FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The UT Arlington women's basketball team hits the road once again as they travel to Arkansas to take on the Razorbacks on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 6:30 p.m. inside the Bud Walton Arena.
 
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the ninth overall meeting between the Lady Mavs and the Razorbacks, with Arkansas holding an 8-0 record against UTA is 0-4 in Fayetteville and 0-3 in the Bud Walton Arena. The two's first matchup came in November 1992 in the Barnhill Arena. The is the first time the two programs have squared off since 2018 when the Razorbacks visited the College Park Center and defeated the Lady Mavs in a tightly contested game, 66-65. This is the Lady Mavs first trip to Fayetteville since November 2017. It's been exactly seven years since the two last met on November 14, 2018.
 
SCOUTING ARKANSAS
The Razorbacks are coming off a 71-60 overtime win on the road at Little Rock to move to 2-1 on the young season. Arkansas came back from down 11 entering the fourth quarter to force overtime where they would get the victory. The Razorbacks hold a 1-1 record at home, defeating Texas A&M - Commerce 84-65 and falling to Fairfield, 81-67, in the season opener. The Razorbacks have three players averaging double figures in scoring in the early portion of the season, led by Izzy Higginbottom with 21.7 ppg. Kiki Smith averages 17.3 ppg while Vera Ojenuwa averages an even 12 ppg.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The UT Arlington women's basketball team dropped the opening game of the WAC/CUSA Challenge, falling to Louisiana Tech by a final score of 71-60 on Sunday, Nov. 10, night inside the Thomas Assembly Center.
 
The Lady Mavs won the opening tip-off and recorded the first score of the game. UTA would go up 6-2 before Louisiana Tech went on a 14-0 run to go up 16-6. The Lady Mavs would end the first quarter on a 6-0 run to cut the Lady Techsters lead down to four, 16-12.
 
The second quarter saw the Lady Mavs go on a 13-1 run to take the lead, 29-23 with 3:42 left in the quarter. UTA would keep the lead in the five-point range for the remainder of the half before a Louisiana Tech buzzer beater cut the Lady Mavs lead down to three, 35-32, to go into the locker room.
 
Coming out of halftime, the two teams would trade a pair of baskets before Louisiana Tech would go on 7-0 run to reclaim the lead, 43-39 at the 6:11 mark in the quarter. It was the Lady Techsters first lead since the 5:45 mark of the second quarter, a lead they would not surrender. The Lady Mavs kept it close for the remainder of the quarter, heading into the fourth down five, 50-45.
 
UTA would cut the lead down to one early in the fourth before a Louisiana Tech 14-2 run would put them up by 11, 62-51. The Lady Mavs managed to trim the deficit down to seven with under a minute left but couldn't get over the hump.
 
KICKIN' IT WITH KOI
Fifth year transfer Koi Love is establishing herself as one of the premier players in the Western Athletic Conference. Through three games, Love is averaging a league high 18.3 points per game, which is currently the 96th best mark in the nation as of 11/12. Love has put up 55 total points in the Lady Mavs three games, which is tops in the conference and 35th best in the country. She has made 23 field goals in the early going, which is tops in the WAC and the 11th best mark in the NCAA. Love's 53.5 field goal percentage is the second best in the WAC.
 
Love's nine steals are tied for second in the WAC and 49th in the NCAA. Her average of three steals per game is tied for third in the conference and 77th nationally.
 
In just her second game in the orange and blue, Love finished with a game high 21 points to go along with one rebound, one assist and one steal in 16 minutes. Love's impressive 10-for-11 night from the floor moved her into the record books as well, putting her in a tie for 9th place with a 90.9 field goal percentage, first time since 2020 that's been done.
 
Love recorded 20 points in her Lady Mavs debut, that's the most in a debut for the Lady Mavs in over 10 years. In her first game donning the blue and orange, Love swiped a career high five steals and tied her career high with two made three pointers in 33 minutes of action.
 
THE FACILITATORS
The Lady Mavs boast the top two assists' leaders in the WAC in the early going of the season in Avery Brittingham and Nya Threatt.
 
Brittingham leads the conference with 13, which is 53rd nationally, while Threatt has 11 total assists which is second in the conference. The pair are third and fourth respectively in the WAC in assists per game with Brittingham averaging 4.3 per game while Threatt is averaging 3.7 per game.
 
ALL AROUND HOOPER
Avery Brittingham is showing why she's a Preseason All-WAC selection in the early portion of the season. Through three games, she has already posted a triple double, one of two that's happened throughout the NCAA Division I.
 
Her 13 total assists are tops in the conference and 53rd nationally while her 22 total rebounds are tied for the conference lead.
 
IF IT'S FREE, IT'S FOR ME
Sophomore Miraya Perkins is showing to be one of the best free throw shooters in the conference in the early part of the season. Perkins has made 10 free throws through three games which is the third best mark in the conference. Her 83.3 percent from the charity stripe has her tied for sixth in the WAC currently.
 
As a team, the Lady Mavs average 24.33 free throw attempts per game, which is the second best mark in the WAC and 47th nationally.
 
TRIPLE DOUBLE IN THE HOME OPENER
Avery Brittingham made history for the second year in a row. Brittingham finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the third triple double in program history. This is her third career triple double, second as a Lady Mav that came last season against her former team Stephen F. Austin.
 
GAME OF FIRSTS
Freshman Kendal Robinson along with redshirt-freshmen Aubrey Reid and Jamaya Perry all scored their first collegiate basket in the home opener for the Lady Mavs.
   
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 X (formally known as Twitter) (@UTAMavsWBB), Instagram (@UTAMavsWBB) and Facebook (/UTAMavsWBB).