Jan. 15, 2016
Game Notes In PDF Format 
THE OPENING ACT
- UTEP (13-1, 4-0 C-USA) looks to match the best overall start in school history when it plays host to UTSA (5-9, 1-3 C-USA) in a nationally-televised contest (American Sports Network, Fred Albers-play by play and Traci Miller-color commentator) at 1:05 p.m. MST Sunday. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for kids.
- Fans can also listen on 600 ESPN El Paso, KROD-AM Radio, with Brandon Cohn (play-by-play) or follow the team on Twitter (@UTEPWBB).
- The Miners are off to a start of 13-1 for the third time in program history, with the 2012-13 and 2006-07 teams also achieving the feat. Those share the school standard for best overall start at 14-1.
- UTEP is 4-0 in league play for the third time at the school. In 2008 the Miners became the first C-USA women's program to run the gauntlet (16-0, 1st) while they won the first 14 in 2012 (15-1 finish, 1st C-USA).
- For the third time in the past four years and fourth time overall UTEP has won opened up at home with a start of at least 9-0. The 2007-08 squad is the only to finish unbeaten (14-0) at home. In both 2012-13 and 2013-14 the Miners won their first 10 home contests.
- The Miners have picked up points in five straight Associated Press Top-25 polls, including six to tie for 35th in the most-recent edition (Jan. 11). They are also 31st in the RPI (updated Jan. 12).
- UTEP is on a five-game win streak, including a 62-54 victory vs. UAB last time out on Jan. 10.
- UTSA was upended at home, 74-63, by Middle Tennessee last time out on Jan. 10.
- UTEP is 4-0 on the year when facing teams (Houston Baptist, Middle Tennessee, New Mexico and UAB) that defeated them last season. The next opportunity comes against UTSA, which swept last year's series.
NEW FORMAT
- NCAA women's basketball games will be played in four 10-minute quarters for the 2015-16 season.
- Teams will now reach the bonus and shoot two free throws on the fifth team foul in each quarter. In the four-quarter format, team fouls reset to zero at the start of each quarter.
- Teams now have four timeouts (three 30s, one 60), three which carry over to the second half. They will be able to advance the ball to the frontcourt after a timeout with less than 59.9 seconds in 4Q.
- There are seven media timeouts (four under five minutes in quarter/first called), two intermission media timeouts (after first and third quarters) and the first team-called timeout during the second half.
- Bands or amplified music may now play during any dead ball.
THIS AND THAT ON C-USA
- Five C-USA schools (UTEP-32, WKU-60, Middle Tennessee-86, Charlotte-89 and FAU-99) have top-100 RPI rankings (Jan. 15.)
- UTEP (4-0), WKU (4-0) are lone teams without a league loss; FIU (0-4) is only without league win.
- Middle Tennessee (3-1) is alone in third place while the next seven squads stand 2-2 in C-USA action.
- Marshall, UAB and Rice are in a three-way tie for 11th at 1-3 in league play.
INSIDE THE SERIES
- UTSA leads, 18-9, aided by sweeping the series last year. UTEP fell 55-53 at home (1/17/15) while being upended 72-59 in San Antonio (2/21/15). The Miners had won the prior three match-ups.
- The Roadrunners hold a 7-6 advantage against the Orange and Blue when playing in El Paso.
- The series history dates to the early 1980's when both squads were members of the Oil Country Athletic Conference.
GETTING TO KNOW UTSA
Overall: 5-9 Home: 5-3 Road 0-6 Neutral 0-0
- UTSA returned two starters and eight letter winners from last year's squad (16-15, 11-7 C-USA).
- The Roadrunners have played well at home (5-3) but have been hurt by an 0-6 record on the road. The game at UTEP marks the start of a three-contest roadswing.
- Went 4-6 in non-conference play, including road losses to powerhouses Texas and Oklahoma.
- Dropped first two league games (both on the road), including a 49-48 heartbreaker in OT at Rice (1/3/16).
- Went 1-1 last week at home, beating UAB (54-52, 1/7/16) and losing to Middle Tennessee (74-63, 1/9/16).
- Among league and national leaders for blocked shots/game (4.9-3rd C-USA/54th nation) and field-goal percentage defense (36.3-2nd C-USA/55th nation).
- Tesha Smith is the top performer , leading the squad in scoring (12.2 ppg-22nd C-USA), rebounding (8.9 rpg-4th C-USA/81st nation) and field-goal percentage (51.1-7th C-USA/66th nation).
- Four other players contribute between 7.0-8.1 ppg.
- Smith at 3.3 (4th) and Akunna Elonu at 2.9 (t5th) rank in top five of league for offensive boards/game.
- Carlie Heineman has nailed hit 24-55 triples for a 43.6 percentage (7th C-USA) from distance. No one else on the squad had made more than 12 three pointers.
