Feb. 10, 2016
Feb. 10, 2016
Game Notes In PDF Format 
THE OPENING ACT
- (RV) and Conference USA leader UTEP (19-2, 10-1) will open up a two-game homestand by playing host to FIU (3-19, 1-10 C-USA) at 7:05 p.m. MT Thursday. There is free admission as part of UTEP’s celebration for “National Girls and Women In Sports Day” and will be a post-game autograph session as well with all the Miner women’s athletic teams on the concourse levels of the Don Haskins Center
- The game will be broadcast on 600 ESPN El Paso, KROD-AM Radio, with Steve Kaplowitz (play-by-play) and Traci Miller (color commentator). There will be a live stream on UTEPAthletics (subscription based).
- Fans can also stay up-to-date by following the Miners on twitter (@UTEPWBB).
- The Miners have won 12 straight games at home, which is the second-longest home winning streak in program history. The school standard is 14, which was set by the ‘07-08 team. FIU is 0-9 on the road.
- At 19-2 UTEP has matched the best record through 21 games in program history. The ‘07-08 (27-2 start, 28-4 finish) and ‘11-12 ( 25-2 start, 29-4 finish) teams are the only others at UTEP to go this far in a season with only two losses.
- UTEP is on the cusp of its notching fourth 20+ win season in five years and sixth overall in program history. All have been under head coach Keitha Adams (29-8, 2013-14, 22-10, 2012-13, 29-4, 2011-12, 28-4, 2007-08 and 22-8, 2006-07).
- UTEP is receiving votes in both major polls, placing 33rd in the Associated Press and tying for 39th in the USA Today/Coaches. It has picked up votes in the AP in nine straight weeks while earning recognition amongst the coaches for three weeks in a row.
- The Miners are #25 in the RPI, with fellow C-USA schools WKU (#57), Middle Tennessee (#78) and Charlotte (#90) also cracking the top 100. UTEP is 4-0 on the year vs. top-100 opponents.
- UTEP is one of 10 teams nationwide with two or fewer losses.
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 CONFERENCE USA
- All 14 teams will qualify for the single-elimination C-USA Tournament (March 8-12, Birmingham, Ala.), with the top six teams as seeded by regular season standings receiving a bye. The winner will gain the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
- (RV) UTEP sits alone in first place in C-USA at 10-1 in league play while (RV) WKU and Middle Tennessee share second place at 9-2. The Miners hold the tiebreaker with both of those schools.
- LA Tech (7-3) is alone in third while Old Dominion (6-4) and Marshall (6-5) have won three straight to climb above .500 in C-USA action. Charlotte and Southern Miss tie for seventh at 5-5 in league play.
- The remaining six schools are below .500 in C-USA play but each has proven capable of playing well.
INSIDE THE SERIES
- The Miners lead the series, 3-1, including 3-0 since FIU joined Conference USA.
- UTEP downed FIU, 69-57, on the road on Jan. 23, 2016, in the first meeting between programs in Miami.
- The Miners knocked off FIU in El Paso in the 2014 and 2015 C-USA seasons.
- FIU rolled past UTEP, 82-38, in a neutral-site tilt back on Nov. 27, 1998.
GETTING TO KNOW FIU
Overall: 3-19 Home: 3-10 Road 0-9 Neutral 0-0
C-USA: 1-10 Home: 1-5 Road 0-5
- FIU blasted Florida A&M, 81-65, in its season opener before dropping the next four games.
- The Panthers halted the surge with a 71-68 home victory vs. UMASS Lowell.
- FIU was saddled with 14 straight losses after that contest but got back in the win column with a 72-61 conquest of UAB on Feb. 4. Bid of first winning streak of season denied with 85-62 loss vs. Middle Tennessee last time out on Feb. 6.
- FIU is under the direction of first-year head coach Marlin Chinn.
- Taylor Shade (15.0-eighth C-USA/171st), Tianah Alvarado (12.5-16th C-USA), Janka Hegedus (11.2-28th C-USA), Kristian Hudson (10.0) and Destini Feagin (8.8) have been consistent scorers for FIU. No one else on the squad contributes more than 3.5 ppg.
- Alvarado (2,2-tied sixth/84th) and Shade (1.7-11th/241st) have caused havoc with multiple steals/game.
- Hudson dishes out 4.1 assists/game (seventh C-USA/110th).
- Feagin is the top rebounder at 6.4 boards/game (16th C-USA).
- FIU has a league-high tying three players (Shade-39.3-eighth; Alvarado-37.1-11th and Feagin-37.0-12th) rating among top 15 for C-USA for three-point shooting percentage.
- Hudson (35.1), Shade (34.2), Hegedus (32.7) and Feagin (32.0) all log more than 30 minutes/game. No one else secures better than 23 minutes/game. Only eight players have played in at least 15 contests on year.
- Leads C-USA and is 10th nationally for free-throw percentage (76.7). Also among the top half of C-USA for total three pointers made (third-142), treys/game (6.5-fourth), total three-pointers attempted (fourth-422), three-point percentage (fifth-33.6) and fewest turnovers/game (16.0-sixth).
