ARLINGTON, Texas – The UT Arlington women's basketball team returns to action after a week and a half break, welcoming Florida International to the College Park Center on Monday, Dec. 16, for the second game of the WAC/CUSA Challenge. Tipoff is slated for 4:00 p.m.
 
The Lady Mavs look to remain undefeated inside the CPC for the 2024-25 campaign.
 
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the second overall meeting between the two programs and first time in 28 years. The first meeting came all the way back in late November 1996 in which the Lady Mavs won 48-44. The game took place at a neutral site in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Lady Mavs look to stay undefeated at home when they welcome the Panthers to the College Park Center for the first time.
 
SCOUTING FIU
The Panthers are 3-5 on the season and are coming off an 82-60 win over Yale back on December 7. FIU is 0-2 versus WAC opponents this year, dropping two games to Abilene Christian (Nov. 8 &Dec. 1). As a team, the Panthers average about 75 points a game while shooting .465 from the floor. Parris Atkins has started all eight games for FIU, averaging 14.9 points per game to go along with 5.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.9 steals per game. Angena Belloso averages 10.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, appearing in seven and starting one.
 
KICKIN' IT WITH KOI
Fifth year transfer Koi Love is establishing herself as one of the premier players in the Western Athletic Conference not just on the offensive end but the defensive side of the ball as well.
 
Through eight games, Love is averaging 16.1 points per game, which is currently the second-best mark in the WAC and the 119th best mark in the nation as of 12/14. Love has put up 129 total points in the Lady Mavs eight games, which is sixth in the conference. She has made 54 field goals in the early going, which is fifth best in the WAC. Love's 48.2 field goal percentage is the fifth best mark in the WAC and 125th overall. She is also tied for second in the WAC with three 20-point performances.
 
Love's 22 steals are tied for the sixth most in the WAC and 113th in the NCAA. Her average of 2.75 steals per game is the second-best mark in the conference and 41st 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.
 
ALL AROUND HOOPER
Avery Brittingham is showing why she's a Preseason All-WAC selection in the early portion of the season. Through eight games, she has already posted a triple double, one of 11 that's happened throughout NCAA Division I.
 
She leads the league in rebounds per game at 9.4, 52nd nationally and fourth in the league in total rebounds with 75. She leads the WAC with four 10 rebound games.
 
In the early part of the season, Brittingham has posted four double doubles through eight games which is tops in the league and 34th in the country. She is currently second on the team in points per game at 13.1.
 
Brittingham's 28 total assists lead the team while her average of 3.5 per game are the fifth best mark in the conference. Her 10-assist game against Arlington Baptist is one of six 10 assist outings this year in the WAC.
 
IF IT'S FREE, IT'S FOR ME
As a team, the Lady Mavs are one of the best teams in the conference and the nation in getting to the free throw line in the early part of the season, averaging 23 free throw attempts per game, which is the best mark in the WAC by nearly four, and 13th nationally. Their average of 13.75 free throws made per game is tops in the league and 64th nationally.
 
Brittingham's 54 total free throw attempts is the third best mark in the conference and the 57th best nationally.
 
TAKING CARE OF THE ROCK
The Lady Mavs are one of the best in the conference when taking care of the basketball. They average 16.1 turnovers per game, which is the fourth best mark in the conference and the 141st best in the nation.
 
YOUNG VETERAN
Koi Love was named the Western Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Week after her performance against Houston in which she recorded her second double double of the season against the Cougars. A certified bucket, Love leads the Lady Mavs in scoring with 16.1 points per game which has her second in the conference and 119th nationally.
 
Not only does Love get it done of the offensive side of the ball, she's also establishing herself as one of the better defenders in the league, averaging 2.75 steals per game which is the second best mark in the league and 41st in the country. Her 22 total steals has her tied for the sixth best mark in the WAC and 113th nationally.
 
DEFENSIVE INTENSITY
The Lady Mavs force 18.63 turnovers a game, the fifth best mark in the WAC and the 116th best in the NCAA.
 
Their 10 steals per contest are the fifth best mark in the conference and 81st in the country.
 
