UTA basketball closes out Western Athletic Conference Tournament run
UTA’s basketball teams traveled to Las Vegas in hopes of cutting down the nets and being the group to represent the Western Athletic Conference in the NCAA Tournament. Although the Lady Mavericks’ dream of a WAC Tournament championship fell four points short, the team is not done playing basketball. Moments after falling to Grand Canyon University in the title game, head coach Shereka Wright hinted at more postseason play. On Monday, the Women’s National Invitation Tournament announced UTA as one of 48 teams to compete. The Lady Mavericks will host the University of the Incarnate Word at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at College Park Center. The team had a historic season at home, going 11-1, the best home record since the 2006-07 season and the best percentage under Wright. It was a season of streaks for the Lady Mavericks. After starting the season 4-6, they went on a four-game winning streak, including their first three conference games and a historic win against Wiley University, scoring 113 points — the most in program history. After a blemish against Utah Valley University, UTA won its next six games, winning the first nine of 10 conference games. Fifth-year forward Koi Love was a catalyst in the team’s success. The University of Southern California transfer added to an already experienced team, having previously played at bigger schools. Love led the team in scoring, averaging 16.3 points per game, 6.8 rebounds and 96 total assists. She also led the team in steals and set a WAC record for the most newcomer of the week awards, totaling nine. Following the impressive stretch, the Lady Mavericks dealt with adversity as the season ended. The team went through a tough spiral, losing five games in a row. However, the team didn’t panic, knowing it had a chance to do something it had never done since rejoining the WAC: defeat California Baptist University. The Lady Mavericks celebrated Senior Day by beating CBU, who knocked them out of the WAC Tournament last season. The cycle wouldn’t end there as UTA played CBU in this year’s tournament quarterfinals. The Lady Mavericks didn’t want it any other way. “Getting beat by Cal Baptist in the semis, it hurt,” fifth-year forward Avery Brittingham said. “Getting a chance to play them, first round, again, it feels good. Especially coming off of our win.” The Lady Mavericks avenged themselves against the Lancers in their opening round. Before stepping into Las Vegas, four individuals were honored with conference accolades. Love and Brittingham were named two of the conference’s best players, making the All-WAC first team. Senior guard Aspen Thornton was named the WAC’s co-sixth player of the year, and freshman guard Kendal Robinson was named to the conference’s freshman team. Following a win against Tarleton State University in the semifinals, UTA earned the right to play in the WAC Tournament championship. However, facing the nation’s hottest team, they came up just short of the ultimate goal. “Doubters — we had it all season long,” Wright said following the team’s loss. “I’m gonna defend my group today because they played their butts off. Everybody doubted them all season long. We went through our adversity and they competed today.” Men’s basketball’s season has come and gone. Fresh off last season’s berth in the WAC Tournament championship game, the team hoped to get over the hump this year. After finishing 13-17 in the regular season, UTA earned No. 7 in the WAC Tournament, barely avoiding the play-in game between No. 8 and No. 9. The seeding matched them with GCU, the team that ended their NCAA Tournament hopes a year ago and in the first round of this year’s tournament. “It was a disappointing loss to us,” head coach K.T. Turner said following the team’s loss. “I felt like we competed a lot better in the second half, but it was disappointing for sure.” The season was full of highs and lows for the Mavericks. Of all nonconference games to start the season, one stood out. UTA traveled to Los Angeles in November to face USC, a Power Four school. Despite losing by three points, the Mavericks’ competitiveness inspired fans to see the team’s potential. Similar to the women’s team, the men succeeded at home with a 9-4 record at CPC, highlighted by the Pack the Park campaign against TSU on Feb. 22. The Mavericks dealt with roster reconstruction a year removed from Turner’s first season. Senior guard Brandyn Talbot and sophomore guard Kade Douglas were the only returners from last season’s team. Of the newcomers was graduate forward Lance Ware, who was consistently one of UTA’s best players, earning him a second-team All-WAC nod and being named to the conference’s all-defensive team. The Mavericks weren’t able to overcome closing the regular season on a three-game losing streak in the tournament’s opening round. Turner said he appreciated his team for going to battle with him through thick and thin. “They could have quit a couple of times during the season and never quit on me. I really appreciate that,” he said. @babyboimatt sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu
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- Dallas Wings fail to bounce back from season openerComing off a loss in the season opener, the Dallas Wings (0-2) looked to bounce back against the Seattle Storm (1-1). However, their valiant effort wasn’t enough, falling 79-71 Monday at College Park Center. CPC was rocking from tipoff to the final buzzer with fans highly anticipating the team’s first win of the season. Dirk Nowitzki, Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer, and Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs center, were among a few notable attendees recognized by the team and fans. The Storm led by one at the end of the first quarter and created more separation by halftime. Seattle came out blazing, making nine of its first 11 3-pointers. With eight turnovers in the half, the Wings trailed 56-41 at the break. Rookie guard Paige Bueckers bounced back in her second game as a Wing. After a debut that fell short of expectations, she led the team in scoring with 19 points, and added eight assists, five rebounds, two steals and a block. After being double-teamed throughout the game, Bueckers said it’s probably smart to blitz and get the ball out of her hands and use fewer ball screens. “It’s just a different look that defenses are throwing at me, which is an adjustment,” she said. “[I will] just continue to learn and work through that.” Out of halftime, forward DiJonai Carrington sparked a quick 6-0 for the Wings, with tenacious defense leading to fast break opportunities. Dallas continued clawing its way back within striking distance. An 11-0 run highlighted by two 3-pointers by forward Maddy Siegrist helped the Wings cut the lead to five at the end of the third quarter. Dallas got within three points early in the fourth quarter but wasn’t able to limit turnovers down the stretch. Despite the loss, Siegrist said she was pleased with how the team responded after being down 15 at halftime. Guard Arike Ogunbowale struggled to get going and grew frustrated throughout the game. She shot 2-14 from the field and finished with eight points. Despite the performance, head coach Chris Koclanes said the game presented a “growth opportunity” for her. “Continue to coach her and empower her to continue to be aggressive, while also still playing within our structure and finding ways to impact the game when she’s not scoring,” Koclanes said. He said the team is working to consistently play at a high level. “If we’re going to compete night in and night out in this league, it’s going to take a level of hard work and effort that we have within us but hasn’t been demanded of us consistently,” Koclanes said. ”We’re working to establish that here, and we will get that night in and night out.” The Wings will play their first road game of the season in a rematch against the Minnesota Lynx at 7 p.m. Wednesday. “They’re still fresh on our mind. We just played them, so we’ll be familiar with a lot of their actions,” Koclanes said. “It’ll be fun to see if we can step up to the challenge.” @babyboimatt sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu
- UT Arlington baseball dominates Seattle University in final regular-season gameUTA baseball (19-31) capped its regular season with an 8-1 win over Seattle University (20-32) Saturday at Clay Gould Ballpark, building momentum for next week's Western Athletic Conference tournament. Under first-year head coach Mike Trapasso, the Mavericks navigated a season of highs and lows this spring. Trapasso helped steer the team through the transition and into postseason fulfillments. UTA finished 11-13 in WAC play, just shy of a winning conference record, securing the No. 7 seed for the upcoming tournament. Junior infielder Xavier Melendez led the Mavericks at the plate, posting a team-high .320 batting average out of those with at least two plate appearances per game and 75% of games played. Before the first pitch, UTA honored its 12 seniors with a Senior Day ceremony, presenting each with a framed photo and Mavericks jersey. “The obvious is that you’re happy for your seniors, and it's always good to win on Senior Day,” Trapasso said. ”Particularly when the reason you’re winning is because of the seniors and the way they played.” Despite the bolstering win against the Redhawks, the team couldn’t secure the series, dropping the first two