- UTSA is in its third year as a member of Conference USA; it previously competed in the Oily Country Athletic Conference and Southland Conference.
- Made the NCAA Tournament in 2008 and 2009; won the SLC regular-season title in 2003 and 2009 while taking the SLC Tournament title in 2009.
- Notable university alumni include Michelle Beadle (ESPN2 personality), Bruce Bowen (former NBA player for the Spurs) & Kim Spradlin (CBS' Survivor: One World Winner).
GOING BACK IN TIME
(at UTEP 62, UAB 54, 1/10/16)
- Sparkle Taylor poured in a season-high 21 points off the bench and Cameasha Turner flirted with a triple-double (13 points, 11 rebounds and eight steals-tied 2nd most program history) to help lead UTEP to thrilling 62-54 come-from-behind win in a nationally-televised contest (FOX Sports Regional Networks) against UAB at the Don Haskins Center on Jan. 10.
- Trailing 42-36 through three quarters, the Miners found another gear to put together an incredible finish by outscoring UAB, 26-12, down the stretch.
- Defense was instrumental in the final period, with nine UAB turnovers leading to 12 points.
- The Miners ripped off a 16-3 run to grab a 51-45 lead (their first of the game) with 5:10 remaining in regulation. UAB regrouped long enough to get the deficit down to four (53-49) with 3:48 to play but the Orange and Blue blitzed the Blazers with seven straight points to put things out of reach.
- After shooting 28.5 percent (14-49) through three quarters, UTEP caught fire in the fourth. The Miners nailed 69 percent (9-13) of their shots in the final frame, in addition to going 8-10 at the charity stripe.
- UAB never scored more than 15 points in a quarter and finished at 35.1 percent (20-57) from the floor.
- The Blazers were harassed into 25 giveaways, including nine alone during the wild fourth quarter.
- Jenzel Nash (14 points) buoyed the offensive efforts of Taylor and Turner while Tamara Seda posted seven points (one shy of career high).
- Turner led the charge on the glass with 11 boards for her first double-double this year. Nash pitched in six rebounds, including five alone at the defensive end.
THE RUNDOWN ON UTEP'S 2015-16 SEASON
Overall: 13-1 Home: 9-0 Road 3-1 Neutral 1-0
- Bolted out to the third-best start (8-0) in program history before falling, 47-40, at Long Beach on Dec. 18.
- Bounced back 22 hours later to topple UNLV, 60-52, to conclude non-conference play at 9-1.
- It marked the fourth time in program history to wrap up non-league play with just one loss. The Miners were 12-1 in 2012-13, 11-1 in 2006-07 and 8-1 in 1996-97. It was also the 14th straight year to head into conference action at .500 or better, including 11 consecutive outright winning marks.
- Downed Rice (60-54) on Jan. 1 to notch their seventh straight win in a Conference USA opener and improve to 9-2 in league lidlifters since joining the league in '05-06.
- Two days later bested North Texas, 75-67, on Jan. 3 to make it a clean sweep to start the week.
- Knocked off preseason favorite Middle Tennessee, 84-73, to win its league home opener on Jan. 7, which was followed by 62-54 come-from-behind victory against UAB on Jan. 10.
- The Miners are 13-1 overall for third time (2006-07 and 2012-13) in program history.
- UTEP is 4-0 in 4-0 in league play for the third time ('08 and '12) at the school.
- UTEP leads C-USA and is among the top-100 teams nationally for field-goal percentage defense (35.1-33rd), free throws made (224-40th) and attempted (318-44th), scoring margin (+14.0-39th), steals/game (12.1-7th), total steals (169-22nd), turnover margin (5.36-16th) and turnovers forced/game (22.0-9th). The Miners are also among the C-USA and national leaders for blocked shots/game (4.2-4th C-USA/99th nation), field-goal percentage (42.8, 4th C-USA/78th nation), scoring defense (57.1, 2nd C-USA, 53rd nation), and scoring offense (71.1-5th C-USA/80th nation).
- Five players (all guards) score between 7.0-14.0 ppg, with Jenzel Nash (14.0-11th C-USA/247th nation) tops the list. She's followed by Cameasha Turner (11.1), Sparkle Taylor (10.9), Starr Breedlove (10.6),and Lulu McKinney (7.2). No one else on the team is contributing more than 4.0 points/game.
- Team effort on the glass with seven Miners grabbing between 3.0-5.4 boards/game. Nash tops the list at 5.4 rpg, aided by a team-high 34 total offensive boards. Turner follows at 4.9 rpg, which is helped by a squad-best 53 defensive rebounds. Chrishauna Parker-3.5 rpg, Taylor-3.3 rpg, Tamara Seda-3.2 Daeshianna McCants-3.1 rpg and Agata Dobrowolska-3.0 rpg round out the list.
