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Zuzanna Puc registered her second straight double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) and UTEP battled valiantly but its comeback bid came up short in a 69-65 defeat to NM State in the FirstLight Federal Credit Union Battle of I-10 at the Don Haskins Center Saturday afternoon.

The Miners (2-1) dug themselves an 18-5 hole nine minutes into the game, allowing the four-time defending WAC regular-season champion Aggies (3-0) a much greater cushion than they needed. UTEP went to work, reducing the deficit to eight (30-22) at the break.

The margin remained eight (53-45) with 7:14 remaining in regulation before the Miners uncorked an 11-3 surge to finally pull even at 56 with 3:03 left. NM State didn’t flinch, countering with 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to extend its advantage back to six (62-56). UTEP inched within three (64-61) with 1:08 left but the Aggies put the game away by nailing their eighth and final triple of the contest.

“We didn’t start out well and got ourselves in a bit of a hole,” UTEP head coach Kevin Baker said. “I thought that was the difference in the game because we were fighting over that hump, fighting over that hump, fighting over that hump. I thought that when we tied it up we were in really good shape because we had had so much momentum. The crowd was really doing a great job. But you have to give credit where credit is due. We dared them all night long to make perimeter shots. They made them late. Our hat is off to them today. They played just a little bit better than the Miners today.”

Katarina Zec (14 points), Ariona Gill (14 points) and Alexa Hoy (career-high 13 points) joined Puc in double figures for scoring. Neidy Ocuane got involved as well, setting career bests for points (five), rebounds (five) and assists (three).

UTEP finished at 35.3 percent (18-51) from the floor, which was hindered by going 6-27 (22.2 percent)in the first half. The Miners nearly made up for that by going 24-34 (70.6 percent) at the free-throw line, committing a season-low 14 turnovers and winning the boards (36-33), but the Aggies had too much firepower.

Brooke Salas poured in 18 points while grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out a game-high seven helpers to set the tone for her squad. Monique Mills (11 points) and Dominique Mills (11 points) got after it as well. NM State connected on 48.3 percent (28-58) from the floor, including 8-23 from distance.

The Orange and Blue will be back in action when they play host to the seventh-annual UTEP Thanksgiving Classic. The event begins with a contest between Texas Southern and Abilene Christian at 1 p.m. MT Friday.

The Miners open up the Classic by locking up with Nicholls State at 3:30 p.m. MT Friday. One ticket serves as admission for both games. They are $5 for adults and $3 for kids, and may be purchased by calling (915) 747-5234.

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UTEP relied on a balanced scoring attack to dispatch Division II St. Mary’s (Texas) ,70-51, in an exhibition game at the Don Haskins Center Sunday afternoon.

Junior Zuzanna Puc (15 points), senior Jordan Alexander (13 points) and junior Katarina Zec (10 points) all hit double figures in scoring while sophomore transfer Alexa Hoy (nine points) and sophomore Jordan Jenkins (eight points) also got things going offensively.

UTEP connected on 44.4 percent (24-54) of its shots from the floor, including banging home 8-17 (47.1 percent) from 3-point range. The visitors were held to a readout of 30.5 percent (18-59) from the field while also committing 18 turnovers. UTEP converted those giveaways into 18 points. It also had a significant advantage for points in the paint (32-14).

Kaitlin Walla (16 points) and Arysia Porter (10 points) paced the Rattlers.

“We are a lot better this week than we were last week. That was the goal,” UTEP head coach Kevin Baker said. “It was very noticeable that we were playing better basketball in a week’s time. I’m pleased with that. We rebounded the ball better in the second half. I’m pleased about that. If we keep getting better at this rate, then I think we got something going.”

Alexander snagged a squad-best six rebounds while Zec was credited with a team-leading four assists. Junior transfer Jade Rochelle came off the bench to score five points and secure five boards in 18 minutes of action. All 10 Miners who dressed garnered at least seven minutes of playing time.

UTEP won the rebounding battle,39-37, which was made possible by a 25-13 advantage on the glass in the second half.

The Orange and Blue scored the first eight points of the game to help fuel a 12-2 run over the opening four minutes of the contest. The Rattlers halted it with a 3-pointer from Walla to get within seven (12-5), but UTEP responded with a 10-3 surge to close out the first quarter up by 14 (22-8).

Puc finished a short jumper in the paint off a feed from Ariona Gill to extend the margin to 16 (24-8) early in the second frame. St. Mary’s battled back behind a 19-9 run to reduce the margin to six (33-27). A pair of Alexander free throws afforded the home side an eight-point cushion (35-27) heading into the locker room.

The differential was back to six (37-31) with 8:31 left in the third quarter before UTEP found another gear. The Orange and Blue ripped off a 12-2 run to vault out by 16 (49-33) midway through the frame. The visitors didn’t get closer than 10 the rest of the way out, with the Miner lead ballooning to 21 late in the contest.

UTEP will tip off its 45th season in program history when it plays host to Alcorn State at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

Fans who purchase a ticket to the UTEP football team’s match-up vs. Middle Tennessee (1 p.m.) on Saturday may also use the ticket for admission into the contest against Alcorn State (7 p.m.) Otherwise tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for kids, and may be bought by calling (915) 747-5234.

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Jordan Alexander (17 points) and Ariona Gill (14 points) led the way in UTEP’s 66-45 win against Division II Western New Mexico in an exhibition game at the Don Haskins Center Saturday afternoon.

