After a three-game homestand that spanned the past two weeks, UTEP women’s basketball begins a stretch of three of the next four contests on the road on Wednesday at 4 p.m. MT/6 p.m. ET at Charlotte.
via UTEP Athletics
The Miners (14-7, 7-5 C-USA) came two points away from sweeping the top two teams in the conference standings last week, snapping No. 21 Middle Tennessee’s 16-game winning streak with a 65-62 triumph on Thursday and coming up just short in a 77-75 loss to WKU on Saturday.
The 49ers (10-11, 6-6 C-USA) have won three of their last four games, including defeats of WKU, Rice and Florida Atlantic.
GAME COVERAGE
Fans can watch the game at Charlotte on ESPN+. Live stats will be available on the Charlotte SIDEARM Stats Portal.
SCOUTING CHARLOTTE
Two current members of the Charlotte starting lineup average double figures, led by Dazia Lawrence at 15.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Jada McMillian runs the point for the 49ers, scoring 12.6 points per contest to go along with 4.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds on average. Her assist per game average is the top mark in C-USA. Much of the offense for the team is generated inside the perimeter, as Charlotte takes just 12.9 triples per game, ranking 339th in the nation and last in the league in the category. Jacee Busick and Tamia Davis each generated solid efforts in the first meeting this season with UTEP, as Busick contributed 12 points and six rebounds, while Davis tallied 10 points off the bench. This is the final regular season meeting in conference play for the two sides before Charlotte moves to the American Athletic Conference for the next campaign.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. CHARLOTTE
UTEP took the lead in the head-to-head series at 6-5 after a 68-60 win on Jan. 16 in El Paso. Charlotte is 3-2 against the Miners at home.
ALL ABOUT ARIKE
Elina Arike was a standout for the Miners last week, averaging 18.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game over the course of a hard-fought split against No. 21 Middle Tennessee and second-place WKU. On Thursday against the ranked Lady Raiders, Arike led UTEP with a career-high 20 points to pair with a team-high eight rebounds. On the defensive side of the floor, she served as an enforcer, blocking a career-high four shots to make life difficult for Middle Tennessee on the interior. Arike then continued to remain dominant on Saturday vs. WKU, posting a double-double featuring 16 points and 11 rebounds. She went 6-of-9 from the floor against the Lady Toppers. During the three-game homestand, Arike was playing in front of her parents in the United States for the first time.
ALWAYS CLOSE
UTEP has had six straight games and nine of the last 10 decided by single digits.
DOMINATING THE GLASS
UTEP outrebounded WKU 52-22 last Saturday. The +30 margin on the boards ranks fifth in program history and is the best margin since grabbing 45 more rebounds than Western New Mexico on Nov. 17, 2016. The Miners outrebounded WNMU 66-21 in that game.
FANS SHOWING UP TO THE DON
UTEP had great crowd support over the last three games at home, averaging 1,229 fans, including a season-high 1,403 against WKU. The crowd against the Lady Toppers marked the largest of the Kevin Baker era and the most since 1,532 saw the Miners play FIU on Feb. 25, 2017.
TIME TO GET USED TO THE ROAD
Five of the final eight games of the season will be played away from home for the Miners. UTEP is 5-3 on the road this year.
SCORING FROM ALL SOURCES
UTEP has had 11 games this year in which four different scorers reached double figures.
ABOUT THE RANKED WIN
After knocking off No. 21 Middle Tennessee last Thursday, UTEP picked up the second win in program history against a nationally-ranked team. Jazion Jackson hit the game-winning triple vs. the Lady Raiders with less than a second remaining. The other victory against a ranked foe was a 50-46 decision against No. 11 Utah at home on Jan. 31, 1998.
JACKSON SECURES THE DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Jazion Jackson put together the first double-double of her collegiate career with 15 points and 11 boards against WKU. The 11 rebounds marked a career high. She also distributed four assists.
BOYD BACK
After missing the three games prior, starting point guard N’Yah Boyd returned for the Miners against WKU, scoring seven points with four assists and three rebounds in 30 minutes of action as the first player off the bench.
WATCH OUT FOR SABINE
Sabine Lipe has made at least one triple in 10 of the last 11 games off the bench. Her most productive game of the season from the perimeter came on Saturday against WKU, scoring a season-high 12 points with five rebounds. She went 4-of-5 from beyond the arc.
CROUSE SETS HIGH MARK FOR TRIPLES
In her collegiate career, Avery Crouse has made 87 triples, ranking her in a tie for 14th in UTEP program history. This season, she has connected on 25 from downtown, surpassing her previous season best of 23 set during both the 2019-20 and 2021-22 campaigns.
DOUBLE-DIGIT E DUB
Erin Wilson has taken full advantage of the opportunity to step into the starting lineup over the last four games, reaching double figures each time out, including 14 points vs. WKU. She is averaging 13.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest over the stretch in which she has played 30.3 minutes per night.
STARTING FOR THE MINERS
Jazion Jackson and Avery Crouse are the lone two Miners who have started all 21 games this season.
TAC HAVING STANDOUT SEASON
Adhel Tac has had her best college season to date this year, posting seven double-figure scoring games, five contests with 10 or more rebounds and two double-doubles. Tac has taken full advantage of her opportunities, increasing her averages from 1.4 points and 1.3 rebounds in seven minutes per game last season to 7.8 points and 6.7 rebounds in 26.7 minutes per game this time around.
CROUSE CAREER CAPSULE
Four-year starter Avery Crouse has scored 840 points with 388 rebounds, 193 assists and 109 steals in 103 games.
TWO-WAY IMPACT
Jazion Jackson is fifth in C-USA this season with 41 steals, averaging 2.0 per game.
KEEPING OPPONENTS OFF THE BOARDS
UTEP has allowed opponents to only grab 30.8 rebounds per game since the beginning of C-USA play, the lowest mark in the conference over that stretch.
ARIKE CAREER NUMBERS
In her third season in El Paso, Elina Arike has scored 526 points and grabbed 321 rebounds in 68 games with 64 starts.
POSSESSION BASKETBALL
With just 14.6 turnovers per game this season, the Miners are keeping possession of the basketball at one of the best clips in program history. The only UTEP team to average less turnovers per contest was the 2008-09 team at an average of 13.0 per game.
GETTING TO THE LINE
UTEP averages 14.8 free throws made per game, ranking 30th nationally and third in C-USA. The Miners are averaging 21.1 attempts per game, ranking 26th nationally and second in the conference.
CRASHING THE BOARDS IN C-USA
Jazion Jackson has continued to be active on the glass during the conference games to this point, averaging 6.8 per contest to rank tied for third in the league in C-USA tilts. Adhel Tac has also averaged 6.8 per game in league action.
WHAT’S NEXT
UTEP returns to El Paso to host rival UTSA in a Saturday matinee at 1 p.m. in the Don Haskins Center.
HOME TICKET INFO
Tickets start at $8 for regular season games while groups of 10 can purchase tickets for $5 a piece. Fans can buy single-game tickets at the Eisenberg Family Ticket Office by calling (915) 747-UTEP, visiting UTEPMiners.com/tickets, by emailing [email protected], or by stopping by in person at 500 W. University Ave., 79968 (Monday thru Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.).
