CHAMPIONS! Lady Mavs Win Sun Belt Title and Advance to NCAA Tournament Play

The UT Arlington women's basketball team made it a memorable final trip around sun as the 2nd-seeded Lady Mavericks raced out to a double-figure lead in the 1st quarter and never cooled off en route to dominant 76-61 victory over top-seeded Troy on Monday inside the Pensacola Bay Center to win the 2022 Hercules Tires Sun Belt Conference Championship.
 
In its final year in the Sun Belt, UTA left the league with a mic-drop moment as its best team thanks to the conference's best player Starr Jacobs delivering a double-double performance of 28 points and 10 rebounds – her third-straight game in the tournament with exactly 28 points.
 
The Lady Mavs held a 19-8 lead not even eight minutes into the game, ended the 1st quarter up 12 and extended their cushion to as much as 24 points, 43-19, late in the 2nd quarter. UTA maintained a double-figure lead for the final 31 minutes of the game, firing on all cylinders offensively and defensively holding the nation's 5th-highest-scoring team nearly 20 points under its season average.
 
With the win, the Lady Mavs advance to their third NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2007. UTA will learn its opening opponent during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Sunday, March 13, beginning at 7 p.m. Central on ESPN. Information regarding a public watch party for Lady Mav fans and supporters will be announced in the coming days on UTAMavs.com.
 
Additionally, NCAA Tournament ticket information through UTA will be released following the bracket announcement, most likely on Monday, March 14. The 2022 NCAA Tournament will be the first to have 68 teams. First Four games will be played on Wednesday, Mar. 16, and Thursday, Mar. 17, at four of the top-16 host sites. Traditional First Round and Second Round games will be played Friday, Mar. 18, through Monday, Mar. 21, at the top-16 seeds.
 
A full recap, complete with video highlights, photos, press conference reaction and much more will be available later on Monday on UTAMavs.com.

Shared in partnership with UT Arlington Athletics.