The Miners shot 47.2 percent (25-53) from the floor, while holding the Mustangs to a readout of 29.8 (14-47) percent on the day. The visitors committed 19 turnovers, which UTEP converted into 19 points. The Orange and Blue piled up 36 points in the paint, while adding another 11 (11-15) at the charity stripe. The Miners also took four charges in the game.

Weber State transfer Paulina Rodriguez led the Mustangs with 17 points.

“I thought it was a really good scrimmage for us,” UTEP head coach Kevin Baker said. “We were able to work on some things, and I’m excited about getting better. I really liked the way our team played. There are so many things that we need to clean up, fix and do better. We’ll certainly do that.”

All 10 Miners who dressed played in the contest, with everyone logging at least seven minutes of action. Alexander and Gill paced the attack but four others (Zuzanna Puc-nine, Jordan Jenkins-seven, Jade Rochelle-six and Ariana Taylor-six) scored at least six points. Rochelle also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds to help UTEP win the boards, 36-31.

Puc was credited with a contest-high four helpers, while Gill and Jenkins each recorded three assists. The Miners led by 15 (20-5) after the opening quarter, and the Mustangs couldn’t get within single digits the rest of the way.

UTEP bolted out to a 14-3 lead six minutes in the contest, including peeling off seven straight points. The visitors ended the surge with a jumper by Ashton Carrasco, but the Miners accounted for the final six points in the stanza to lead, 20-5, through 10 minutes of action. Alexander (six) and Gill (five) combined for 11 of UTEP’s points in the period.

The Orange and Blue continued to control as the half wore on, twice extending their advantage to 20 points. The margin was 19 (36-17) at the break. WNMU used a 7-2 push out of the gates to inch within 14 (38-24) three minutes into the third quarter. UTEP pushed its cushion back to 20 (46-26) with 2:52 to play in the period.

Back-to-back 3-pointers from the Mustangs narrowed their deficit to 13 (48-35) with 9:50 remaining in regulation, but they could get no closer. A 7-1 run midway through the stanza reinstated that 20-point differential (58-38) with 3:47 left.

UTEP will play host to Division II St. Mary’s (Texas) in its final exhibition game of the year on Nov. 4 at 1 p.m. Admission is free.

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Match-ups with NM State, New Mexico and Arizona, in addition to the always challenging Conference USA slate highlight the 2018-19 UTEP Women’s Basketball schedule, as revealed by head coach Kevin Baker Thursday.

The Miners will have a pair of exhibition games (WNMU-Oct. 27 and St. Mary’s (TX)-Nov. 3) to prep for the campaign before tipping it off in earnest by playing host to Alcorn State (Nov. 10). Other home non-conference match-ups include Cal State Bakersfield (Nov. 14), NM State (Nov. 17), Nicholls State (Nov. 23), Abilene Christian (Nov. 24), Arkansas State (Dec. 1) and Portland State (Dec. 9).

After playing five straight contests at the Don Haskins Center, including a pair of tilts as part of the Seventh-Annual UTEP Thanksgiving Classic, the Orange and Blue will hit the road for a match-up at Weber State (Nov. 28). Other road non-league games include at New Mexico (Dec. 5), at Arizona (Dec. 17) and at former C-USA foe Tulsa (Dec. 29). Additionally the Orange and Blue will take part in the Las Vegas Shootout (Dec.20-21), with match-ups still to be announced.

“We are really excited about our upcoming season’s schedule,” Baker said. “Our non-conference schedule includes seven home games and six road games. This schedule will help us get prepared for a very demanding Conference USA format.”

C-USA action starts with three straight road contests in the form of playing at UTSA (Jan. 5), at North Texas (Jan. 10) and at Rice (Jan. 12). The other games away from home will be at Old Dominion (Jan. 24), at Charlotte (Jan. 26), at Florida Atlantic (Feb. 7), at FIU (Feb. 9) and at UAB (March 2).

The tilt at UAB was predetermined by the league office to result in the most competitive match-ups coupled with geographical constraints. The other contest of that nature is UTEP’s “Senior Day” game vs. North Texas (March 7).

The Miners’ home C-USA opener pits them against UAB (Jan. 17). Also venturing to El Paso will be Middle Tennessee (Jan. 19), Marshall (Jan. 31), WKU (Feb. 2), LA Tech (Feb. 14), Southern Miss (Feb. 16), UTSA (Feb. 23) and the aforementioned contest vs. North Texas (March 7).

“We will play 14 games in a mirrored format opposite of the men’s Thursday/Saturday scheduling,” Baker said. “The final two contests are set in advance and are based on creating competitive match-ups with geographical constraints. The fans will love this idea as there will almost always be a home game going on in the Haskins Center every Thursday and Saturday.”

UTEP will return four letter winners (Jordan Alexander-8.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg, Jordan Jenkins-2.0 ppg, 1.4 apg, Zuzanna Puc-9.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg and Katarina Zec-9.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg) from last year’s squad, in addition to a pair (Ariona Gill and Neidy Ocuane) who sat out last year as redshirts.

The Miners compiled an overall record of 17-14 (7-9 in C-USA play, 9-4 in non-conference action) to surge past the 2016-17 team’s overall victory total (8-23) by nine wins while also exceeding the number of league victories (5-13 C-USA). The effort allowed Baker to become the most successful first-year head coach at the school in program history.

2018-19 UTEP Women’s Basketball Schedule

 

Date              Day                       Opponent                                                Location                                    Time

Oct. 27          Saturday               Western New Mexico&                             Don Haskins Center                   1 p.m.