- Breedlove (3.0-1st C-USA/15th nation), Turner (2.4-5th C-USA/79th nation) and Nash (2.1-8th C-USA/116th nation) are among league and national leaders for steals/game.
- Breedlove is also in ratings for assists/game (3.5-9th C-USA/205th nation).
- Turner (83.7-5th C-USA/71st nation) and Nash (79.7-7th C-USA/131st) nation do so for FT percentage.
- All 15 players earn at least 6.0 minutes/game, including 10 at +10.0 mpg. Turner tops the list at 28.9 mpg.
- Miner back-ups are outscoring the opposition by a count of 387-184 (27.6 ppg-12.4 ppg).
- Outscored opponents 282-161 (20.1 ppg-11.6 ppg) in points off turnovers.
- Injury bug has hit with Parker (eight), Taylor (two), Lawna Kennedy (one) and Anete Kirsteine (one) all missing at least one game this year. One impact has been nine different starting line-ups in 14 tilts.
WHAT'S TRENDING
TEAM DEFENSE
- Seven of past eight foes held to lower than 40% from the floor; happened three times the first six games.
- NM State (11-26, 42.3 percent) is the only opponent to top 40 percent in three-point shooting.
- Every opponent except New Mexico at 11 (12/2/15) has made 17+ turnovers, with 11 committing 20+
- Kept five of past seven foes to less than 60 points, including 54 against UAB.
- Forced 20+ turnovers in 10 of 13 games this year.
- Given up 13 or fewer offensive rebounds in all four C-USA contests, which is longest streak of season.
- Allowed UAB to hit 44.4 percent (8-18) on triples; prior six foes made combined 24.3 percent (27-111).
TEAM OFFENSE
- Had 62 points and shot 37.1 percent (23-62) vs. UAB; 79.5 ppg on 45.3 percent(53-117) prior two tilts.
- Making 77.6 percent (76-98) on free throws in C-USA play; combined 57.5 percent (46-80) prior four.
- Matched season long with three straight games of 15 of fewer turnovers.
- In six games with 17+ turnovers, the Miners are averaging 67.3 points/game.
- In the eight contests with 16 or fewer giveaways, that number climbs to 74.0 points/game.
- Was 7-21 (33.3 percent) from three point range at Rice (1/1/16); gone 4-29 (13.8 percent) since.
- Combined 35-90 (38.9 percent) on three pointers against Hampton, Idaho State, UNM and at Rice.
- UTEP is a combined 27-136 (19.9) from distance in the other 10 games on the season.
INDIVIDUALS
- Starr Breedlove has posted 2+ steals in 12 of 14 games. She also tied the school record with 4+ thefts in six straight games before the streak came to a close with two vs. Middle Tennessee on Jan. 7.
- Agata Dobrowolska has averaged 3.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in 18.4 minutes the past eight games (all starts). She had put up 1.3 ppg and 1.2 rpg in 5.7 mpg over the season's first six tilts (one start).
- Lawna Kennedy is accounting for 7.5 points/game and 4.3 boards/game while shooting 45.0 percent from the floor and 75.0 percent at the charity stripe in 17.0 minutes/game in C-USA play.
- She had 2.3 ppg and 2.1 rpg while shooting 38.5 percent from the floor and 37.5 percent on free throws in 12.0 minutes/game in her nine non-conference appearances.
- Anete Kirsteine has hit 3-5 triples in her past three appearances; she was 1-8 in her first five games.
- Lulu McKinney nailed 6-8 from three-point range vs. UNM on Dec. 2 (her birthday); she is 6-26 (23.1 percent) in the eight games since that point.
- Jenzel Nash has hit double figures in scoring in four straight and a team-high 11 games on the year.
- She set a season high for minutes (34) while matching one for defensive boards (five) vs. UAB on Jan. 10.
- Chrishauna Parker played 13 minutes vs. UAB (1/10/16), her first extended action since UCR (11/27/15). She started the first four games of the year before missing eight straight with an injury. She played three minutes against Middle Tennessee (1/7/16).
- Tamara Seda scored seven points vs. UAB to surpass total (five) the prior three contests.
- Sparkle Taylor scored a season-high 21 points against UAB; she has reached double figures in scoring in five of past seven after doing so twice to start the year.
- Cameasha Turner has reached double figures in scoring in three straight games, including flirting with a triple-double (13 points, 11 rebounds and eight steals-tied 2nd most program history) vs. UAB (1/10/16).
- Turner had 10+ points in five of first six games but fell short in four straight before recent surge.
- Wiktoria Zapart has blocked a team-high 14 shots despite ranking 12th in minutes/game (7.4).
