ARLINGTON – For the third time this season, UT Arlington's DaJuan Gordon has been named the Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week, league officials announced on Monday.
 
Gordon nearly averaged a double-double with team bests of 20 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals in leading UTA to a perfect 2-0 week with wins over a pair of opponents fighting for WAC Tournament entry in Southern Utah and Utah Tech.
 
The 6-5 guard shot 67% (12-18) from the floor over the two victories, 80% (4-5) from 3-point range and 75% (12-16) from the free throw line. Gordon issued three assists and had a block in each contest as well.
 
He is the first UTA member in at least a decade – and potentially ever – to be named conference Player of the Week three times in the same season; even former NBA Draft pick and All-American Kevin Hervey didn't accomplish the feat.
 
Against Southern Utah on Thursday, Gordon delivered a team-high 23 points – one shy of matching his career best – while finishing one board short of a double-double with nine rebounds. Eighteen of those 23 points came in the 2nd half as UTA erased a 15-point deficit thanks in part to a then-season-most 53 points over the closing 20 minutes as the Mavs claimed a 90-85 triumph. Gordon also recorded a game-high three steals while shooting 8-12 (67%) from the floor and a perfect 2-2 from beyond the arc in 33 minutes.
 
Two days later, Gordon again helped fuel a potent UTA offensive attack with 17 points to go along with a game-best 10 rebounds for his WAC-leading 11th double-double of the season. The Chicago native played 37 minutes of an 89-78 win over Utah Tech, registering a game-most four steals, issuing two assists and rejecting a shot. The four thefts are tied for Gordon's 2nd most in a game this season as he aided in the Mavs overcoming a 13-point deficit thanks to a season-high 55 2nd-half points.
 
Once again executing extremely efficiently, Gordon got his 17 points by going 4-6 (67%) from the floor, 2-3 (67%) from the 3-point line and 88% (7-8) from the charity stripe as the Mavs have now posted 89+ points in three-straight WAC tilts.
 
UTA is riding a three-game winning streak – and has won six of eight, with the lone losses in that stretch coming by a combined three points. UTA has moved to 15-13 overall and 10-7 in the WAC – its first time multiple games over .500 in league play since returning to the conference in advance of the 2022-23 season. The Mavs reside in 4th place in the WAC standings and resume-seeding system with three-regular season games remaining; the top-4 seeds receive a first-round bye in the WAC Tournament.
 
Gordon was also named WAC Player of the Week last Monday and on Nov. 13. In total, it is now the sixth conference weekly honor for UTA this season as Phillip Russell was named WAC Newcomer of the Week twice (Dec. 18 and Feb. 5), and Shemar Wilson garnered WAC Player of the Week on Nov. 20.
 
UTA heads west for its final challenging road tests of the regular season when the Mavs face Seattle U on Thursday, Feb. 29, at 9 p.m. CT before heading to Utah Valley for a contest on Saturday, Mar. 2, at 3 p.m. CT. SU has won four in a row and is currently one game ahead of UTA at 11-6 in the league, while UVU has won five straight and is one game behind the Mavs at 9-8. UTA defeated both teams at the College Park Center last month.
   
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