Nov. 3           Saturday               St. Mary’s University&                             Don Haskins Center                   1 p.m.

Nov. 10          Saturday               Alcorn State                                             Don Haskins Center                   7 p.m.

Nov. 14          Wednesday           Cal State Bakersfield                                Don Haskins Center                   7 p.m.

Nov. 17          Saturday               NM State                                                  Don Haskins Center                   1 p.m.

 

UTEP Thanksgiving Classic

Nov. 23          Friday                   Texas Southern vs. Abilene Christian      Don Haskins Center                   1 p.m.

                                                 Nicholls State at UTEP                             Don Haskins Center                   3:30 p.m.

Nov. 24          Saturday               Texas Southern vs. Nicholls State           Don Haskins Center                   5 p.m.

                                                 Abilene Christian at UTEP                       Don Haskins Center                   7 p.m.

 

Nov. 28          Wednesday           at Weber State                                          Ogden, Utah                              TBA

Dec. 1            Saturday               Arkansas State                                         Don Haskins Center                   1 p.m.

Dec. 5           Wednesday           at New Mexico                                          Albuquerque, N.M.                     TBA

Dec. 9            Sunday                 Portland State                                          Don Haskins Center                   2 p.m.

Dec. 17          Monday                at Arizona                                                 Tucson, Ariz.                              TBA

 

Las Vegas Christmas Shootout

Dec. 20          Thursday               TBA                                                         Las Vegas, Nev.                         TBA

Dec. 21          Friday                   TBA                                                         Las Vegas, Nev.                         TBA

 

Dec. 29          Saturday               at Tulsa                                                    Tulsa, Okla.                                1 p.m.

Jan. 5            Saturday               at UTSA*                                                  San Antonio, Texas                    TBA

Jan. 10          Thursday               at North Texas*                                         Denton, Texas                            TBA

Jan. 12          Saturday               at Rice*                                                    Houston, Texas                          TBA

Jan. 17          Thursday              UAB*                                                        Don Haskins Center                   7 p.m.

Jan. 19          Saturday               Middle Tennessee*                                  Don Haskins Center                   1 p.m.

Jan. 24          Thursday               at Old Dominion*                                      Norfolk, Va.                               TBA

Jan. 26          Saturday               at Charlotte*                                             Charlotte, N.C.                           TBA

Jan. 31          Thursday              Marshall*                                                 Don Haskins Center                   7 p.m.

Feb. 2            Saturday               WKU*                                                       Don Haskins Center                   1 p.m.

Feb. 7            Thursday               at Florida Atlantic*                                    Boca Raton, Fla.                        TBA

Feb. 9            Saturday               at FIU*                                                      Miami, Fla.                                 TBA

Feb. 14          Thursday              LA Tech*                                                  Don Haskins Center                   7 p.m.

Feb. 16          Saturday               Southern Miss*                                        Don Haskins Center                   1 p.m.

Feb. 23          Saturday               UTSA*                                                      Don Haskins Center                   1 p.m.

March 2         Saturday               at UAB*                                                    Birmingham, Ala.                        TBA

March 7         Thursday              North Texas*                                            Don Haskins Center                   7 p.m.

 

Bold denotes home game & Exhibition Game

* Conference USA Game

All Times Mountain

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The return of the UTEP Thanksgiving Classic and a 16-game Conference USA slate, match-ups against both New Mexico and NM State and non-conference contests against power league members Arkansas, East Carolina and Georgetown highlight the 2017-18 UTEP women’s basketball schedule as announced Wednesday by head coach Kevin Baker.

The schedule also features games against three teams that played in the 2017 NCAA Tournament (NM State, Texas Southern and WKU) and four from the 2017 Postseason WNIT (Georgetown, LA Tech, Middle Tennessee and Southern Miss)

“We look forward to our pre-season schedule,” Baker said. “We will begin our season with six straight home contests. We are very excited about the opportunity to play in front of our great fan-base.”

The Miners will tune up for the campaign with a pair of exhibition games, facing Sul Ross (Oct. 29) and St. Mary’s (Nov. 4) before tipping off Baker’s first season at the helm against CSU Bakersfield (Nov. 11).

It will be the first of six straight in El Paso to start the year, equaling the second-longest homestand at the onset of a season in program history.

Also on the docket are Texas A&M Corpus Christi (Nov. 18), Arkansas (Nov. 24), Texas Southern (Nov. 25), New Mexico (Nov. 30), and Houston Baptist (Dec. 2).

The contests against Arkansas and TSU will come as part of the Sixth-Annual UTEP Thanksgiving Classic. NM State will help round out the field by facing both Texas Southern and Arkansas.

“We are really excited about our Thanksgiving Classic,” Baker said. “We will play two upper level teams in Arkansas and Texas Southern. Soon after, we will hit the road to Myrtle Beach to play East Carolina and then to New Orleans to participate in the Tulane Classic. We will then tune up for conference play by heading out to Los Angeles to play Cal State Fullerton and UC-Riverside. We hope that this competitive schedule helps our team improve daily and prepares us for tough conference play.”

Baker’s charges then will wrap up non-conference action with seven straight road or neutral-site games. Up first is a trip to Arkansas State (Dec. 5) before coming back to the Borderland for the First Light Federal Credit Union Battle of I-10 at NM State (Dec. 10).