THE BASIC FACTS ON UTEP
- UTEP is 523-621 in its 42nd season as a women's basketball program, including 13-1 this year.
- Five 20+ win seasons (all since 2006-07), including three straight (2012-14) for the first time at school.
- Two regular-season league championships (2008 & 2012) & one league tourney title (2012).
- Became first C-USA women's team to go 16-0 while claiming initial league title in 2008.
- Finished 15-1 in 2012 & won C-USA tournament.
- Own C-USA single-season record for winning streak at 23, which was set in 2007-08.
- Made three postseason appearances, including the 2014 WNIT where it earned runner-up honors.
- Appeared in 2008 (at-large bid, #7 seed) and 2012 NCAA Tournament (automatic bid, #13 seed).
- Faced #4 seed and #12 in polls Penn State in the 2012 NCAA First Round. The game was tied at the half (39-39) before Penn State pulled away for the 85-77 victory (3/18/12).
- Beat #10 seed Western Kentucky, 92-60 (3/22/08) in the first round of '08 “Big Dance.”-
- Bowed out with 88-54 loss at two-seed & #4 seed and eventual national-runner up Stanford.
- The University of Texas at El Paso (founded in 1914) recently enjoyed a centennial celebration.
- Notable alumni include former ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Sam Donaldson, well-respected NFL referee Ed Hochuli, former NASA astronaut Danny Olivas engineer & Dennis Poon, who designed Taipei 101 & some of the tallest buildings in the world..
THE ADAMS FILE
- UTEP is under the direction of 15th-year head coach Keitha Adams.
- Adams is a two-time C- USA Coach of the Year ('08 and '12) is UTEP's all-time win leader at 260-182.
- Overall she stands at 386-219 in her 20th year as a collegiate head coach, making her one of two active C-USA coaches (Southern Miss' Joye Lee-McNelis is the other) with 300+ career collegiate wins
- All five 20+ win seasons and six of the seven with 18+ have been during her tenure.
- She is responsible for all three postseason bids (NCAA in 2008 and 2012; WNIT 2014) and all three league championships (2008 C-USA regular season; 2012 C-USA regular season and conference tournament) in school history.
- Twenty of the 23 major individual career records at the school are held by players from her era.
- Posted at least 16 wins in nine seasons; there were three such campaigns in program's first 27 years.
- More than 110 games above .500 (219-108) since joining Conference USA for the 2005-06 season.
- Earned votes in top-25 poll in seven seasons (2015-16, 2013-14, 2012-13, 2011-12, 2008-09 and 2007-08).
- Nationally ranked for final six weeks of '2007-08.
- Never achieved national ranking, let alone even earn points in a poll, before Adams's era.
- UTEP has compiled 50 separate months with a winning percentage of .500 or better under Adams compared to just 20 with a losing record. Eight of those 20 came in her first two years.
- Coached 20 players who have gone on to play professionally, including '08 WNBA draft picks Izabela Piekarska & Natasha Lacy.
- Impacted the international game at the highest level, with Noni Wharemate representing New Zealand at '08 Olympic Games.
- Every player who has exhausted her eligibility at UTEP during her tenure has graduated.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES
- Last year UTEP was faced with the daunting task of replacing the most successful senior class (Kayla Thornton, Kristine Vitola and Kelli Willingham) in program history. That task was made even harder with anticipated leaders Jenzel Nash and Chrishauna Parker missing the 2014-15 season.
- The result was a young UTEP squad going through some growing pains on the way to finishing at 12-16, which marked the program's first losing season since 2005-06 (14-16).
- UTEP (13-1) has already surpassed last year's win total (12). It has 14 remaining regular-season games.
- From a pure statistical standpoint, the Miners returned plenty of talent, evidenced by the chart below.
2015-16 RETURNING & LOST STAT BREAKDOWN
Category Returned Lost* '14-15 Totals % Returned For '15-16
Blocked Shots 77 13 90 85.6%
FT Made 308 79 387 79.6%
Steals 181 49 230 78.7%
Rebounds 827 257 1084 76.3%
Points 1360 479 1839 74.0%
FG Made 473 172 645 73.3%
Minutes Played 3953 1647 5600 70.6%
Assists 233 115 348 67.0%
3FG Made 106 56 162 65.4%
THIRD-BEST IN TEXAS SINCE '06-07
- The Miners have the third-most wins among all DI programs in Texas since 2006-07.
- Recent national champions & 2014 NCAA Elite 8 participants Baylor (297-45) and Texas A&M (251-80) lead the way while UTEP (205-93) has a firm grip on third. Texas (194-119) is fourth followed by Lamar (182-118). TCU (179-123-sixth), Stephen F. Austin (168-127-seventh), Prairie View A&M (167-137-eighth), SMU (163-132-ninth) and Texas Tech (160-145-10th) round out the top 10.
