EDINBURG, Texas – The UT Arlington men's basketball team looks to bounce back from a difficult two-point loss Thursday night to 2nd-place Tarleton State when the Mavericks head south to take on UT Rio Grande Valley in the Vaqueros' Homecoming on Saturday, Feb. 17, at 6:30 p.m.
 

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Game 26	UT Arlington (12-13, 7-7 WAC) @ UT Rio Grande Valley (6-18, 2-11 WAC)
Date | Time	Saturday, Feb. 17 | 6:30 PM
Video | TV	ESPN+ | Space City & Cox
Radio	620 AM | 102.5 FM
Audio Stream	Varsity Network App | UTAMavs.com
Live Stats	SIDEARM
Game Notes	UT Arlington | UTRGV
WAC Rankings	Standings | Seeding System

OPENING TIP(s)

• In the first matchup this year between UTA and UTRGV, the Mavs established a season high in points against a Division-I opponent as part of a 91-73 win on Jan. 18. UTA made 15 3-pointers – tied for the 5th most in single-game program history and tied for the 3rd highest versus a D-I opponent.
   
• UTA also went 24-25 (96%) from the free throw line to establish the 2nd-best percentage (minimum 20 makes) in single-game program history, bested only by a 96.4% (27-28) showing on Feb. 22, 1968, at then-#1 Houston. The Mavs are coming off the 5th-best percentage all-time on Thursday when they went 89.3% (25-28) from the charity stripe versus Tarleton State.
   
• In that Tarleton contest, DaJuan Gordon had a contested, but quality, layup attempt just before the buzzer sounded which would have forced overtime but instead gave the Texans an 80-78 win. The 80 points and 50% from the floor for Tarleton are the 2nd most points (92 at Stephen F. Austin) and tied for the highest percentage (also at SFA) UTA has surrendered to a WAC team this season.
   
• UTA had held five-straight opponents under 70 points entering Thursday. In the prior four games the Mavs trailed for a total of 12:20, but they trailed for 25:39 against Tarleton. Additionally, UTA lost at home when scoring 78+ points in regulation for only the third time in the last 15 years: 85-78 to FGCU on Dec. 9, 2017, and 92-89 to Louisiana on Feb. 6, 2014.
   
• Gordon delivered his WAC-leading 10th double-double of the season with 20 points and 13 rebounds on Thursday; he now has six in his last seven games. With Shemar Wilson's seven (2nd in the WAC), the 17 double-doubles from Gordon and Wilson are two more than four WAC teams total (15): Southern Utah (3), Utah Valley (4), Stephen F. Austin (4) and Seattle U (4). As a team, UTA's 18 double-doubles (Aaron Cash has the other) are seven more than the next closest (Grand Canyon, California Baptist: 11).
   
• UTA is the only team in the nation to have three-different players grab 15+ rebounds in a game this season: Gordon (17 at Utah Tech), Cash (17 vs. UNT Dallas) and Wilson (16 at California Baptist).

TWEETABLES
1) Five of UTA's seven WAC losses have come against three of the current top-4 teams: Grand Canyon (2x), Tarleton State (2x) and California Baptist (1x). Those five losses have come by an average of 3.6 points. The Mavs were tied with GCU both times with under 90 seconds remaining, and had final shots to win – or force overtime – against TSU and CBU.
2) UTA has already surpassed its overall win total from each of the past two seasons (11 each), and a 13th victory would be the most since a 13-13 COVID-truncated 2020-21 year.
3) UTA played the nation's 9th-hardest non-conference schedule as the Mavs faced six NET Quad 1 opponents, all of them away from home. The other 10 WAC teams combined have only faced 23 total Quad 1 foes this season.
4) All 12 of UTA's wins this season have come when the Mavs score at least 70 points.
5) UTA has used 11 different starting lineups this season, which is tied for the 13th most in the nation (leader: Eastern Michigan, 16). Nine of those lineups have won a game, which is tied for the 2nd most in the country (Long Beach State: 10).
 
AMONG THE WAC'S BEST

• In WAC games, UTA is 2nd in 3-point percentage (35.3), 2nd in free throw percentage (75.1), 2nd in assists (14.4), 3rd in scoring (75.8) and 3rd in field goal percentage defense (40.7).
• Despite having the 3rd-highest scoring offense in the WAC, the Mavs do not have a single player in the top 12 in individual scoring average.
• Additionally, UTA's 120 3-pointers in WAC play are 20 more than any other team (Seattle U: 100), and 47 more than UTRGV (73). The Mavs do not have a single player in the top 10 in terms of makes (seven players between 9-21 made 3s).
• Gordon and Wilson both rank in the top 5 in the following categories: Gordon – rebounding (3rd, 8.3) and steals (5th, 1.9); Wilson – blocks (T-3rd, 2.0) and rebounding (4th, 8.0).