UTEP will then head to the east coast for a tilt against former C-USA foe and current American member East Carolina (Dec. 17) in Myrtle Beach. The Orange and Blue will then take place in the Tulane Classic where they will play two games in as many days, squaring off with Samford (Dec. 21) and Georgetown (Dec. 22).

Following a holiday break, UTEP wraps up non-conference play in Los Angeles with contests vs. CSU Fullerton (Dec. 29) and CSU Riverside (Dec. 30).

“We are very excited about the new Conference USA schedule,” Baker said. “Our conference has worked very hard to put together a new format which will undoubtedly enhance our chances to put several teams in the mix to obtain a spot in the NCAA Tournament. In any event, this year’s conference should be extremely competitive and should make for some great basketball.  Our players and coaching staff are eager to get this season underway and compete in this great conference.”

C-USA play commences on the road at FIU (Jan. 5) and at FAU (Jan. 7). Other league road contests are at Rice (Jan. 26), at North Texas (Jan. 28), at UTSA (Feb. 4), at Marshall (Feb. 15), at Old Dominion (Feb. 17) and at Southern Miss (Feb. 25).

The Miners’ league home opener comes against Charlotte (Jan. 11). The other C-USA teams to venture to the Don Haskins Center are Middle Tennessee (Jan. 13), Florida Atlantic (Jan. 18), UAB (Feb. 2), LA Tech (Feb. 10), UTSA (Feb. 23), FIU (March 1) and WKU (March 3).

2017-18 UTEP Women’s Basketball Schedule

 

Date              Day                       Opponent                                                Location                                    Time

October 29    Sunday                 Sul Ross&                                               Don Haskins Center                1 p.m.

November 4   Saturday               St. Mary’s&                                             Don Haskins Center               1 p.m.

November 11 Saturday               CSU Bakersfield                                     Don Haskins Center              1 p.m.

November 18 Saturday               Texas A&M Corpus Christi                       Don Haskins Center             7 p.m.

 

UTEP Thanksgiving Classic

November 24 Friday                   NM State vs. Texas Southern                   Don Haskins Center                   12 p.m.

                                                 Arkansas at UTEP                                    Don Haskins Center                   2:30 p.m.

November 25 Saturday               NM State vs. Arkansas                             Don Haskins Center                   12 p.m.

                                                 Texas Southern at UTEP                          Don Haskins Center                   2:30 p.m.

 

November 30 Thursday              New Mexico                                             Don Haskins Center                   5:30 p.m.

December 2   Saturday               Houston Baptist                                       Don Haskins Center                   1 p.m.

December 5   Tuesday                at Arkansas State                                     Jonesboro, Ark                          TBA

December 10 Saturday               at NM State                                              Las Cruces, N.M.                        TBA

December 17 Sunday                 vs. East Carolina                                      Myrtle Beach, S.C.                     11:30 a.m.

 

Tulane Classic

December 21 Thursday               vs. Samford                                             New Orleans/Tulane Univ.            TBA

December 22 Friday                   vs. Georgetown                                        New Orleans/Tulane Univ.            TBA

 

December 29 Friday                   vs. CSU Fullerton                                      Los Angeles, Calif.                     TBA

December 30 Saturday               vs. CSU Riverside                                     Los Angeles, Calif.                     TBA

January 5       Friday                   at FIU*                                                      Miami, Fla.                                 TBA

January 7       Sunday                 at Florida Atlantic*                                    Boca Raton, Fla.                        TBA

January 11    Thursday              Charlotte*                                                Don Haskins Center                   1 p.m.

January 13    Saturday               Middle Tennessee*                                  Don Haskins Center                   1 p.m.

January 18    Thursday              Florida Atlantic                                        Don Haskins Center                   7 p.m.

January 26     Friday                   at Rice*                                                    Houston, Texas                          TBA

January 28     Sunday                 at North Texas*                                         Denton, Texas                            TBA

February 2     Friday                   UAB*                                                        Don Haskins Center                   7 p.m.

February 4     Sunday                 UTSA*                                                      San Antonio, Texas                    TBA

February 10   Saturday               LA Tech*                                                  Don Haskins Center                   1 p.m.

February 15    Thursday               Marshall*                                                  Huntington, W. Va.                     TBA

February 17    Saturday               Old Dominion*                                          Norfolk, Va.                               TBA                    

February 23   Friday                   UTSA*                                                      Don Haskins Center                   7 p.m.

February 25    Sunday                 Southern Miss*                                         Hattiesburg, Miss.                      TBA

March 1         Thursday              FIU*                                                         Don Haskins Center                   7 p.m.

March 3         Saturday               WKU*                                                       Don Haskins Center                   1 p.m.

 

Bold denotes home game

& Exhibition Game

* Conference USA Game

All Times Mountain​

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Registration is now open for the popular UTEP women’s basketball summer camps. All three camps are open to any and all entrants, with individuals encouraged to sign up soon to ensure their spot.

The UTEP Women’s Basketball Team Camp, geared for high school-age teams, will be held June 18-19 at the Don Haskins Center. Also on the docket are two Mini Miners’ Camps, both open to boys and girls, with one for grades K-6 and the other for grades 7-12. They will take place at the Don Haskins Center June 22-23.

All campers will receive a T-shirt. Additionally, the Mini Miners’ Camp participants will get a basketball. Keitha Adams, the only three-time C-USA Women’s Basketball Coach in league history, is heavily involved with the teaching and instruction throughout the camps. Her staff, select Miners and other special individuals will join Adams in the teaching process.

