ARLINGTON, Texas – The UT Arlington women's basketball team (12-7, 7-1 WAC) return to the College Park Center this Thursday, Feb. 6, when they host Utah Valley (13-7, 5-3 WAC) in some Western Athletic Conference night hoops action. Tipoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. central.
 
The game will be our annual Play 4 Kay game as well as celebrating Women In Sports Day.
 
The Lady Mavs look to go 5-1 against schools from Utah this season, going undefeated against conference foes Southern Utah and Utah Tech with their lone loss coming to the Wolverines.
 
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the fifth overall meeting between the two programs, with the all-time series being tied at two games apiece. From inside the College Park Center, the Lady Mavs are a perfect 1-0 with the lone win coming last March. UTA dropped the first matchup this season at Utah Valley, 86-75. The Lady Mavs average 66.75 points per game in the series, recording 267 total points in the four games. UTA dropped the first game in the series back in 2023, UTA's first season back in the WAC.
 
SCOUTING UTAH VALLEY
The Wolverines carry a 13-7 overall record with a 5-3 conference record where they currently sit third in the WAC standings. Defensively, the Wolverines are one of the best in the conference and nation where they lead the league in steals with 14.0 a game which is also the third best mark in the nation and seventh in the country in turnovers forced per game with 24.25. With the aggressive style of defense they play, they do lead the league in fouls with 19.3 per game. UVU's bench leads the WAC in scoring with 25.6 points per game, the 27th best mark in the NCAA.
 
NATURAL BORN SCORER
Fifth year transfer Koi Love is solidifying herself as one of the top scorers in the Western Athletic Conference. 
 
Through 19 games, Love is averaging 17.2 points per game, which is currently the second-best mark in the WAC and the 78th best mark in the nation as of Feb. 4. Love has put up 327 total points in the Lady Mavs' 19 games, which is fourth in the conference. She has made 138 field goals on the season, which is second in the WAC and 72nd in the NCAA while her 53.1 field goal percentage is the second-best mark in the WAC and 46th overall. She has six 20-point performances on the season.
 
ALL AROUND HOOPER
Avery Brittingham has proven time and time again that she is one of the premier players in this league. She has posted a league high 11 double doubles through 19 games which is 14th in the country. She nearly averages a double double for the season with 13.5 points per game and 9.7 rebounds per game.
 
Her 1.87 assist to turnover ratio is third in the conference and 81st in the country.
 
BIG NYA, NOT THE LITTLE
Junior point guard Nya Threatt is coming off her best performance of the season on the road at Utah Tech where she dropped a career high 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the field while going 2-for-3 from deep. Threatt also grabbed a season high six rebounds while dropping a conference high five assists against the Trailblazers.
 
IF IT'S FREE, IT'S FOR ME
As a team, the Lady Mavs are one of the best teams in the nation in getting to the free throw line for the season, averaging a league high 22.11 free throw attempts per game which is the 12th best mark nationally. Their average of 15.42 free throws made per game is tops in the league and 20th nationally. Their 69.8 free throw percentage is the fifth best mark in the WAC.
 
Brittingham is third in the conference and 87th in the country with 105 free throw attempts while Miraya Perkins' 78.7 free throw percentage is the second-best mark in the WAC.
 
DEFENSIVE INTENSITY
The Lady Mavs force 19.68 turnovers a game, the fourth best mark in the WAC and the 51st best mark in the NCAA.
 
Their 10.6 steals per contest are the fourth best mark in the conference and 42nd in the country.
 
The Lady Mavs have the fourth best turnover margin in the WAC and the 71st best in the NCAA at 3.58.
 
Love's 48 steals are the tied for fifth most in the WAC and 74th in the country. Her average of 2.53 steals per game is the third best mark in the conference and 36th nationally. Brittingham's average of 1.95 steals per contest is the 11th best mark in the WAC.
 
THE FACILITATORS
The Lady Mavs are one of the top teams in the conference when it comes to dishing out assists, their 15.8 per game are the second most in the WAC and 60th overall in the NCAA. Their 0.98 assist to turnover ratio is the second-best mark in the conference and 90th best in the NCAA.
 
Brittingham's 84 total assists lead the team and are the fifth most in conference while her average of 4.4 per game are the fourth best mark in the conference and 75th nationally. Love's 3.3 assists per contest is the seventh best mark in the league.
 
HIGH OCTANE OFFENSE
The Lady Mavs have the second-best scoring offense in the conference and 73rd best in the country, averaging 72.4 points per game. Their 7.1 scoring margin in the third best mark in the WAC. The bench averages 21.6 points per game, the third best mark in the conference. Their field goal percentage of 41.6 percent is the third best mark in the conference.
 
TAKING CARE OF THE ROCK
The Lady Mavs are one of the best in the conference when taking care of the basketball, averaging 16.1 turnovers per game which is the second-best 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.
 
The Lady Mavs average 4.1 blocks per game, the best mark in the conference and 52nd nationally. The Lady Mavs once again have two of the top 10 shot blockers in the WAC with Love averaging 1.05 per game, the fifth highest mark in the conference while Brittingham averages 0.95 per game the sixth highest mark in the conference.
 
UTA has posted at least one block in each of their 19 games, with 17 of those seeing the Lady Mavs with multiple blocked shots. 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 posted their first six block game of conference play at home against Southern Utah. Through conference play, the Lady Mavs have 32 blocked shots, second most in that span.
 
QUEENS OF THE BOARDS
The Lady Mavs are one of the top rebounding teams in the country, averaging a league leading 39.63 rebounds per game which is the 61st best mark in the country. Offensively, UTA averages 13.3 which is third best in the WAC and 65th best in the NCAA. Defensively, their average of 26.3 is second in the WAC. The Lady Mavs own the fifth best rebound margin in the conference at 0.6.
 
Brittingham's 9.7 rebounds per game lead the conference and are 33rd nationally while her 184 total rebounds are the second most in the WAC and 70th in the NCAA. Love's average of 7.0 rebounds per game is tied for the fifth best mark in the conference.
 
IT'S A SWEEP X TWO…TEXAS TWO STEP
The UT Arlington women's basketball team swept the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) weekly awards for the second time this season on Monday as announced by the conference office. The dynamic duo of Avery Brittingham and Koi Love had another tremendous week of performances which led to Brittingham picking up her second Player of the Week honors and Love picked up her seventh Newcomer of the Week honors.
 
The second POTW for Brittingham ties her with Abilene Christian's Payton Hull for the second most in the league behind GCU's Laura Erikstrup who has three. Love has been named the newcomer for half of the season with the next closest being Grand Canyon's Alyssa Durazo-Frescas with two.
 
The duo combined for 44 total points to lead the Lady Mavs to a 62-58 win over Southern Utah. Brittingham finished with a game high 25 points to go along with 11 rebounds, three assists and three steals. Love added 19 points, nine rebounds, one assist, three steals and one block against the Thunderbirds.
 
Against Utah Tech, Brittingham finished with her league leading 11th double double, finishing with 16 points and 17 rebounds along with seven assists, two steals and a block. Love finished with seven points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals in the win over the Trailblazers.
 
Love is averaging 18.25 points per game in conference play, which is the second-best mark in the league while her 54.9 field goal percentage in conference play is third in the league.
 
Brittingham is averaging a league high 10.63 rebounds per contest while dishing out an average of 4.50 assists per game in WAC play which is the fifth best mark in the league.
 
THE PRICE IS WRIGHT
Head coach Shereka Wright overtook Samantha Morrow (2007-13) for the fifth most wins in school history with 75 after their then sixth conference win of the season over Southern Utah on Jan. 30, 2025. After the Lady Mavs win at Utah Tech, Wright now has 76 wins and trails Krista Gerlich (121), Donna Capps (119), Connie Kelch (117) and Mike Dean (115). Wright's .580 winning percentage is the best in program history.
   
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).