Nov. 3, 2007
Final Stats
Natasha Lacy drained two free throws with 1.1 seconds left to lift the UTEP women's basketball team to a 72-70 victory against the Houston Jaguars in an exhibition contest Saturday evening at the Don Haskins Center.
Lacy had gotten to the line after slicing thru traffic and drawing the foul as the clock wound down. After Lacy calmly converted the free throws, Kasia Krezel blocked a desperation three-pointer by the Jaguars' Brandi Jones to preserve the victory for UTEP.
Lacy, a TCU transfer, finished the game with nine points and four rebounds, but she had plenty of help. Four different Miners turned in double-digit scoring efforts, with Izabela Piekarska (12 points, 11 rebounds) and Timika Williams (11 points, 10 rebounds) each registering double-doubles. Claudia Porras came off the bench to chip in 10 points and six boards, while senior Tasha Marisett turned in an 11-point, four board effort.
Umeka Webb led the way for the Jaguars with 16 points to go along with 11 rebounds.
Energy and hustle plays helped by the Miners overcome a challenging night from the floor. UTEP racked up 26 points on second-chance opportunities and forced the Jaguars into committing 27 turnovers which resulted in 29 points. Also factoring in was UTEP out-scoring the Jaguars 41-18 in the paint.
The Miners displayed the same unselfish attitude from a year ago, bringing the 1,863 fans in attendance to their feet several times with sparkling passes. UTEP racked up 19 assists, with Jareica Hughes posting a game-high five helpers.
"It is a sign of a good team when you can play poorly and still win," head coach Keitha Adams said. "I know we can play better, but the good thing is that we were able play everybody on our team."
The Jaguars scored the first points of the game on a triple by Brandi Jones, before UTEP scored on back-to-back possessions to take a 4-3 lead.
The two squads traded baskets the next several minutes, and the tilt was tied at 14 with 14 minutes to play in the first half. Adams, who subbed in five players at a time consistently throughout the night, turned to her second unit to spark UTEP, and it responded in a big way.
The Miners rattled off 13 straight points to take their largest lead of the contest, 27-14, with 8:47 left in the period. The Jaguars responded with a flurry of their own, trimming the Orange and Blue edge to seven (38-31) at the break.
The Jaguars continued to battle in the second half, but each time they got close the Miners had an answer. A three-minute stretch by UTEP, in it out-paced the Jaguars 8-2, afforded the Miners an 11-point lead with 10 minutes to play.
Some sloppy passes and UTEP's inability to hit shots sent the Jaguars on a 21-9 run the next several minutes, which surged them ahead 70-69 with only 2:08 remaining.
It was all Miners down the stretch, though, as they kept the Jaguars off the board with stingy defense. At the other end of the court, UTEP tied the contest on a free throw by Williams with 1:47 left.
Marisett then took a charge to wipe out a basket for the Jaguars with 23 seconds remaining, to set the stage for Lacy's heroics.
The Miners will christen the campaign officially at Big 12 power Nebraska at 7 p.m. on Nov. 9.