SPECIAL RUN
- 105-39 since the start of '11-12 season (13-1 this year), with 67 double-digit wins.
- Qualified for postseason play in two of the four campaigns. Posted 5-1 record en route to earning runner-up honors at the 2014 WNIT while landing an at-large bid to the 2012 NCAA Tournament after winning both the 2012 C-USA regular season and tournament title
- Enjoyed 14 separate winning streaks of at least three games.
- Contrast that with one three-game losing skid & one six-game setback streak.
WINNING NUMBERS
- 12-0 on season and 198-41 under Keitha Adams when leading at the break.
- 11-0 when leading after three quarters and 10-0 when doing so after the first quarter.
- 9-1 on year and 196-60 under Adams when keeping foes to less than 40 percent from the floor.
- 8-0 on year and 185-50 under Adams when making better than 40% from the floor.
- 8-0 on season and 174-58 under Adams when winning the rebounding battle.
- 6-1 on year and 137-35 under Adams when allowing less than 60 points.
- 5-1 on season and 86-13 under Adams when opposition has more turnovers than field goals.
- 1-0 on year and 84-21 under Adams when making 40% or better on 3 pointers (min. five 3PM)
- 3-0 on season and 73-4 under Adams with 80+ points.
HOME SWEET HOME
- Perfect 6-0 mark during the second-longest homestand to start a season in program history.
- 9-0 in '15-16 with a +19.4 scoring margin (76.7-57.2)
- 69-15 in El Paso since '11-12
- 170-51 at home since '02-03
- Finished 9-6 last year to post 13th straight season with a winning record at home
ALL ABOUT THE FANS
- Ranked in the top-50 nationally for three of the past four years
- Placed 28th in 2013-14 (3,793 avg.), 42nd in 2012-13 (2,708 avg.) & 46th in 2011-12 (2,639 avg.)
- 20-2 under head coach Keitha Adams in home games with 4,000+ fans.
TRAVEL TIME
- Opened up '15-16 road slate with a 71-65 victory at NM State on Dec. 2.
- Effort snapped the Aggies' 17-game home winning streak.
- Fell, 47-40, at Long Beach State on Dec. 18 in only other non-conference road contest.
- Improved to 3-1 on the road with a pair of victories in the opening weekend of league play.
- 65-103 on the road under head coach Keitha Adams, hindered by 15-52 mark her first five years.
- 51-51 since the start of the 2006-07
- 27-20 since the start of the 2011-12 season
- Posted three winning road records under Adams, a feat never achieved prior to Adams's tenure.
- Recorded five campaigns with a mark of .500 or better under Adams.
- That happened just twice in the first 27 years of the program.
CAREER ACHIEVEMENTS
- Redshirt-senior Chrishauna Parker is on track to have the most wins by any Miner. She has helped UTEP post 93 victories (fourth, record is 96). She is also the lone player in program history to rank in the top 10 for career rebounds (749-4th) and assists (272-6th). She is sixth in double-doubles (15), eighth in free throws made (234) and attempts (373). Parker is a also a member of the 700-point club (743-28th), tied ninth for starts (81), 14th for minutes (2,556), tied 15th for games played (104), 22nd for steals (102) and 28th in field goals made (250.
- Senior Cameasha Turner is 20th all time in scoring (813). She is tied seventh for starts (82), 12th for games played (105), 11th for wins during a career (76), tied 12th for free-throws made (211) and steals (129), tied 13th in three-pointers attempted (225), t14th in free-throws attempted (290),15th for minutes played (2,359), 16th for three-pointers made (67), 19th in assists (166), 26th in field goals made (267) and 30th in rebounds (365).
- Redshirt-junior Jenzel Nash is 26th for scoring (750). She is also 14th for wins during her career (71), 17th in free throws made (198), 18th for free throws attempted (272) and steals (109), 26th for three-pointers attempted (153), 27th for field-goals made (258) and 34th in games played (80).
- Junior Sparkle Taylor (608-38th) joined the 500+ point club this year. She, along with seniors Agata Dobrowolska and Anete Kirsteine are tied for 20th for career wins (54).
- Sophomore Daeshianna McCants has blocked 13 shots this year to lift her career total to 36. The effort has allowed her to climb into a tie for 13th all time at UTEP. Overall 19 Miners have 30+ blocked shots.
LOOKING AHEAD
- The Miners open up a stretch of four of six on the road by venturing to the Eastern Time Zone to lock up with Florida Atlantic (5 p.m. MST, Jan. 21) and FIU (2 p.m. MST, Jan. 23).
