Jan. 23, 2011
Final Stats
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DALLAS, TEXAS- The UTEP women's basketball team used a furious rally to erase an 18-point second-half deficit but a pair of Alisha Filmore free throws with 2.6 seconds left allowed SMU to prevail, 81-79, inside Moody Coliseum Sunday afternoon.
The Miners (11-7, 3-3 C-USA) trailed 65-47 with 10:04 to play before roaring back with 24-5 run over a five minute and 46 second span to grab their first lead since five minutes into the game. The Mustangs (10-8, 3-2 C-USA) countered with a 7-2 push, and they would never trail again. That is not to say, however, that it would be drama free down the stretch.
UTEP was down by four (79-75) with 28 seconds to play before freshman Kelli Willingham, who registered a team-high 16 points (all in the second half), converted on a jumper. Filmore, ironically enough, misfired on a pair of free throws after a UTEP foul but SMU came up with the offensive rebound. Willingham used quick hands to register a steal, and she tied the tilt at the line after she was fouled on a breakaway lay-up.
After a timeout the Mustangs inbounded the ball to Fillmore, who was fouled on a drive into the lane. She then calmly converted both free throws to break the tie, and a desperation three-point, half-court shot by junior Erika Warren fell short as the horn sounded.
"It was a tough loss," UTEP head coach Keitha Adams said. "We didn't put two halves together to pull off the win. We played hard the last 10 minutes and fought our way back in it. I'm proud of that fact but am disappointed we didn't play well for the full 40 minutes."
Both teams shot it exceptionally well from the floor, with each eclipsing 50 percent. The Miners drilled 50.8 percent (30-59) of their shots, including 42.9 percent (9-21) from three-point range. SMU was a bit crisper, checking in with respective figures of 58.3 (28-48) and 61.5 (8-13).
While each squad was locked in those areas throughout the tilt, free throws proved to be far from that. UTEP hit 10-of-21 from the charity stripe while SMU struggled to make only 17-of-29, although Filmore eventually came through in the clutch.
Junior Gloria Brown (15 points), sophomore Anete Steinberga (15 points) and junior Dietra Caldwell (12 points) all joined Willingham in double figures for scoring. Warren (six points) was the only other Miner to produce more than five points. Brown also pulled down a game-high-tying seven rebounds.
UTEP registered 15 assists while committing 15 turnovers, but 10 of the giveaways occurred during the opening period.
It was a balanced attack on offense for the Mustangs, with Haley Day and Christine Elliot each recording 17 points. Filmore finished with 14 points while Samantha Mahnesmith chipped in 10. SMU was harassed into 20 turnovers and was also out-rebounded (31-29) but was able to hold on due to being a bit better at the free-throw line.
UTEP enjoyed early leads of 3-0, 5-2 and 8-7 before the Mustangs started to put things together. SMU rattled off five straight points to vault back ahead, an advantage it would enjoy until the Miners stormed back late.
The homestanding side pushed its edge out double digits (27-17) for the first time of the tilt with 9:23 to go in the first period. The Miners regrouped with a 9-1 run to trim the deficit down to two (28-26) at 6:42. SMU controlled the rest of the period though, out-scoring the visitors by a count of 15-6 on the way to enjoying a 11-point lead entering the locker room (43-32).
UTEP got out of the gates quickly in the second half to inch within seven (45-38) only to have the Mustangs dominate the next several minutes en route to building the aforementioned 18-point lead. To their credit, the Miners did not fold up shop but rather dug deep in an attempt to rally. It paid off in the form of the 24-5 surge, but SMU would head home with the victory.
The Miners will return home to take on Tulsa at 7:05 p.m. inside the Don Haskins Center on Thursday.