High school, JV, varsity and high school age AAU teams are encouraged to sign up for the Team Camp. The Tournament Team Camp will be full of competitive players and games. First, second and third-place prizes will be awarded to each participant. Each day action will start at 10 a.m., with each squad guaranteed three contests.

For the Mini Miners’ Camp K-6, campers will be instructed in ball handling, dribbling, passing, shooting and rebounding. The activity-based, fun-filled camp provides individual attention to Mini Miners and emphasizes coordination and skill improvement.

With the Mini Miners’ Camp 7-12, campers will learn how to improve their averages and their games. Campers will learn skills specific to each court position, from the point guard and shooting guard positions to the post position.

To register, contact Professional and Public Programs at 915-747-5142 or visit ppp.utep.edu

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- (1) UTEP forced 21 turnovers and played hard but couldn’t get enough shots to fall in an 66-54 setback vs. (5) Old Dominion in the semifinals of the 2016 Conference USA Championships at Legacy Arena Friday.

The Miners (26-4) will now play the waiting game, and will learn their postseason fate on Monday. The Lady Monarchs (17-16) advance to the C-USA title to face either Middle Tennessee, which downed Marshall, 69-41.

Cameasha Turner tallied 18 points while Jenzel Nash (13 points) and Starr Breedlove (10 points) all hit double for the Miners. ODU was paced by Jennie Simms’s double-double (21 points, 10 rebounds) while Ije Ajemba (14 points) and Gianna Smith (10 points) also got things going.

UTEP committed only 12 turnovers and enjoyed advantages in points in the paint (26-20) and points off turnovers (17-12) but that wasn’t enough to compensate for an off shooting day. The Miners finished at 28.8 percent (19-66) from the floor-compared to ODU’s 39.1 percent (18-46).

Old Dominion also won the rebounding battle (47-36) while also taking advantage of getting to the free-throw line early and often. The Lady Monarchs connected on 26-41 (63.4 percent) at the charity stripe, with Simms going 11-14 in that area. UTEP was 12-17 (70.6 percent) at the free-throw line.

“Today was a tough day for us,” UTEP head coach Keitha Adams said. “Offensively, we just really couldn’t find any rhythm. And our shots weren’t falling for us. It was a tough day on that end. We’ve had a great season. I told our players in the locker room I’m very proud of the competitiveness and heart these guys have shown all year and how we play defense and getting after it. We’re all disappointed but it was just a day where we couldn’t get any shots to fall. Old Dominion is playing good ball right now. It was a very spirited, competitive game. They played hard. We played hard. We just came up short.”

Old Dominion jumped out to a 15-10 lead after the first quarter before extending it to as many as 17 (29-12) with 4:10 to play in the second stanza. The deficit was 12 (38-26) with 7:36 to play in the third quarter before the Orange and Blue began to put together one of their patented runs.

Turner and Breedlove combined for seven straight points to get the deficit down to four (38-34, 5:52 third quarter). ODU got a basket to momentarily stem the tide but the Miners went right back to work. UTEP eventually managed to tie the tilt, on two occasions (40-40, 42-42) only to have the Lady Monarchs get back-to-back baskets to carry a four-point cushion (46-42) into the fourth quarter.

UTEP, which used a lot of energy during that 14-2 run, was unfortunately unable to keep things going in the fourth quarter. ODU relied on free throws and a couple of timely three pointers to extend the margin back out to 11 (55-44) with 4:54 to play in regulation.

The Miners refused to quit, though, relying on a Breedlove triple and a driving lay-up from Turner to get the deficit down to six (55-49) with 3:57 left. ODU weathered the storm and scored the game’s next nine points to seal UTEP’s fate.

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The UTEP women’s basketball team forced 30 turnovers and got big efforts from several players to outlast Charlotte, 94-91, in double overtime to claim the outright 2016 Conference USA regular-season championship in front of a roaring 4,012 fans at the Don Haskins Center Saturday afternoon.

Jenzel Nash enjoyed a monstrous game (career-high 31 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals) to lead the way for the Miners (25-2, 16-1 C-USA), who pushed their overall win streak to seven while halting the 49ers’ (17-10, 10-6 C-USA) undefeated surge at five. Lulu McKinney buoyed Nash with 18 points, including two big triples in the second overtime period, while Starr Breedlove (13 points) and Cameasha Turner (12 points) also hit double figures in scoring for the Orange and Blue.

Charlotte shot 51.6 percent (33-64) from the floor, won the boards (50-36) and got big games from Grace Hunter (32 points, nine rebounds) and Laia Raventos (22 points, seven assists, five rebounds) but was done in by the relentless pressure from the Orange and Blue.

The Miners shot a solid 42.2 percent (35-83) form the floor but the difference in the game down to ball security and depth. UTEP forced 30 turnovers, while committing only 12, which led to a whopping 43-2 advantage in points off giveaways. Additionally Miner reserves out-paced Charlotte’s back-ups to the tune of 34-3.

The regular-season crown is the third in program history (2008, 2012 and 2016), with all under head coach Keitha Adams. At 16-1 in C-USA play, UTEP has matched school and league record for single-season C-USA victories. The Miners also conclude the home portion of their schedule at a flawless 16-0, marking the second undefeated home campaign (14-0) in program history.