The Lady Mavs have the fourth best turnover margin in the WAC and the 103rd best in the NCAA at 2.5. The Lady Mavs assist to turnover ratio of 0.82 is the sixth best in the WAC. Brittingham is tied for the third best assist to turnover in the WAC at 2.00 and is the 87th best mark in the country.
 
BIG FISH, NOT THE LITTLE ONE
Freshman guard Kendal Robinson is coming off her best performance of her young collegiate career in which happened to be the very first start of her Lady Mavs career. Against Big 12 opponent Houston, Robinson put up career bests in points with 10, field goals made with four, three pointers made with two in 27 minutes and 47 seconds, the first time she's crossed the 20-minute mark in a college game.
 
Her last three games have been some of her best in which came against big time opponents (Big 10's Purdue, ACC's SMU and the Big 12's Houston) in which she is averaging 7.3 points per game while averaging around 19 minutes a game. In that span she has connected on four three-point shots.
 
GRABBINGS BOARDS ON TOP OF BOARDS
Avery Brittingham is proving once again that she is one of if not the best rebounder in all of the WAC. 
 
Her 9.4 rebounds per game are the top mark in the conference and the 52nd best mark in the country. She averages almost two whole rebounds more than the next closest in the conference.
 
Brittingham's 75 total rebounds is the fourth most in the conference, sitting one behind third, four behind second and 13 behind the top mark in the WAC. 
 
STILL THROWING A BLOCK PARTY
The Lady Mavs are still one of the better shot blocking teams in the WAC a year later after leading the league and having two of the top shot blockers in the conference a season ago.
 
UTA has 33 blocked shots through eight games as a team, the third highest total in the conference. Averaging 4.1 blocks per game, the top mark in the conference and 69th nationally. Avery Brittingham averages 1.1 blocks per game, the third best mark in the WAC. 
 
In eight games, the Lady Mavs have posted at least one block. Their best block performance as a team came against Arkansas when they had nine, the second most by a WAC team on the season and have two other games on the year where they posted seven apiece.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The UT Arlington women's basketball team picked up a big home win over Power 4 opponent Houston by a final score of 61-57.
 
This is the Lady Mavs first win over a Power 4/Power 5 school since the 2019-2020 season when the Lady Mavs defeated Kansas State, also of the Big 12, 57-53. The last time Houston and UTA faced off, the Cougars were a member of the American Athletic Conference. 
 
The Lady Mavs had three players with double digit scoring efforts as well as three players with double digit rebounding performances along with two double doubles. Avery Brittingham led the charge for UTA, registering a team-high 16 points to go along with 10 rebounds, marking her fourth double double of the season. Brittingham also added three assists, three steals and a pair of blocks in a season-high 37 minutes of action.
 
Koi Love posted her second double double of the season, finishing with 14 points and a team-high 12 rebounds in 34 minutes off the bench. Love also added four assists on the night.
 
Freshman Kendal Robinson had a career night, finishing with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting for the night along with draining a pair of triples in a career-high 28 minutes of action. She also added two assists on the night, tying her career high.
 
Zoe Nelson pulled down 10 rebounds, the second time this season she's recorded double digit rebounding efforts. Nelson finished with six points while dishing out an assist in 29 minutes. Taliyah Clark finished with nine points, three steals, two rebounds and an assist in 24 minutes. Nya Threatt chipped in with six points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal in 29 minutes.
 
The Lady Mavs started off sluggish in the first half, going down by as many as six points in the first quarter and as many as nine points in the second quarter. A quick 4-0 run to end the second brought UTA within five, 37-32, to head into the locker room.
 
To begin the second half, the Lady Mavs went on a 14-4 run to start the third, during that run UTA saw their first lead of the game with a little over five minutes left in the quarter. The Cougars managed to tie the game with 30 seconds left before a Lady Mavs bucket from Love regained the lead for UTA, 50-48, to take us into the final quarter.
 
A 7-0 run to start the fourth frame gave the Lady Mavs a cushion that they maintained throughout the remainder of the game.
 
As a team, the Lady Mavs shot 46.2 percent for the game, their second-best mark on the season. UTA held Houston to 35.5 percent from the floor, the second lowest mark the Lady Mavs have held an opponent to this season. The Lady Mavs outrebounded the Cougars 44 to 32.
   
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).