ABOUT THE MATCHUP

• The matchup could feature two of the WAC's best freshmen in UTA's Makaih Williams (11.5 ppg) and UTRGV's J.J. Howard (10 ppg) as those two are the only true freshmen in the league who average double-figure points.
• However, Howard did not play in UTRGV's 87-79 loss at home to Abilene Christian on Thursday.
• UTRGV is riding a seven-game losing streak which began with the first UTA meeting last month.
• Elijah Elliott leads the Vaqueros with 16.2 points per game while Hasan Abdul-Hakim adds 13.6 and Ahren Freeman contributes 11.1.
• UTRGV attempts the 5th-most free throws per game (26.2) in the nation and makes the 8th most (18.4). The Vaqueros also rank 17th in the country in turnovers forced with 15.4 per contest and 33rd with 8.7 steals.

ANOTHER NEW FACE
Redshirt freshman Chauncey Gibson made his collegiate debut against SFA on Feb. 10 after the two-time transfer – and mid-season addition – learned the day before, on Feb. 9, that the NCAA had approved a waiver to grant him immediate eligibility (more info: click here). The Clemson and Tulsa product scored 12 points, issued three assists and grabbed two rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench.
 
SCORING DEPTH
The Mavs have already had 11 players reach double-figure points in a game this year (highs): Wilson (29), Phillip Russell (28), Gordon (24), Williams (24), Kade Douglas (20), Akili Vining (16), Cash (17, 2x), Fabio Basili (15), Brandyn Talbot (14), Dwayne Koroma (12) and Freds Pauls Bagatskis (11).
 
Those 11 different double-figure scorers are tied for the 2nd most in the nation (leader: Texas State, 12).
 
Of those 11, Wilson (5x), Gordon (5x – 1 tie), Russell (4x), Williams (4x – 1 tie), Douglas (3x), Cash (2x), Basili (1x) and Vining (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 and Feb. 5). UTA, Grand Canyon and Tarleton State 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.
 
PROLIFIC OFF THE BENCH
Gordon is one of just five players this year 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.
 
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 tie for the 9th-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 (five players with 11). The 17 total rebounds are tied for the most by any player in the WAC this season along with teammate Gordon.
 
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 two more than any other WAC team this year; CBU had 15 at Stephen F. Austin on Jan. 27, and the Mavs also had 15 versus UTRGV on Jan. 18.
 
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 undergoing surgery in mid-December. He is expected to be out the rest of the season.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
1) The Mavs held SFA to just 1-15 from 3-point range in a 71-63 overtime triumph on Feb. 10. That was just the second time since 2015 that UTA limited an opponent to one 3-pointer (Coastal Carolina: 1-13 on Mar. 7, 2020).
 
2) Two times this year Wilson and Gordon have both recorded double-doubles in the same game: at New Mexico and Jan. 20 at Abilene Christian.
 
4) Gordon had 15 points, 17 rebounds and six assists at Utah Tech on Feb. 3 to become one of only four players in the nation this year with at least a 15-17-6 stat line.
 
7) UTA is a perfect 7-0 this season when Talbot makes at least two 3-pointers in a game.
 
7) Seven times this year UTA has registered 80+ points in regulation against D-I competition; that happened just three times total in the previous two regular seasons.
 
12) Twelve 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).
 
15) UTA knocked down 15 3-pointers (15-36, 42%) against UTRGV on Jan. 18 to tie for the 5th-most makes all-time and match the 3rd-most triples in program lore versus a D-I foe.
 
36) UTA had a stretch of 36 days in-between home contests from Dec. 6 to Jan. 11. That was the second-longest break in-season by any team in the nation this year, trailing only Delaware's 38-day gap.
 
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. The Lobos – who used a buzzer-beating layup to beat the Mavs, 82-80 – are now ranked in the Associated Press and Coaches polls at #25.
 
57) Opposite Abilene Christian on Nov. 29, 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.
 
64) Cash needs 64 points to reach 1,000 for his entire collegiate career across all levels.
 
85) 85% of Douglas's points (102 of 120) this year have come via the 3-pointer (34 makes); he has five games of 3+ triples.
 
90) UTA went 24-25 (96%) from the free throw line on Jan. 18 against UTRGV. That is the 2nd-best percentage (minimum 20 makes) in single-game program history, bested only by a 96.4% (27-28) showing on Feb. 22, 1968, at then-#1 Houston. It is also the 5th-best percentage in the nation this year among teams that have made at least 24 free throws (best: UNC Asheville going 24-24 versus USC Upstate).
 
600) Gordon eclipsed 500 career rebounds in the season opener, and now boasts 697 for his career.
 
1,000) Shemar Wilson reached 1,000 collegiate points with a free throw in the UTRGV contest with just over a minute remaining. He had 375 points in one junior college season and now 600+ in 2+ years with UTA.
 
NEXT UP
UTA returns the College Park Center for its final homestand – and two of its closing three home games – next weekend, beginning on Thursday, Feb. 22, when the Mavs welcome Southern Utah for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
   
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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