“I’m just really, really proud of our team,” UTEP head coach Keitha Adams said after the first double-overtime game at the school since 2005-06. “Today was an extremely hard-fought game against a very talented Charlotte team. It was two very good teams playing each other. I’m really proud of our players for protecting our home court; that’s why I let them cut the nets because they protected the home court the whole year. They earned it and got the championship outright. I’m just really happy for our players.”

The visitors looked poised to hand UTEP its first home loss of the year, leading 72-70 with 15 seconds to play in regulation and in possession of the ball. Nash had other ideas, though, coming up with a steal and drawing a foul. She calmly sank both charity stripe tosses to tie the tilt. Charlotte called timeout to set up a play but misfired at the buzzer.

There were just eight points total in the first overtime, and Nash’s potential game-winning shot wouldn’t drop with one tick left to send it to double overtime. Nash nailed a triple to get the scoring started in the second extra period before a free throw by Raventos made it 79-77 UTEP with 3:15 on the clock.

McKinney then took over, draining clutch triples on consecutive possessions to give the Miners some much-needed breathing room (85-78, 1:42 to play). Charlotte, as expected, continued to battle down the stretch but never got closer than three the rest of the way.

The game featured eight ties and six lead changes, but for the most part UTEP controlled things. The Miners led for 31:12 of action, with their largest cushion being an 11-point advantage (42-31) early in the third quarter.

UTEP will wrap up the regular season when it plays at UTSA at 6 p.m. MT/7 p.m. CT Thursday. The game will be carried by 600 ESPN El Paso and fans can also watch live on the C-USA digital network.

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UTEP hosted the Florida Atlantic University Owls Saturday afternoon at the Haskins Center, where the Miners beat them 75-47. UTEP is now 21-2 overall and in 1st place in C-USA at 12 -1.  Andres Acosta was there and brings you his view of the game with today’s Story in Six Pics.

UTEP turned up the defensive pressure by holding Florida Atlantic to 31.5 percent shooting and forcing 23 turnovers on the way to a convincing 75-47 wire-to-wire victory at the Don Haskins Center Saturday afternoon.

The Miners (21-2, 12-1 C-USA) improve to 14-0 in El Paso on the season, equaling the longest unbeaten home streak in program history while also maintaining their top spot in Conference USA. UTEP pounced on the Owls (11-13, 3-10 C-USA) early, tallying 12 of the game’s first 14 points to secure a double-digit cushion less than four minutes in.

FAU battled back to get within three (22-19) early in the second quarter but UTEP ripped off a 15-2 run over the next eight minutes. Eight FAU giveaways helped power the sequence. UTEP tallied the first 16 points of the third quarter to effectively put the game out of reach. The advantage swelled to as many as 32 (71-39, 5:11 4Q) before a mini push late by the visitors.

“Today was a really big win for us,” head coach Keitha Adams said. “They’re a dangerous team to play because they really shoot the three and have shooters. You really have to be on your toes defensively against this team. I thought the second quarter we had a great defensive spurt. I’m proud of our team, and it’s a good win.”

The Orange and Blue converted the Owls’ 23 giveaways into 33 points while also controlling the boards (46-36). Another big factor was UTEP’s defense of the three-point shot. FAU, which entered the game fifth nationally for three pointers/game, managed to make just 4-23 (17.4 percent) from distance.

Starr Breedlove set the tone on the defensive end with a career-high seven steals (tied seventh most UTEP history), all of which came in the first half. She added 10 points and four assists in an efficient 23 minutes of action. Jenzel Nash (16 points, 6-9 FG, 3-3 FT) and Sparkle Taylor (12 points, 2-5 FG, 8-10 FT) also hit double figures for scoring while Cameasha Turner added nine points.

Adams, who celebrated her birthday in style, did a masterful job in distributing the minutes across the roster. All 14 Miners dressed earned at least six minutes of playing time. Eleven logged 10+ minutes, but no one had more than 23. Lawna Kennedy scored seven points during the opening surge while Rudiane Eduardo added six points and three caroms.Daeshianna McCants grabbed a team-high seven boards while Chrishauna Parker had six.

The Miners nailed 42.6 percent (26-61) of their shots while connecting on 73.1 percent (19-26) at the free-throw line. FAU was paced by 15 points from Kat Wright and 10 by Morgan Robinson.

UTEP will head back out on the road for a daunting trip of playing at Southern Miss (5 p.m. MT/6 p.m. CT) on Feb. 18 and at LA Tech (5 p.m. MT/6 p.m. CT) on Feb. 20. USM is 11-0 at home, including 5-0 in league action while LA Tech is 8-3 at home, including 5-0 in C-USA. Both games will be carried by ESPN El Paso, 600 KROD-AM with Brandon Cohn on the call.

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UTEP controlled the boards (49-29) and forced 27 turnovers to help propel it to a 70-52 victory against visiting FIU on “National Girls and Women in Sports Day” at the Don Haskins Center Thursday evening.

The effort keeps the Miners (20-2, 11-1 C-USA) atop the Conference USA leaderboard and undefeated at home (13-0, second-longest win home win streak in school history) while the Panthers slip to 3-20, 1-11 C-USA, respectively. Additionally for the third time in the past four years and sixth occasion overall in program history (all under head coach Keitha Adams), UTEP has reached the 20-win plateau.

“This is a good win,” Adams said. “I feel really good about tonight that we dominated the glass and had some good steals that got us in the transition game. We need that. We played our entire team and managed our minutes. We didn’t shoot the ball very well tonight but getting offensive rebounds and extra possessions helped us.”