CLIFFNOTES ON THE '15-16 SEASON
(at UTEP 84, Middle Tennessee 73, 1/7/16)
- Fueled by big scoring nights from Jenzel Nash (career-high tying 26 points) and Cameasha Turner (season-high tying 20 points) and a tremendous team effort at the free-throw line and on defense, UTEP knocked off preseason Conference USA favorite Middle Tennessee, 84-73, at the Don Haskins Center Jan. 7
- The Miners jumped out to an early nine-point lead (12-3, 6:25 1Q) and never looked back on the way to picking up their third wire-to-wire victory of the season.
- The margin was 15 (40-25) at the break, and MT couldn't get closer than five the rest of the way.
- UTEP absolutely cashed in at the free-throw line. The 33 (out of 37) free throws made tied as the fifth most in program history. Nash (10-11), Turner (7-8) and Lulu McKinney (7-8) led charge at charity stripe.
- UTEP won the boards (42-34) and held MT to 35.7 percent (20-56).
- Tamara Seda set a career high for rebounds (seven) while Agata Dobrowolska did so in assists (four).
(UTEP 75, at North Texas 67, 1/3/16)
- UTEP shot 50 percent from the floor (28-56) while forcing 22 turnovers on the way to an exhilarating 75-67 road victory at North Texas on Jan. 3. The Miners led for 31:11 of the action but that doesn't accurately portray the effort required to down the Mean Green and pick up their second win in three days.
- Starr Breedlove set a career high for points (25) and rebounds (seven) while also grabbing four steals to give her a school-record-tying six straight contests with at least four thefts.
- Lawna Kennedy came off the bench to tally a career-high 13 points. Cameasha Turner (11 points), Jenzel Nash (11 points) and Sparkle Taylor (10 points) also hit double figures in scoring.
- There were three ties and eight lead changes (all in the second half), with the momentum switching for good when the Miners unleashed a full-court press.
- Trailing 61-60 with 2:43 to play, UTEP forced five turnovers down the stretch to help fuel a contest-closing 15-6 run. Breedlove tallied 11 of the 15 points in the decisive stretch.
- UTEP's reserves outscored the Mean Green back-ups, 16-6, while the Orange and Blue also had a 22-16 advantage in points off turnovers.
(UTEP 60, at Rice 54, 1/1/16)
- Starr Breedlove (15 points), Jenzel Nash (12 points) and Sparkle Taylor (10 points) all reached double figures in scoring, and UTEP defended with a vigor in dispatching Rice, 60-54, on the road in the Conference USA opener for both squads on Jan. 1.
- For just the second time this year, UTEP trailed (37-36) entering the fourth quarter. It stormed back down the stretch to pick up the win. The Miners opened up the final quarter on a 13-7 run on the way to outscoring the home side, 24-17, over the final 10 minutes.
- It was a defensive-minded contest, with both the Miners (21-60, 35.0%, 17 turnovers) and Owls (17-52, 32.7%, 17 turnovers) making offensive execution difficult with their pressure.
- But UTEP found some separation through its effort on the glass (44-35), in addition to holding a 16-6 advantage in points off turnovers and an 18-9 cushion for second-chance points.
- Agata Dobrowolska paced the squad with seven rebounds. She was particularly effective on the offensive end with four, including three in the final 2:07 of the game that led to five second-chance points.
- Breedlove also got after it on defense with a career-high tying five steals.
UTEP 60, vs. UNLV 52, 12/19/15)
- Sparkle Taylor came off the bench to pour in a season-high 19 points, and UTEP gave UNLV fits with its defense in 60-52 victory to close out play at the 2015 Long Beach Classic on Dec. 19
- The Miners won the rebounding battle (46-41), held the Lady Rebels to 31.7 percent (19-60) from the floor and forced 21 turnovers to pick up an impressive victory less than 24 hours after sustaining their first setback of the season (L, 47-40, at Long Beach State, Dec. 18).
- Lulu McKinney contributed 12 points from the pine to join Taylor in double figures while Tamara Seda equaled her career high (eight points) in her second career start.
- Cameasha Turner pitched in five points while pulling down eight boards to pace the Miners in that department. Jenzel Nash flirted with a double-double (seven points, seven boards). Taylor also got after it on the glass with six while freshman Najala Howell pitched in five points and five boards (career high) in 19 minutes of action.
- UTEP's benched outscored the Lady Rebels, 39-3.
- UNLV jumped out to an early 9-4 advantage (6:08 1Q) before the Orange and Blue took over. They peeled off 12 consecutive points to gain control. UTEP led by 12 (28-16) at the half.
- The Miners pushed the advantage out to 22 (60-38) with 5:04 to play, allowing them to win comfortably despite UNLV tallying 14 consecutive points to close out the contest.
(at Long Beach State 47, UTEP 40, 12/18/15)
- UTEP lost its first game of the year in a defensive struggle at Long Beach State, 47-40, on Dec. 18.
