Dec. 11, 2010
Final Stats
Complete Game Book in PDF Format 
SANTA BARBARA, CALIF.- The UTEP women's basketball team was tripped up in its first road contest of the season, 68-50, by UC Santa Barbara inside the Thunderdome Saturday evening. The Miners (5-3) led by three (33-30) at the half only to have the homestanding Gauchos (3-5) roar back after the break.
UCSB outscored UTEP, 38-17, over the final 20 minutes, including a game-deciding 13-1 surge midway through the stanza. The sequence turned what was a precarious 48-46 UCSB edge into a comfortable 61-47 padding in a matter of only three minutes and 18 seconds.
The Miners, who were paced by a season-high 16 points from Anete Steinberga, continued to play hard but could never get closer than 12 down the stretch. Sophomore forward Kristine Vitola pitched in eight points while freshman guard Kelli Willingham chipped in seven and freshman forward Kayla Thornton had six.
It marks the first setback on the year for the Orange and Blue when winning the rebounding battle. The Miners out boarded UCSB, 36-35, but were unable to get into victory column due to a challenging second stanza.
UTEP's potent offense-which was producing 74.7 points per game entering the night- could not find its rhythm after the break. After shooting 44.4 percent (12-of-27) in the opening period, the Miners sunk 25 percent (7-28) in the ill-fated second half. Meanwhile, UCSB improved upon 37 percent (10-of-27) in the initial stanza to 57.7 percent (15-of-26) in the final half.
Four players reached double digits in scoring for the Gauchos, with Emilie Johnson setting the tone with a season-high-tying 18 points. Johnson, who was 8-of-47 (17.0) on three pointers heading into the game, proceeded to drill four-of-12 from distance to help the Gauchos down UTEP.
Things looked good early on for the Miners, with Steinberga tallying seven straight points. After UCSB tallied four successive points, the Miners counted with an 8-0 surge to lead by 11 (15-4) with 14 minutes to play in the period.
The Gauchos methodically whittled the deficit down, though, with an 18-3 spurt over the next seven minutes changing the fortunes of the contest. UTEP halted the stretch with a triple from Vitola. The two teams traded buckets over the next several minutes before Johnson filled up a triple to tie the tilt (30-30) late in the period.
UTEP enjoyed the aforementioned three-point advantage at the half, though, thanks to a long triple by Briana Green. The Miners extended the lead to five (37-32) early in the second half before UCSB countered with six straight points to take a lead it would never relinquish.
UTEP will be idle for five days before returning home to challenge in-state foe Texas State at the Don Haskins Center at 7 p.m. on Fri., Dec. 17. All fans are encouraged to wear orange for the game, which is headlined by the "Boy/ Girl Scout night" promotion. All members of those organizations will receive free admission.
Tickets for the tilt are on sale at the UTEP ticket center, and they may also be purchased on site prior to the start of the contest. The price for an adult admission, which includes the surcharge fee, is $7 while children (ages 12 or younger) tickets are $3.