games with a 6-2 loss Thursday and a 10-5 loss Friday. Pitching stood out at today's game, stopping Seattle in its tracks. Senior Jack Hagan recorded five strikeouts, and along with senior Aaron Calhoun, only allowed five hits in the game against 30 at-bats. Putting the seniors’ performances aside, Hagan tipped his hat to the defense, noting zero errors in the game. “Our defense today was absolutely outstanding. Being up there knowing that your defense got your back is probably the best feeling ever – you get more relaxed,” Hagan said. “You can give up a ground ball, a fly ball, and you know they’re gonna make the plays.” A strong start from the Mavericks gave them an early 3-0 lead, immediately countering a Redhawks run in the second inning by scoring again in the third. A Redhawk error gifted another run for the Mavericks in the seventh, followed by three more runs off loaded bases in the eighth. The team had no shortage of offensive pressure, with 10 hits to double the Redhawks’. All but one of the runs scored were produced from RBIs. Redshirt junior infielder Tyce Armstrong went 2-3 in the batter's box today and contributed three runs for the Mavericks. With the regular season wrapped up, UTA now turns its attention to preparations for next week’s WAC tournament, which begins Tuesday and will run through Saturday’s championship round. The full schedule isn’t finalized, but UTA is slated to face in-state rival Tarleton State University in Game 1 at noon opening day. “It’s just been a roller coaster of adversity and the kids have hung in there, and just to see them play well now,” Trapasso said. “Hopefully, we’re on the high end with the peak of the roller coaster next week and go from there.” @kaleivie_ sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu
- Dallas Wings drop season opener against Minnesota LynxA boisterous, sold out crowd packed the seats at UTA's College Park Center on Friday in anticipation for No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers’ professional debut in the Dallas Wings 2025 season opener against the Minnesota Lynx. The University of Connecticut alum joined the Wings in the offseason as one of the team's newest rookies, following her standout collegiate career, which includes an NCAA national championship. Bueckers earned a spot in the starting lineup and recorded just shy of 30 minutes in the Wings’ first regular-season home game. She finished with 10 points, six rebounds and two assists. Her first WNBA points came 46 seconds into the game, scoring on a rebound from her own missed shot to open the scoring. Despite the crowd’s unending support, the team struggled late in the game which led to a 99-84 loss against the Lynx. “We don’t want to overreact to the loss,” Bueckers said. “We also know there is a lot of things you gotta clean up and get better at, just starting it off, starting this journey and continue to build on it the next day at practice.” The game marked the Wings’ final season at College Park Center, the team’s home for the past nine seasons. The team’s previous season in the stadium ended with a 9-31 record that petered out on a nine-game losing streak. Wings guard DiJonai Carrington focused on the positives, praising the team’s effort and the bond they built. “I think we did a great job of staying together. When we got down, we were still talking to each other on the court, on the bench, whenever we huddle together,” Carrington said. “So I like that, especially from a young team, it's easy to start to go your own ways.” Carrington scored 15 points in her debut for the Wings and added four rebounds. In the second quarter, she made a crucial steal that led to a layup by Wings forward Maddy Siegrist in the final seconds of the first half, tying the game at 46. With the team having undergone roster changes for staff and players, newly appointed head coach Chris Koclanes is set on giving everyone opportunities. He said he likes the current lineup, but will continue working to find the best fit for the team. After a nail-biting first half, the Wings started to crumble under pressure. Multiple personal fouls and turnovers found the Wings down 81-66 in the final minutes of the third quarter. The Wings tried closing the gap, but the Lynx pulled away as the game neared its end. By the four-minute mark in the fourth quarter, the Wings trailed by 17. Koclanes called a timeout to assess the damage in the final moments. Back-to-back threes from Lynx guard Courtney Williams crushed the Wings’ chance of recovery as they fell 99-84. “I think for us as well as a staff, it’s a learning process, so we’re not going to be perfect early,” Koclanes said. “We’re going to learn and get better from it, how we can best support these players and put them in positions to be successful.” The Wings will return after the weekend to face the Seattle Storm at 7 p.m. Monday at College Park Center. Live streaming for the game will be available on ION. @kaleivie_ sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu
- Dallas Wings to open 2025 season with new coach, rosterWith their 2025 home opener set for Friday, the Dallas Wings are rolling into the summer with several changes in the works: a new staff, a rebuilt roster and one final year at College Park Center before relocating to downtown Dallas. The Wings began their partnership with CPC after relocating from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and have called Arlington home for the past nine seasons. Pending approval from the WNBA, the team will move to Dallas for the 2026 season, set to play in the heart of the city at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas. The Wings struggled to find success early in their tenure in Arlington. Despite having advanced to the semifinals in 2023, the team has yet to make it through the playoffs with a positive record. With a vast roster rebuild, the team hopes to revert to winning ways. During the off season the Wings introduced Chris Koclanes as the new head coach and Curt Miller as the new general manager and executive vice president. Koclanes was previously the defensive coordinator for the Connecticut Sun and an assistant coach at the University of Southern California. Under Koclanes, the Connecticut Sun ran a bolstering defense, leading the league in defensive scoring average and defensive field goal percentage in 2021. The coach also helped the team reach the 2019 and 2022 WNBA finals. Miller is the first general manager for the team since they moved to Arlington. He served as the Los Angeles Sparks head coach for two years and worked with Koclanes as the Connecticut Sun general manager and head coach for seven seasons. “It’s fantastic being back with Curt. He’s been a tremendous mentor for me and to have that support system there, someone who’s lived this and breathed this,” Koclanes said. The two share a vision for the team and staff. Koclanes said Miller is consistently available for guidance without overstepping, and is an invaluable resource for him and the staff. The Wings also drafted five players to the roster this preseason, including No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers. DiJonai Carrington, Tyasha Harris and NaLyssa Smith have joined the team as free agents. The Wings also obtained the reserved rights to Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, who joined as part of a four-team trade. The Wings have maintained three members from the 2024 roster: Teaira McCowan, Arike Ogunbowale and Maddy Siegrist. Ogunbowale joined the Wings out of University of Notre Dame in 2019 and became a staple for the team’s success. “I think people are catching on, and I think the players we have are gonna embody that type of style and grace and just support the city, and just put the city on the map, so I’m excited for that,” Ogunbowale said. Koclanes said he’s focused on flexibility to build a game plan that fits the roster and reflects the team’s strengths. Players already have strong chemistry, and he expects it to keep growing. The team has an autonomous dynamic, and he said he believes accountability and leadership will develop organically. Bueckers said that the team has acknowledged the challenges of a young team and is prepared for growing pains. “You never want to get used to losing, but you want to get used to learning from good games, learning from lessons, and moving forward and taking whatever you learned from the last game, the last practice, the last whatever to continue to make you better for the future,” she said. With the team’s final preseason game in the books, the Wings open up their season against the Minnesota Lynx at 6:30 p.m. Friday at College Park Center. @kaleivie_ sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu
- Arlington Renegades fumble last home game against Michigan PanthersThe Arlington Renegades (3-4) faltered to No. 1 Michigan Panthers (5-2) 25-24 in the inter-conference match Saturday, crushing hopes in their last home game of the season. The game marked the fourth overall loss to Michigan, breaking a 3-3 tie between teams. Despite the loss, the Renegades were applauded by Michigan head coach Mike Nolan, who noted the team's fight throughout the game. “They played an outstanding game, they had a heck of a game plan, both sides of the ball and all the faces, my hats off to them,” Nolan said. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for them.” Arlington struggled in the first half, unable to reach the end zone until the fourth quarter. Kicker Lucas Havrisik’s four field goals accounted for half of the Renegades’ points. The momentum swung on Arlington’s side in the third quarter where the team produced two field goals and recovered two fumbles to take a 12-9 lead. That energy carried into the fourth quarter with the Renegades scoring an early touchdown from wide receiver Tyler Vaughns, who caught a 29-yard deep left pass from quarterback Luis Perez. A failed two-point conversion left Arlington with an 18-9 lead. Only four touchdowns were produced between both teams. The Renegades’ lead was snatched by the Panthers on the next play after they scored on a drive, tying the match with a successful 3-point conversion. Panther quarterback Bryce Perkins was a notable threat to the Renegades’ defense. He averaged 8.2 passing yards and 7.5 rushing yards throughout the game. “That fourth quarter, we had all kinds of pressure on [Perkins], or guys grabbing him, he’d just find a way to fling it to somebody or get out,” Renegades head coach Bob Stoops said. “I don’t know how many times we thought we had him sacked or broken up, and he’d find somebody.” Arlington responded with a late fourth-quarter touchdown off a pass from Perez to tight end Sal Cannella, reclaiming the lead. The Panthers regained possession at the two-minute warning. After a series of completions and timeouts, Michigan found itself deep in Arlington territory. Perkins scrambled out the pocket and gained 10 yards to put the Panthers in scoring position. With one second on the clock, Michigan running back Toa Taua rushed up the middle for a touchdown, finding a 24-24 game. The Renegades' defense set up to hold the lead, but a successful one-point conversion sealed the game for the Panthers. “These games, win or lose, they’re always tight, close games, so I’m sure next week will be no different,” Stoops said. “Hopefully we could be on a better side of some of these calls that we’re getting, but we gotta do our part to acknowledge what can be better with us.” Arlington will return to XFL conference play against the D.C. Defenders at noon May 18 at the Audi Field in Washington, D.C. Live streaming will be available on ESPN. @kaleivie_ sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu
- Rangers drop home game against Athletics in four-game seriesTexas Rangers (16-16) dropped a four-game series 3-1 against the Athletics (17-15) with a Thursday shutout at Globe Life Field. Coming off a ninth inning collapse Wednesday, the Rangers looked to bounce back to even out the series. Texas has lost five of its seven matchups against the Athletics this season. Pitcher Tyler Mahle started on the mound, entering the game with an undefeated 3-0 record. Offensive struggles have plagued the team early in the season and continued Thursday. Absences from shortstop Corey Seager and catcher Kyle Higashioka only added to the woes. The Athletics opened the scoring early in the first inning after Mahle gave up two quick hits. After a long opening inning, he quickly bounced back. Mahle said he continued to trust his pitching, which allowed him to settle in. After a hitless first three innings, the bats came alive for the Rangers. Outfielder Wyatt Langford recorded a single to give the team and fans some life heading into the fifth. Action picked up in the fifth inning for the Rangers after Mahle recorded his fifth strikeout of the game. Second baseman Marcus Semien led off the inning with a single. In an attempt to steal second base during the next at bat, Semien was ruled out by the umpire. The close call was challenged by the Rangers and overturned. However, the Rangers were unable to capitalize on the inning. Despite having two runners in scoring position, the inning ended with no score. Bats were quiet, head coach Bruce Bochy said as he spent most of the postgame answering questions about the team’s offensive struggles. He said Thursday’s game was one of their worst. “We just got to get this thing going,” Bochy said. “I know we keep talking about it, but you know this, this was not good today.” Mahle’s afternoon ended after six innings and finished with six strikeouts. The Athletics added a run in each the seventh and eighth innings, extending their lead to 3-0 and sealing the game. From a pitching perspective, Mahle said he acknowledges the talent on the roster and believes they’ll snap out of the slump. “They are all great hitters, and they know it. It’s just a matter of time,” he said. “I don’t think anyone’s worried about it. They’re gonna turn things around and I think everyone knows that.” The Rangers will be back home to host a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners at 7:05 p.m. Friday. All games will be available on CW33 and Victory+. @babyboimatt sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu
