ARLINGTON, Texas – The UT Arlington women's basketball team (5-8, 1-2 WAC) wrap up their three-game home stand as they welcome Stephen F. Austin (9-5, 3-0 WAC) to the College Park Center on Saturday, Jan. 6, at 2 p.m.
HOME SWEET HOME
Sporting a 98-65 overall record at the College Park Center, the Lady Mavs seem to be at their best when playing in front of the home crowd at the CPC.
WE'RE GOING STREAKING
The Lady Mavs are currently riding a four-game win streak, surpassing their best streak from a season ago. UTA is two games away from matching their longest win streak of six games that came during the 2021-22 season.
'NET' SO FAST
With the non-conference slate over, the Lady Mavs hold the best Net-Non-Conference Strength of Schedule in the WAC. UTA is the only WAC team to crack the top-100, coming in at 79th in the NCAA. UTA also has the fifth highest NET ranking in the WAC.
THE PRICE IS WRIGHT
Head coach
Shereka Wright just overtook Cindy Salser (1976-79) for the sixth most wins in school history with 52 after a win against Tarleton State on Jan. 4. Wright now trails Krista Gerlich (121), Donna Capps (119), Connie Kelch (117), Mike Dean (115) and Samantha Morrow (74). Wright's .565 winning percentage is the third best in program history.
GOOD AS ADVERTISED
Avery Brittingham has posted a double-double in five contests so far this season. This has her ranked 43rd in the country and sits alone at the top of the WAC leaderboards. She also leads the Lady Mavs with 12.6 points per game.
Brittingham has also been a menace on the boards so far this season, averaging 8.5 rebounds per contest to lead the Lady Mavs which also has her ranked 78th in the NCAA and 2nd in the WAC. In 13 games, Brittingham has pulled down 110 rebounds, 1st in the conference and 95th in the country. She seems to be at her best on the defensive end where she averages 7.1 boards per game on defense, which is 2nd in the WAC and 26th in the NCAA.
Gia Adams is the third leading scorer on the Lady Mavs averaging 11.8 points per game while also averaging 31 minutes played per game which is tops on the team. Adams is second on the team with 41 assists and 19 steals through 13 games. Her 1.52 assist to turnover ratio is the third best mark in the WAC.
Sharpshooter
Taliyah Clark is second on the team with 12.4 points per game and has hit 20 three-pointers on the season, tops on the squad.
CZECH MATE
5th year transfer Adela Valkova has found her groove in the past four games, averaging 15.5 points per game to go along with 7 rebounds per contest. Valkova is shooting 65-percent from the floor in those four contests while averaging 31 minutes of play. At Jacksonville State, she posted a career high 21 points to help lead the Lady Mavs to victory. Posted a career high eight rebounds and four blocks to help lead UTA to a win over Tarleton State.
FREEBIES
The Lady Mavs are one of the best teams in the country when it comes to getting to the free throw line, averaging 19.62 free throw attempts per game. This is the 67th best mark in the country and 3rd best in the WAC behind California Baptist (22.33 - 24th in NCAA) and Stephen F. Austin (20.00 - 57th in NCAA).
The 13.92 free throws made per game has the Lady Mavs 4th in the WAC and 69th in the NCAA while their 71-percent from the charity stripe is 4th best in the conference.
BLOCK PARTY
The Lady Mavs average 3.7 blocks per game, which is tops in the WAC and 98th overall in the NCAA. Brittingham leads the charge with 15 blocks on the season, which is third in the conference. She also averages 1.15 blocks per game while Valkova averages 1.08 a game, this has them fourth and fifth in the WAC.
MAKING IT RAIN
The Lady Mavs 31.1 percentage from beyond the arc is the 3rd best three-point percentage in the WAC, despite taking the 9th most threes in the league. The trio of Clark,
Hannah Humphrey and Adams lead the charge for the Lady Mavs, with Clark drilling 20 three-pointers, Humphrey hitting 14 and Adams making 10 so far this season to pace UTA.
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the 69th overall meeting between the two programs dating back to 1975, with UTA trailing in the series 19-49. The Lady Mavs are currently in a three-game skid and are 3-7 in the last 10 games in the series. At home, UTA holds an 11-19 record and a 1-3 record inside the College Park Center.
SCOUTING STEPHEN F. AUSTIN
SFA is ranked 17th in the nation in steals per game with 11.9, and 41st in assists per game with 17.0. Kyla Deck currently ranks 15th in the nation with 3.09 steals per game and 39th with 34 total steals. Kurstyn Harden is 9th in the nation in free throws made with 72. Destini Lombard is 61st in assists (64) and 78th in assists per game (4.6). Lombard is also 69th in assists to turnover ratio with 2.13 and is national ranked with 38 steals (22nd) and 2.71 steals per game (37th).
NEXT UP
The Lady Mavs will hit the road for the next three games, starting with a trip to Utah to take on the Wolverines of Utah Valley at the UCCU Center. Tip-off is slated for a 7 p.m. central time start.
– #BuckEm –
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).
