RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Coming off a pair of dominant wins in Utah last weekend, the UT Arlington men's basketball team will look to complete a perfect 3-0 WAC road stretch when the Mavericks face California Baptist at 9 p.m. CT (7 local PT) on Thursday, Feb. 8.
 

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Game 23	UT Arlington (11-11, 6-5 WAC) @ California Baptist (13-8, 6-4 WAC)
Date | Time	Thursday, Feb. 8 | 9 PM CT
Video	ESPN+
Radio	620 AM | 102.5 FM
Audio Stream	Varsity Network App | UTAMavs.com
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Game Notes	UT Arlington | California Baptist | WAC
WAC Rankings	Standings | Seeding System

OPENING TIP(s)

• The Mavs will be in search of their first three-game road winning streak since Jan. 16-25, 2020, at Louisiana, ULM and Texas State when they were Sun Belt Conference members.
   
• Phillip Russell was named WAC Newcomer of the Week on Monday for the second time since getting eligible on Dec. 15. He averaged 18.5 points, 4 assists, 3 steals and 1.5 rebounds in helping lead UTA to victories at Southern Utah (76-68) and Utah Tech (87-66).
   
• DaJuan Gordon has recorded four-straight double-doubles and leads the WAC with eight this season. In his last four games, Gordon is averaging 14.8 points and 12 rebounds, and is coming off a 15-point, 17-rebound performance at Utah Tech. Those 17 rebounds are the most by any WAC player this season versus a Division-I opponent (tied with teammate Aaron Cash for the most overall as he had 17 against UNT Dallas on Dec. 6). Gordon also had six assists along with the 15 points and 17 rebounds against the Trailblazers; he is one of only three players in the nation this year with at least a 15-17-6 stat line.
   
• Shemar Wilson has seven double-doubles this year to rank as the 2nd most in the WAC – two more than anyone else. Wilson and Gordon's 15 combined double-doubles are as many as four teams total: Southern Utah (3), Utah Valley (4), Stephen F. Austin (4) and Seattle U (4). As a team, UTA's 16 double-doubles (Cash has the other) are six more than the next closest (California Baptist, Grand Canyon: 10).
   
• UTA has held three-straight opponents under 70 points (all season lows in points allowed for the Mavs). Only two times all season prior to this current streak had UTA limited D-I foes under 70: 69 both by Alcorn State and Utah Valley.

TWEETABLES
1) All 11 of UTA's wins this season have come when the Mavs score at least 70 points. Additionally, seven times this year they have registered 80+ points in regulation against D-I competition; that happened just three times total in the previous two regular seasons.
2) UTA scored its 3rd-most points of the year versus with 87 at Utah Tech (91 vs. UTRGV; 95 vs. UT Tyler). The Mavs had 23 fastbreak and 38 paint points – both the 2nd most this season (26 at Tarleton State and 48 at New Mexico, respectively).
3) The Mavs had their 3rd-fewest turnovers (13) at Utah Tech (11 vs. Oral Roberts, 12 vs. Alcorn State). UTA issued 20 assists, and the +7 assist-to-turnover ratio was tied for its 2nd best versus a D-I opponent this year (+13, 24-11 vs. Alcorn).
4) UTA has used 10 different starting lineups this season, which is tied for the 13th most in the nation (leader: Eastern Michigan, 16). Eight of those lineups have won a game, which is tied for the 3rd most in the country (Long Beach State: 10).
5) UTA played the nation's 11th-hardest non-conference schedule, facing five NET Quad 1 opponents away from home. The other 10 WAC teams combined only faced 20 total Quad 1 foes this season.
 
AMONG THE WAC'S BEST

• In conference games, UTA leads the WAC in assists (15.2) and ranks 2nd in points (77.2) and field goal percentage defense (40.3). While the UTA offense ranks 2nd in the league, the Mavs don't have a single player in the top 10 in scoring average.
• UTA is the only team in the WAC with multiple players in the top 7 in terms of assists per game: Makaih Williams (6th, 3.5) and Russell (7th, 3.3).
• Russell leads the WAC in 3-point shooting (42.9%), Gordon ranks 3rd in steals (1.8) and Russell is 7th (1.7). Russell is also 5th in free throw percentage (84, 21-25), while Wilson is 2nd in blocks (2.2).

ABOUT THE MATCHUP

• UTA ranks the aforementioned 2nd in the WAC in conference games in scoring (77.2), but CBU leads the league by a wide margin in fewest points allowed (63.7); the next closest is Grand Canyon (67.3), and the 3rd best is Seattle U (71.4).
• Additionally, UTA leads the WAC in league contests in 3-point percentage (36.9) and 3-pointers made (9.2/game), and CBU is 2nd in both categories (34.4 and 7.7, respectively). CBU ranks 1st in the conference in 3-point percentage defense (28.2).
• The Mavs' 101 triples in WAC play are 24 more than any other team (CBU: 77), but they do not have a single player in the top 7 in terms of makes (seven players between 7-18 made 3s).
• The top-4 rebounders in WAC play will be on the court Thursday night as CBU's Yvan Ouedraogo (9.1) and Hunter Goodrick (9.0) rank 1st and 2nd, while UTA's DaJuan Gordon (7.9) and Shemar Wilson (7.6) are 3rd and 4th.
• CBU (2nd, +5.9) and UTA (3rd, +3.3) along with Grand Canyon (+10.3) are the only teams in the WAC with at least a +2 scoring margin in conference games.

SCORING DEPTH
The Mavs have already had 11 players reach double-figure points in a game this year (highs): Wilson (29), 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), Russell (4x), Gordon (4x – 1 tie), Douglas (3x), Williams (3x – 1 tie), 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 and Grand Canyon 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; 11 with 10). 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
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.
 
7) UTA is a perfect 7-0 this season when Talbot makes at least two 3-pointers in a game.
 
11) 11 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). Furthermore, UTA has tallied 80+ in regulation seven times this year; that occurred three times total in the previous two regular seasons.
 
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.
 
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.
 
89) Cash needs 89 points to reach 1,000 for his entire collegiate career across all levels.
 
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 668 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 faces a quick turnaround as the Mavs will fly back from California on Friday and then face Stephen F. Austin at the College Park Center on Saturday, Feb. 10, at 2 p.m. It will be City of Arlington Day, with all Arlington citizens receiving free tickets by visiting the Box Office the day of the game and showing valid ID.
   
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.

FOLLOW ALONG
For updates, behind-the-scenes photos, videos and more engaging and personal content, follow the men's basketball program on X (formerly Twitter) (@UTAMavsMBB), Instagram (@UTAMavsMBB) and Facebook (/UTAMavsMBB).