ARLINGTON, Texas – The UT Arlington women's basketball team (6-6, 1-0 WAC) welcome the Trailblazers of Utah Tech (4-9, 0-0 WAC) to the College Park Center on Thursday, Jan. 9, for an updated 4 p.m. tipoff.
 
Entry to the game will be free.
 
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the fifth overall meeting between the two programs with the Lady Mavs holding a 1-3 overall record, their lone win coming in last year's WAC Tournament. Inside the CPC, the Lady Mavs are 0-2 against the Trailblazers. The Lady Mavs average 68 points in games against Utah Tech
 
SCOUTING UTAH TECH
This will be the Trailblazers first game since the end of their non-conference schedule back on Dec. 21, 2024, when they fell to ACC member Pittsburgh, 61-52. Utah Tech currently holds a 4-9 record this season and this will be their first WAC game of the season. They are currently in the midst of a five-game losing skid. The Trailblazers are led by junior guard Chardonnay Hartley who averages 13 points per game. Aaliyah Ibarra averages 11.6 points per game while Emily Isaacson averages 11.5 points per game.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
The Lady Mavs claimed their 100th victory inside the friendly confines of the College Park Center with a win over Abilene Christian back on Jan. 20, 2024. After a conference opening win over Tarleton State, the Lady Mavs now sport a 108-68 overall record and a perfect 5-0 record in 2024-25 at the CPC. UTA seems to be at their best when playing in front of the home crowd.
 
PREPARE FOR TROUBLE & MAKE IT DOUBLE
The UT Arlington women's basketball team swept the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) weekly awards on Monday as fifth year forward Avery Brittingham earned her first WAC Player of the Week honor of the season, while fellow fifth-year forward Koi Love earned her fourth overall and third straight WAC Newcomer of the Week honor.
 
The dynamic duo combined for 51 total points in an 87-79 conference-opening win over Tarleton State this past Saturday afternoon.
 
Brittingham finished the game with her league leading sixth double-double which also has her ranked 26th in the country. Brittingham recorded 22 points and 13 rebounds to go along with five assists, one block and one steal in a season-high 39 minutes. It was her first 20-point performance this season.
 
A preseason all-conference nominee, it's Brittingham's first weekly honors on the season.
 
Love led all scorers with a season high 29 points in to go along with seven rebounds, three assists and a steal in 34 minutes. Love also tied her career high in blocks with three while finishing three points shy of tying her career high of 32. 
 
This is Love's third straight newcomer of the week honor, and her fourth overall on the season. This ties Love for a program-high four newcomer weekly honors which was set by Gia Adams the previous season.
 
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 51 blocked shots through 12 games as a team, the third highest total in the conference (Utah Valley - 54 in 13 games & Tarleton State - 54 in 16 games). The Lady Mavs average 4.3 blocks per game, the best mark in the conference and 55th nationally. The Lady Mavs have two of the top four shot blockers in the WAC with Koi Love averaging 1.25 blocks per game, the third highest mark in the conference while Avery Brittingham averages 1.17 blocks per game, the fourth highest mark in the conference.
 
In 12 games, the Lady Mavs have posted at least one block in each contest. 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 while having two six block performances also. The Lady Mavs kicked off conference play with a five-block performance against Tarleton State.
 
TAKING CARE OF THE ROCK
The Lady Mavs are one of the best in the conference when taking care of the basketball. They average 16.6 turnovers per game, which is the third best mark 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 at the halfway point of the season, averaging 21.55 free throw attempts per game, which is the best mark in the WAC, and 23rd nationally. Their average of 14.27 free throws made per game is tops in the league and 39th nationally.
 
Brittingham's 60 total free throw attempts is the fourth best mark in the conference while her 61.7 free throw percentage is the fourth best mark in the WAC.
 
DEFENSIVE INTENSITY
The Lady Mavs force 19.33 turnovers a game, the fourth best mark in the WAC and the 75th best mark in the NCAA.
 
Their 10.2 steals per contest are the fourth best mark in the conference and 70th in the country.
 
The Lady Mavs have the fourth best turnover margin in the WAC and the 91st best in the NCAA at 2.75 while their 0.93 assist to turnover ratio is the second-best mark in the conference. Brittingham has the third best assist to turnover ratio in the WAC at 2.04 and is the 64th best mark in the country.
 
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 12 games, Love is averaging 17.5 points per game, which is currently the second-best mark in the WAC and the 69th best mark in the nation as of 1/7. Love has put up 210 total points in the Lady Mavs' 12 games, which is sixth in the conference. She has made 87 field goals on the season, which is fourth in the WAC and 98th in the NCAA while her 52.1 field goal percentage is the second-best mark in the WAC and 59th overall. She is also tied for second in the WAC with four 20-point performances.
 
Love's 28 steals are tied for the eighth most in the WAC. Her average of 2.33 steals per game is the fourth best mark in the conference and 79th nationally. 
 