All 14 players who dressed saw action for the Orange and Blue, who never trailed in the contest. Jenzel Nash (13 points), Cameasha Turner (11 points) and Lawna Kennedy (11 points) all reached double figures in scoring to lead the way but there were plenty of other scoring options.

Nine other Miners tallied at least one point in the game. It was a similar story with the effort on the glass, with every player securing at least one board. Chrishauna Parker pulled down a team-high nine offensive rebounds, including seven of UTEP’s season-high 24 offensive caroms. Daeshianna McCants and Nash buoyed Parker with six boards.

Starr Breedlove and Nash shared the team lead for assists (four). Nash also created havoc on defense with five steals.

FIU was paced by 13 points from Taylor Shade while Janka Hegedus (11 points) and Destini Feagin (10 points) also reached double figures in scoring. The Panthers shot 40.4 percent (19-47) from the floor, compared to UTEP’s 36.9 percent (24-65) but the Orange and Blue compensated thanks to the dominance on the glass and the turnovers forced.

The Miners enjoyed advantages for points in the paint (36-16), points off turnovers (27-16), second-chance points (14-2), fast-break points (16-6) and bench scoring (24-7).

UTEP jumped out to an 11-4 advantage six minutes into the game but the feisty FIU squad did well to battle back to get within four (15-11) at the end of the quarter. The Miners found another gear in the second frame, outscoring the visitors, 20-8, to secure a commanding 35-19 advantage heading into halftime.

UTEP put things on cruise control in the second half, with Adams skillfully spreading the wealth with playing time. The advantage swelled to as many as 23 (68-45) with 2:37 to play in the tilt, before FIU scored seven of the final nine points down the stretch.

The Miners will have a quick turnaround, with high-flying Florida Atlantic invading El Paso for a 2:05 p.m. matinee tip Saturday. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for kids, but there is a buy-one, get-one free special in place.

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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Five different Miners reached double figures in scoring and UTEP turned up the defensive pressure late to emerge with an 85-78 win at Western Kentucky Saturday afternoon.

With the win the Miners (19-2, 10-1 C-USA) take sole possession of first place in Conference USA while also snapping the Lady Toppers’ (18-4, 9-2 C-USA) 15-game home winning streak. It is the first home setback for WKU since Jan. 31, 2015.

“I think we showed a lot of heart and character today,” UTEP head coach Keitha Adams said. “We played a really great team on their home court and just dug down deep. It’s a great feeling when your kids play that hard. We have all kinds of respect for Western Kentucky, which makes it just a great win. It was a big game, and we knew that we were playing for something today.”

Starr Breedlove (21 points, seven assists, career-high six steals) led the way but she had plenty of help. Fellow senior Cameasha Turner tallied 17 points and five boards while Lulu McKinney came off the bench to contribute 14 points, aided by making 4-6 from three-point range. McKinney also dished out six assists.

RS-sophomore Tamara Seda provided a big presence inside with a career-high 11 points to go along with four rebounds while Sparkle Taylor pitched in 10 points from the pine as well.

UTEP shot 52.4 percent (33-63) from the floor, and compiled 18 assists while only making 10 turnovers.

WKU was led by 29 points from Tashia Brown, with Kendall Noble (12 points) and Ivy Brown (12 points) also hitting double figures.

The Lady Toppers nailed 54.5 (30-55) percent from the floor and won the boards (32-28) but they had issues with the Miners’ pressure at key junctures.

WKU committed 15 turnovers, which led to 23 UTEP points. The Miners also had big advantage in second-chance points (15-6) and bench scoring (37-17).

Spurred on by an energetic crowd, WKU bolted out to 13-point lead (22-9) early with 42 second to play in the first quarter. UTEP didn’t flinch, but rather quietly continued to chip away.

McKinney got things going with the first of her four triples in the game, which was followed by a jumper by Turner to make it 25-20 WKU with 8:04 remaining in the second quarter.

The home side extended its advantage back to double figures but UTEP didn’t go away. Outstanding execution on an out of bounds play resulted in a classic three-point play for Turner to bring the Miners within six (46-40) heading to halftime.

The momentum carried into the third quarter, with UTEP ripping off seven straight points to take its first lead of the game at 54-50 with 6:16 left in the frame. WKU countered by pouring in nine straight points in the blink of the eye but Turner made a driving layup to slow the surge.

The two sides traded baskets and runs in the fourth quarter, and there was a sense that whichever team could string together some stops on defense would be the one to emerge victorious.

Much to the disdain of the faithful in E.A. Diddle Arena, that proved to be UTEP. The Miners held WKU to just one field goal in the final 3:41, fueling a game-closing 10-2 run.

Breedlove hit a three to start the defining surge, which was followed by a Turner free throw.

WKU got a jumper to get within one (79-78) with 1:12 to play but McKinney, with her dad in the stands, nailed a straight on triple to extend UTEP’s lead to four. Out of a timeoutChrishauna Parker got a steal and Breedlove hit a free throw. Breedlove then sealed the game with another steal and coast-to-coast score.

UTEP will be back in action at home against FIU at 7:05 p.m. MT Thursday. There will be free admission to the game as part of the annual “National Girls and Women In Sports Celebration.”

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HUNTINGTON, W. VA – A valiant comeback bid by UTEP fell short in a 79-64 loss at Marshall Thursday evening.

The Miners (18-2, 9-1 C-USA) trailed by as many as 24 (46-24) with 8:58 to play in the third quarter before unleashing a 22-4 run to pull all the way back to within four (50-46) late the stanza.

