UTA opens the Western Athletic Conference Tournament tomorrow and like the men, here's some random factoids regarding the Lady Mavericks and their respective conference tournaments.
Entering the 2025 WAC tournament in Las Vegas, UTA earned the third seed after finishing in a tie for second and losing the tiebreaker to Tarleton State. It will be the seventh time UTA will enter a conference tourney at three spot.
After hosting a tourney in 1983, the Southland Conference abstained for four years, hosting the second in 1989. UTA got its first three seed in 1997, beating UTSA.
It was the first of three straight years at that seed as in 1998, the Mavericks lost to Northwestern State and in 1999, the Mavs defeated Sam Houston.
In each case of a quarterfinal win, UTA lost in the semifinals. The first was to Texas State, and the second to Stephen F. Austin.
2004 was UTA next appearance with a three seed, going 2-1 with wins over SFA and Louisiana-Monroe. NWern State won in the finals.
Two Sun Belt Conference tournaments saw UTA as a three. An 0-1 outing in 2018 and a 1-1 effort in 2020.
All-time, UTA is 5-6 when seeded third, reaching the finals once, that aforementioned loss to Northwestern State. In the first round, they are 1-0. In the quarterfinals, the Mavs are 3-3. In the semis, the record is rounded out with a 1-2 mark.
Thursday's opponent for UTA, the California Baptist Lancers haven't been a conference rival for long. In the first two years, they met five times including last year's WAC semifinals. Adding the first game in Riverside this year, CBU won the first six. The Mavs ended the streak to end the year in Arlington.
This will be the highest seed for the ladies in a WAC tournament, besting last year's fifth.
Counting every game, UTA is a combined 22-27 in the year-end event. In the SLC, a rough start in the 1980's and early '90's led to a 15-17 record. The Sun Belt is similar with a 5-7 mark. In the WAC, UTA is 2-3.
By round, the Mavericks are 2-4 in first round games, a program-best 14-11 when playing in the quarterfinals, 5-11 in semifinal games and the best winning percentage is in the conference finals, a 3-2 record.
I kinda referenced it earlier, but UTA is 0-1 against CBU in Orleans Arena.
UTA is 0-3 in the WAC tournament when the teams reside in any other state but Utah. New Mexico State in 2013, Seattle in 2023 and CBU in 2024 all ended UTA's season. Only CBU won the whole thing.
UTA has faced Stephen F. Austin more than any other school, a total of eight times. UTA lost the first five and has won the last three. Barring some wacky conference moves, that won't change any time soon.
As far as coaches go, this will be the fifth appearance of Head Coach Sherika Wright. At 5-3, she is one of two with a winning record in the conference tournament. Donna Capps led a UTA resurgence taking a 6-21 team in 2000/01 to the conference tourney six times, compiling a 10-4 career tally and two total championships. Both coaches are the only one to make the NCAA Tournament.
Like the men, the WAC has only played in Las Vegas for the end season tourney, meaning they are also 2-3 in that city.
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