ALL AROUND HOOPER
Avery Brittingham is showing why she's a Preseason All-WAC selection in the early portion of the season. Through 12 games, she has posted two triple doubles which has her tied for second in all of NCAA Division I. She is tied for fifth in the NCAA among active players with four career triple doubles.
 
She is second in the league in rebounds per game at 9.3 and 46th nationally while her 112 total rebounds are the third most in the WAC. She has six 10 rebound performances on the season which is tied for the most in the WAC.
 
Brittingham has posted six double doubles through 12 games which is tops in the league and 27th in the country. She is currently second on the team in points per game at 13.3.
 
Brittingham's 53 total assists lead the team while tied for the sixth most in conference while her average of 4.4 per game are the fourth best mark in the conference and 82nd nationally. Her two 10 assists performances are tied for the second most in the WAC and are two out of 10 such performances throughout the conference.
 
MAKE YOUR FREE THROWS
The Lady Mavs best free throw performance in the past five seasons came against UTSA, where UTA hit 18 of their 19 free throws for .947 percent. This is the third time during Coach Wright's tenure where the Lady Mavs shot .900 or better from the charity stripe. Back during Coach Wright's first season at the helm during the 2020-21 season, the Lady Mavs were a perfect 9-for-9 at Arkansas State on Feb. 26. On Jan. 30 while hosting Arkansas State, the Lady Mavs connected on 18 of their 20 free throw attempts for a .900 average. The .947 percent is the second-best percentage under Coach Wright's tutelage and is the best mark when attempting 15 or more free throws. 
 
The Lady Mavs are seeming to find their stride at the right time, the previous four games UTA has shot 80-percent or better from the charity stripe. Those four games are the only games this season UTA shot above 80-percent.
 
THE PRICE IS WRIGHT
Head coach Shereka Wright overtook Cindy Salser (1976-79) for the sixth most wins in school history with 52 last season after a win against Tarleton State on Jan. 4, 2024. After their conference opening win over Tarleton State, Wright now has 70 wins and trails Krista Gerlich (121), Donna Capps (119), Connie Kelch (117), Mike Dean (115) and Samantha Morrow (74). Wright's .565 winning percentage is the third best in program history.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The UT Arlington women's basketball team (6-6, 1-0 WAC) won their Western Athletic Conference opener, defeating Tarleton State (9-7, 0-1 WAC) despite a late push by the Texans, by a final score of 87-79 inside the College Park Center on Saturday afternoon.
 
This is the first time in three seasons that the Lady Mavs won their WAC opener and remain perfect inside the CPC during the 2024-25 season at 5-0. Also, the Lady Mavs remain undefeated inside the CPC against the Texans, holding a 3-0 record.
 
The Lady Mavs were led by the dynamic duo of Koi Love and Avery Brittingham who combined for 51 total points. Love finished with a game-high 29 points to go along with seven rebounds, three assists and a steal in 34 minutes. Love finished three points shy of tying her career high of 32 while tying her career high in blocks with three.
 
Brittingham finished with another double double, her league leading sixth on the year. She recorded 22 points and 13 rebounds to go along with five assists, one block and one steal in a game-high 39 minutes. 
 
Taliyah Clark was the only other Lady Mav to register double digit scoring efforts, finishing with 10 points and a season-high four assists in 34 minutes. Kendal Robinson chipped in with eight points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal in 27 minutes.
 
Off the bench, Zoe Nelson added six points, four rebounds, one assist, two steals and a block while Aspen Thornton added five points and an assist to help propel the Lady Mavs to victory.
 
The Lady Mavs came out with energy, controlling the opening tip and rattling off the games first seven points before the Texans managed to get a bucket. UTA managed to record eight points off turnovers while registering 12 points in the paint for the first quarter. As a team the Lady Mavs shot 52.9-percent from the floor, 50-percent from deep and a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe in the first quarter. The Lady Mavs led 25-17 after one.
 
The second quarter saw the Lady Mavs keep their foot on the throttle, going on a 9-0 run to start the second and going up 34-17. The Texans managed to battle back behind a 16-0 run that saw Tarleton cut the UTA lead down to one, 34-33. An Avery Brittingham jumper stopped the Texans run while putting the Lady Mavs back up three, 36-33. Heading into the locker room, the Lady Mavs led 43-37 over the Texans.
 
Love led all scorers in the first half with 18 while Brittingham had 10 through two quarters.
 
Coming out the half, the Texans nailed a three pointer to pull with three of the Lady Mavs, 43-40. After trading buckets for the first three minutes of the third quarter, the Lady Mavs would go on a 7-0 run to put them back up by double digits, 55-44. The Texans managed to cut the UTA lead back down to five but could not get over that hump for the remainder of the third. We entered the fourth quarter with the Lady Mavs leading Tarleton, 66-57.
 
UTA managed to push their lead to 16 with under five minutes to go in the fourth, but Tarleton managed to claw their way back, finding themselves down six with 1:17 left in the game. The Lady Mavs would find themselves at the line for the remainder of the fourth, drilling four of their six free throws in the final minute to secure the 87-79 victory over the Texans.
 
The Lady Mavs never once trailed in the game.
   
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).