- The Miners, who trailed by 21 (47-26) with 6:16 to play in the contest, showed tremendous character by refusing to quit. They closed the game on a 14-0 surge before running out of time, allowing the 49ers to escape with the victory.
- UTEP held Long Beach to 29.5 percent (18-61) from the floor and forced 24 turnovers, but it was doomed by some issues of its own. The Miners committed a season-high 26 giveaways and shot 31.3 percent (15-48), in addition to enduring a 38.1 percent effort (8-21) at the charity stripe.
- Jenzel Nash tallied 13 points to pace the Miners, who slipped to 47-5 under head coach Keitha Adams when holding foes to less than 50 points. Sparkle Taylor pitched in seven points-all in the final 2:56 of the contest- to buoy Nash while Cameasha Turner added five.
(at UTEP 86, UTPB, 12/5/15)
- UTEP set a program record for field-goal percentage defense while also forcing 31 turnovers on the way to thumping Division II UTPB, 86-32, at home on Dec. 14.
- The Miners held the Falcons to 16.7 percent (8-48) from the floor, including 7.4 percent (2-27) in the second half, to help secure the third start of at least 8-0 to a year in program history.
- The Orange and Blue outscored UTPB, 65-17, over the final three quarters.
- UTEP wrapped a 28-1 run around halftime. The effort turned a precarious three-point lead (21-18, 9:15 2Q) into a comfortable 30-point cushion (49-19, 4:14 3Q).
- The 54-point margin of victory is the fifth largest at UTEP while the 32 points allowed tie as the 10th fewest in program annals. The Miners had no such difficulties, connected on 52.5 percent (32-61) while outscoring UTPB 65-17 over the final three quarters.
- All 14 players earned at least nine minutes of playing time while 13 individuals scored in the game.
- Starr Breedlove (13 points), Jenzel Nash (11 points), Anete Kirsteine (10 points) and Sparkle Taylor (10 points) all reached double figures in scoring. Breedlove also posted game highs for both assists (four) and steals (five). The five steals set a career high.
- Tamara Seda and Wiktoria Zapart each grabbed six rebounds (career high) to share for team lead. Zapart also established career-highs in blocked shots (four), steals (two) and minutes played (15).
(UTEP 71, at NM State 65, 12/5/15)
- Agata Dobrowolska posted her first career double-double (15 points, 14 rebounds) to lead UTEP to an
emotional 71-65 win at I-10 rival NM State on Dec. 5.
- The Miners won the boards (43-38), forced 20 Aggie (6-2) turnovers and made clutch shots late to snap NM State's 17-game home winning streak.
- Dobrowolska was joined in double digits for scoring by Jenzel Nash (16 points), Cameasha Turner (13 points) and Starr Breedlove (12 points). Lulu McKinney pitched in seven points, including a clutch three pointer with 47 seconds remaining to break the fourth and final tie of the tilt.
- NM State, which trailed by as many as 14 points (18-4, 5:50 1Q) did well to battle back behind 11 three pointers. The Aggies managed to pull ahead, 62-61, with 1:59 to play but Breedlove used a teardrop shot to make the Miners' first second-half deficit of the season short lived.
- Dobrowolska's previous career high for scoring was five (three times) while for boards it was eight. She also played 26 minutes to shatter prior career high (19).
(at UTEP 70, New Mexico 62, 12/2/15)
- Lulu McKinney poured in a career-high 22 points on her birthday to help keep the UTEP undefeated on the year following a 70-62 win against I-25 rival New Mexico on Dec. 2.
- The Miners led wire-to-wire, with a game-opening 14-2 run putting the Lobos in a big hole.
- UTEP hit 12-of-24 from three-point range (tied for sixth most all time at UTEP), with McKinney connecting on a ridiculous 6-of-8 (tied fourth all time at UTEP) from beyond-the-arc.
- Cameasha Turner (16 points) and Starr Breedlove (11 points) joined McKinney in double figures.
- UTEP made only seven turnovers (tied for sixth fewest in a game) and had 17 assists on 23 field goals.
- Daeshianna McCants quietly filled up the stat sheet, recording five points, six boards, three blocks (tied career high) and three assists (career high) in 33 minutes (career high) while starting for first time in '15-16.
(at UTEP 67, Idaho State 54)
- Junior Jenzel Nash poured in a career-high 26 points to help propel UTEP past Idaho State, 67-54, in the championship game of the Fifth-Annual UTEP Thanksgiving Classic on Nov. 28.
- The Miners nailed 11 three pointers (tied eighth all time), including four by Nash-who was named the tournament's MVP- while also harassing the Bengals into 22 turnovers.
- UTEP committed a season-low nine turnovers and held a 17-8 advantage in points off giveaways.
