UTEP WBB Heads to Charlotte for final regular season series

UTEP (15-6, 12-4 C-USA) hits the road this week as the Miners travel to face Charlotte (8-7, 7-3 C-USA) in league play on Feb. 26-27 at Halton Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“Charlotte is a really good team. They have two terrific guards and one of the better post players in the conference that comes off the bench, but who is really a starter. They have already beaten Middle Tennessee. If they would have gotten to play a full complement of games, they probably would have been a 20-game winner, That’s how good they are,” head coach Kevin Baker shares.

“They are solid and that is why I’m so excited about these games is because it is going to be two really good games. Two really good teams are going to be battling it out in North Carolina. We have our hands full, but I like it that way. We want our games to be tough, especially this time of the year going into the conference tournament.”

Tipoff set for 1 p.m. MT on both Friday and Saturday. Both games can be seen on YouTube (FREE). Fans can also tune in to the radio broadcast with Tim Hagerty calling all the action on the UTEP Miners app for both games.

Saturday’s series finale versus the 49ers will also air on ESPN 600 El Paso.

MINER NOTABLES

• UTEP enters the series looking to build on a five-game road winning streak, which ranks as the third-longest streak in program history and the longest since the 2011-12 Miners won eight straight away from home.
• The Miners lead the all-time series, 4-3, over Charlotte, including a 82-76 win over the 49ers last season in El Paso. 
• Katia Gallegos leads UTEP offensively with a team-high 15.0 points per game and 100 assists (ranks first in C-USA and 24th nationally) on the season. She is averaging 4.8 assists per game, which ranks second in Conference USA.
• Michelle Pruitt is averaging 9.2 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game, while Isis Lopes is averaging 9.1 points entering the series. Destiny Thurman and Avery Crouse are each averaging 8.7 points per game.
• UTEP ranks first in C-USA in assists (323), while the Miners rank second in assists per game (15.4), field goal percentage (43.8), steals (161) and turnovers forced per game (17.6).

Charlotte is 8-7 overall with a 7-3 record in C-USA play, while the 49ers have won three straight with a win over Middle Tennessee on Feb. 6 and a sweep over Old Dominion the next week. Charlotte’s latest series at UTSA was canceled due to weather-related challenges in the San Antonio area.

The 49ers are ranked first in C-USA and 18th nationally with 43.3 rebounds per game. Octavia Jett-Wilson leads Charlotte with 19.8 point per game and 6.7 rebounds per game.

For complete coverage of UTEP women’s basketball, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at @UTEPWBB (Twitter), @utepwbb (Instagram) and on Facebook or click here to visit the official home of UTEP Athletics.