wilson boasts the following top-45 national rankings: 
  
  Blocks: 34th (2/gm)
  Offensive Rebounds: 45th (3.2/gm)
  Free Throw Attempts: 45th (86)
  
  Wilson and Gordon are tied for the 2nd-most doubles-doubles 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 and is 2nd in the league in offensive rebounding.

TWEETABLES
1) UTA's five 20-point scorers are tied for the most in the WAC this season along with SFA, Southern Utah, UT Rio Grande Valley and Utah Tech.
2) Through three WAC games, UTA is shooting 50% from the floor – tied with Grand Canyon for the best in the league.
3) In WAC contests, the Mavs lead the conference in 3-pointers made (27, 9/game) and percentage (44.3); no other team is even at 40%. UTA also paces the WAC in assists in conference games at 15 per outing.
4) UTA's nine double-doubles are tied with Grand Canyon for the most in the WAC: Wilson (4), Gordon (4) and Aaron Cash (1). Additionally, those nine are more than four teams combined: Seattle U (1), SFA (2), Abilene Christian (2) and Utah Valley (3).
5) UTA lost on Thursday for just the second time this season when scoring 70+ points, and in both games the Mavs had the game tied with under a minute remaining (82-80 at New Mexico).
 
ABOUT THE MATCHUP

• SFA (1st, 18.4) and UTA (2nd, 15.6) commit the most turnovers among all WAC teams; SFA is 1st in steals at 10.2. The two teams also rank 1-2 in the league in offensive rebounding with the Lumberjacks 1st at 13.4 and the Mavs 2nd at 12.9.
   
• Through three WAC games, only Grand Canyon (83.7) is averaging more points than UTA (2nd, 77) and SFA (3rd, 76.7).
   
• The 'Jacks have won four in a row and are coming off an 85-78 victory on Thursday afternoon at UT Rio Grande Valley. SFA was picked to finish 2nd in the WAC Preseason Poll.
   
• SFA leads the nation in bench points per game (40.9), and had 60 of those against UTRGV. The 'Jacks also rank in the top-25 nationally in turnovers forced (3rd, 18.9), steals (13th, 10.2) and free throws made (25th, 17.4).
   
• Six different SFA players average better than 7 points per game, led by Sadaidriene Hall at 10.2 – the lone double-figure scorer for the Lumberjacks. The WAC Preseason Team member also leads SFA on the glass at 5.2 per outing.

TARLETON TAKEAWAYS

• Tarleton entered Thursday's game shooting only 27% from 3-point range and averaging just 4.7 makes per contest this year, but the Texans finished at 57% and knocked down a season-most 12 triples against UTA.
   
• UTA's 76 points represented the sixth time already this year the Mavs have scored 75+ points versus a Division-I opponent; that happened only four times all of last year (regular and postseason).
   
• Tarleton came into the game leading the WAC in fewest points allowed (63.2), but UTA's 76 were the most the Texans have allowed at home this year and the 3rd most by any foe (86 at Bradley, 80 at Virginia).
   
• The Mavs had a season-high 26 fastbreak points; in the prior three games combined they had 14 total.
   
• Kade Douglas (7.5 pgg) was held scoreless on Thursday. Last time he didn't score on Dec. 23 at North Texas, he responded with a team-most 17 points at #21 Texas the next time out this past Monday.

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), Williams (24), Douglas (20), Akili Vining (16), Cash (17), Fabio Basili (15), Brandyn Talbot (14), Dwayne Koroma (12) and Freds Pauls Bagatskis (11).
 
Of those 11, Wilson (4x), Douglas (3x), Gordon (2x), Russell (2x), Williams (1x), 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.
 
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 on Dec. 16. 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).
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
6) Six times already this season UTA has scored 75+ points against D-I competition; the Mavs accomplished that feat just four times all of last year (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 finally returns to the College Park Center next week for the first time since Dec. 6 to begin a three-game homestand. It commences on Thursday, Jan. 11, when the Mavs welcome 2023 NIT semifinalist Utah Valley for a 7 p.m. tipoff. UTA is 5-1 at home this season.
   
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.

FOLLOW ALONG
For updates, behind-the-scenes photos, videos and more engaging and personal content, follow the men's basketball program on X (formerly Twitter) (@UTAMavsMBB), Instagram (@UTAMavsMBB) and Facebook (/UTAMavsMBB).