To their credit the Thundering Herd (15-6, 5-5 C-USA) weathered the storm, answering the UTEP surge with one of their own (11-2) midway through the fourth quarter to reinstate a double-digit advantage (69-55) with 5:43 remaining in regulation. UTEP showed good character in refusing to quit but it could get no closer than 10 the rest of the way.

The setback is the first in C-USA and just the second on the year for the Miners, who had their 10-game winning streak in the process halted.

“You have to tip your hat to Marshall,” UTEP head coach Keitha Adams said. “They played extremely well tonight. They just outplayed us and we struggled. We made a good effort to try to get back in it but it’s a 40-minute game. We dug ourselves too deep and all night long Marshall felt too comfortable offensively.”

Jenzel Nash recorded her first career double-double (14 points, 12 rebounds) while Sparkle Taylor came off the bench to tally 17 points. Lulu McKinney added 10 from the pine as well while Starr Breedlove and Cameasha Turner each finished with eight points.

But enough shots wouldn’t fall, with the Miners finishing at 30.8 percent (30.8) from the floor. Marshall, which hit 48.3 percent (29-60) of its shots, was paced by 26 points and 11 rebounds from Leah Scott. She was joined in double figures by Talequia Hamilton (15 points), Shayna Gore (14 points) and Kiana Evans (12 points).

Rebounding was also a factor, with the Thundering Herd winning the boards by a count of 50-42.

The two sides traded baskets earlier in the game, and UTEP led 8-6 with 5:55 remaining in the opening quarter. Marshall began to assert itself, though, scoring 16 of the next 18 points to burst into the lead. Scott was the catalyst in the sequence, tallying eight of the points that afforded the home side a 22-10 advantage with 58 seconds to play in the first quarter.

The Orange and Blue tried to regroup in the second quarter but it wasn’t in the cards. After UTEP got the deficit down to eight (27-19, 5:59 second quarter), Marshall struck back with 14 consecutive points. McKinney nailed a long triple late in the stanza to make it a 19-point game (41-22) at the half.

UTEP battled hard in the third quarter, and had Marshall on its heels for a good chunk of the stanza. But unfortunately the deficit was too big to overcome and Marshall was able to hang on for the win to improve to 11-2 at home this year.

The Miners will look to put the setback in the rearview mirror when they play at (RV) Western Kentucky at 1 p.m. MT/2 p.m. CT Saturday. It will be a nationally-televised contest (Fox College Sports). Fans will also be able to listen live to Tim Hagerty on the call for ESPN El Paso, 600 KROD-AM Radio.

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Starr Breedlove scored 22 while Cameasha Turner added 19 to help the UTEP women’s basketball team push its winning streak to 10 after downing Louisiana Tech, 86-80, in front of a rowdy 3,157 fans at the Don Haskins Center Saturday afternoon.

Coupled with Middle Tennessee’s (13-7, 7-2 C-USA) 83-75 win over Western Kentucky (17-2, 8-1 C-USA) which had won 14 straight, the Miners (18-1, 9-0 C-USA) are now in sole possession of first place in Conference USA. The Lady Techsters (10-9, 5-3 C-USA) had their four-game winning streak snapped in the process as well.

The effort continues the best start in program history at 18-1 (prior best 14-1) while also keeping the Miners unbeaten at home (12-0). The 12-game winning streak in El Paso is the second longest at the school while the 10-contest overall surge ties as the third best.

“It was a great team win,” UTEP head coach Keitha Adams said. “I thought we played extremely hard and again had another great turnout from El Paso. Our fans were amazing. We hung in there and played tough. Louisiana Tech has a really good team so this was a very good win against a team that has been playing well.”

The Lady Techsters set opponent season highs for points (80) and field-goal percentage (50.0) but the Miners) compensated for that by doing so many other things well.

UTEP committed only five turnovers, which ties as the second fewest in program history, with all of them coming during the first half. The Miners had two miscues in the first quarter and three in the second quarter.

They also won the boards (42-34), aided by 18 offensive rebounds, which led to a 15-4 advantage on second-chance points. Senior Chrishauna Parker was a difference maker in that department with a game-high 10 rebounds, including seven at the offensive end.

UTEP nailed 24-30 (80 percent) at the charity stripe, including 8-10 in the final minute to ice the game.

The Miners led for 30:10 of the contest, including the entire second half. UTEP’s advantage swelled to as many as 10 (75-65, 7:09 fourth quarter) at one point. Sparkle Taylor buoyed the scoring efforts of Turner and Breedlove with 10 points off the bench while Lawna Kennedy and Tamara Seda each added seven.

Louisiana Tech was paced by 22 points from Brandi Wingate, but the prolific scored had only three in the second half with Turner on her. Turner let Wingate connect on only 1-3 in the final 20 minutes. Ashley Santos (14 points), Kierra Anthony (12 points), and Brooke Pumroy (10 points) all hit double figures in scoring for the Lady Techsters as well.

UTEP can’t rest on its laurels, with a demanding week ahead. The Miners will head back out on the road to wrap up a swing of four of six in hostile territory. The stretch starts at Marshall at 4 p.m. MT/6 p.m. ET on Feb.4 before wrapping up at WKU at 1 p.m. MT/2 p.m. CT Feb. 6.

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The  UTEP Miners move to 18-1 with an 86 to 80 win over LA Tech. Andres Acosta was courtside and brings you his view of the afternoon contest in tonight’s Story in Six Pics.