- Cameasha Turner (12 points) and Starr Breedlove (11 points) joined Nash in double figures for scoring.
- Nash was 8-of-15 from the floor, including 4-of-6 from three-point range, while making all six free throws. She also grabbed seven rebounds, recorded five steals and dished out four assists in 29 minutes. Breedlove was named to the All-Tournament team, along with Nash.
(at UTEP 68, UCR 57, 11/27/15)
- UTEP flexed its defensive muscle while also showing off its depth in a 68-57 victory against visiting UC Riverside in its opening game of the Fifth-Annual Thanksgiving Classic on Nov. 27.
- The Miners forced 22 turnovers, won the boards (46-33) and held the Highlanders to 34.5 percent.
- UTEP overcame a sluggish start to finish at 40.0 percent (26-of-65) from the floor.
- It featured a balanced attack, with six different players scoring at least nine points. Cameasha Turner led the way with 11 followed by 10 points from Starr Breedlove. Daeshianna McCants, Chrishauna Parker and Sparkle Taylor tallied nine points while Jenzel Nash pitched in eight.
- Breedlove also recorded a career-high six assists while Tamara Seda set a career high in boards (five).
- Points in the paint (40-20), points off turnovers (23-14) and second-chance points (15-4) all favored UTEP.
(at UTEP 78, Hampton 66, 11/22/15)
- UTEP used a huge second half to cruise past Hampton, 78-54, on Nov. 22. The Miners outscored the Lady Pirates 52-30 after the break with Jenzel Nash and Starr Breedlove leading the charge.
- Nash scored 21 of her game-high 23 points (two short of career high) in the second half while Breedlove followed suit by tallying 20 of her personal-best 22 points in the timeframe.
- Chrishauna Parker overcame early foul issues to add eight points, six of which were in the second half. Daeshianna McCants, Lulu McKinney and Cameasha Turner each pitched in five points.
- The Miners shot 48.2 percent (27-of-56) from the floor, aided significantly by a sizzling 64.1 percent (18-of-28) during the sensational second half. Hampton was limited to 31.1 percent (19-of-61).
- UTEP's 2-2-1 press gave Hampton fits, which committed 22 turnovers that led to 25 Miner points.
(at UTEP 77, Northern Arizona 66, 11/17/15)
- UTEP forced 22 turnovers while also taking care of business at the free-throw line to hold off upset-minded Northern Arizona, 77-66, on Nov. 17.
- UTEP relied on a balanced attack with four different players (Sparkle Taylor-15 points, Jenzel Nash-15 points, Starr Breedlove-13 points and Cameasha Turner-12 points) reaching double figures in scoring while junior Tamara Seda pitched in eight. The Miners overcame a slow shooting start to finish at 38.8 percent (26-of-67) from the floor, including 46.7 percent (14-of-30) over the final 20 minutes.
- Visiting NAU also had a balanced approach on offense with five players tallying 10 or more points.
- The Lumberjacks actually finished with a better overall shooting percentage than the Miners, nailing 41.7 percent (25-of-60) from the floor but they were doomed due to difficulties at the line. NAU was a paltry 47.8 percent (11-of-23) from the free-throw line, compared to UTEP's solid effort of 70.0 percent (21-of-30).
- The Miners' press also played a factor, converting the aforementioned 22 turnovers into 16 points. Second-chance points (18-8), points in the paint (42-30) and bench points (28-19) all favored UTEP as well.
(at UTEP 98, Houston Baptist 63, 11/15/15)
- UTEP bolted to a 28-4 lead over the first seven minutes and never looked back on the way to routing Houston Baptist, 98-63, in its season opener on Nov. 15.
- The 98 points are the most ever in a campaign lidlifter while ranking ninth all time at the school
- UTEP held HBU to 32.7 percent (17-of-52) from the floor.
- HBU committed 33 turnovers (which were converted into 33 points) and rank tied for the eighth most in a tilt by an opposing team.
- UTEP won the boards, 36-34, with seven different players grabbing three or more.
- The Miners drained 54.7 percent (35-of-64) of their shots, with good ball movement (17 assists) and unselfish play helping fuel the success
- Cameasha Turner poured in 20 points to pace a relentless, balanced attack which by game's end resulted in 14 of the 15 players suited up scoring at least one point. Juniors Sparkle Taylor came off the bench to score 15 points while fellow classmate Jenzel Nash (11 points) made a successful return to the court (redshirted last year) by joining them in double figures.
- The reserves provided 56 points, which is the most by a UTEP bench since a 68-point effort against UT-Permian Basin in a 107-43 victory on Dec. 16, 2006.
- UTEP moved to 23-19 all time in season openers, including 20-6 in El Paso The Miners are now 10-5 in campaign lidlifters under head coach Keitha Adams,