- Issues have come with field-goal percentage defense (46.0-14th C-USA/343rd nation), rebounding (-9.4 margin-14th C-USA/343rd nation), scoring defense (75.5-14th C-USA/333rd nation), scoring margin (-13.1-14th C-USA/325th nation) and three-point field goal defense (35.6-14th C-USA/331st nation.
- Notable alumni include Andy Garcia (actor) and Dennis Lehane, author of Mystic River.
GOING BACK IN TIME
(UTEP 85 at WKU 78, 2/6/16)
- Five different Miners reached double figures in scoring and UTEP turned up the defensive pressure late to emerge with an 85-78 win at Western Kentucky on Feb. 6.
- The Miners rallied from 13 points down (22-9), marking the third-largest come-from-behind road victory in program history. The standard for road rallies is 19 (trailed 43-24, at Illinois State, W, 72-71, OT, 12/19/04) while there was a 17-point deficit overcome at Tulane (trailed 44-27, W, 59-58, 2/4/06).
- UTEP took sole possession of first place in C-USA while also snapping WKU’s 15-game home winning streak. It was the first home loss for the Lady Toppers since Jan. 31, 2015.
- Starr Breedlove (21 points, seven assists, career-high six steals) led the way but she had plenty of help. Cameasha Turner tallied 17 points and five boards while Lulu McKinney came off the bench to contribute 14 points, aided by making 4-6 from three-point range. McKinney also dished out six assists. Tamara Seda provided a big presence inside by setting career highs in rebounds (11) and blocked shots (three) while adding four rebounds while Sparkle Taylor pitched in 10 points as well.
- UTEP shot 52.4 percent (33-63) from the floor, and compiled 18 assists while only making 10 turnovers.
- WKU was led by 29 points from Tashia Brown, with Kendall Noble (12 points) and Ivy Brown (12 points) also hitting double figures.
- The Lady Toppers nailed 54.5 (30-55) percent from the floor and won the boards (32-28) but they had issues with the Miners’ pressure at key junctures.
- WKU committed 15 turnovers, which led to 23 UTEP points. The Miners also had big advantage in second-chance points (15-6) and bench scoring (37-17).
THE RUNDOWN ON UTEP’S 2015-16 SEASON
Overall: 19-2 Home: 12-0 Road 6-2 Neutral 1-0
C-USA: 10-1 Home: 5-0 Road 5-1
- Bolted out of gates at 8-0, marking the third-longest unbeaten streak to start a season.
- Fell, 47-40, at Long Beach State on the first day of action at the 2015 Long Beach State Classic.
- Bounced back 22 hours later to topple UNLV, 60-52, to conclude non-conference play at 9-1.
- Marked fourth time in program history to finish non-league action with just one loss. Previously the Miners pulled off the feat in 2012-13 (12-1), 2006-07 (11-1) and 1996-97 (8-1).
- 11th straight year with a winning record in non-conference play and 14th consecutive of at least .500.
- Surged to 9-0 start in Conference USA play to secure the first win streak of at least 10 games since the ‘11-12 season (W 10, W 15) while also achieving best start in program history at 18-1 (14-1, ‘06-07 & ‘12-13).
- This year’s team (W 8, Nov. 15-Dec. 14 and W 10, Dec. 19-Jan. 30) and the ‘11-12 squad (W 10, Nov. 12-Dec. 17, W 15, Dec. 31-Feb. 23) are only ones in program history with separate undefeated steaks of 7+ games.
- Had 10-game win streak snapped with 79-64 loss at Marshall on Feb. 4 but bounced back to best then C-USA co-leader WKU, 85-78, and take sole possession of first place in the league.
- On verge of notching fourth 20+ win season in five years and sixth overall in program history. All have been under head coach Keitha Adams (29-8, 2013-14, 22-10, 2012-13, 29-4, 2011-12, 28-4, 2007-08 and 22-8, 2006-07).
- 9-1 on the year in games vs. teams (wins- at FAU, Houston Baptist, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, New Mexico, Southern Miss, UAB, UTSA and at WKU; loss- at Marshall) that defeated the Miners last year.
- UTEP paces C-USA and has top-20 national rankings for steals/game (11.7-10th), turnovers forced/game (21.1-16th) and turnover margin (5.1-16th). Leads league and is 47th nationally for scoring margin (+11.3-46th).
- Also among C-USA and national leaders in field-goal percentage defense (37.7-2nd/97th), scoring offense (72.0-third/52nd), rebounds/game (39.9-third/103rd), scoring defense (60.9-3rd/119th), free-throws attempted (446-fourth/57th) and made (312-fourth/63rd),field-goal percentage (42.0-fourth/76th) and blocked shots/game (4.2-fifth/94th).
- Four players (all guards) average double figures in scoring. Jenzel Nash tops the list at 13.2 ppg (12th C-USA), followed by Cameasha Turner at 12.7 ppg (tied 13th C-USA), Starr Breedlove at 12.0 ppg (tied 20th C-USA) and Sparkle Taylor at 11.7 ppg (24th C-USA). Lulu McKinney at 7.4 ppg is only other Miner with +5.0 ppg.
- The last time a Miner team had four players average double figures in scoring was in 2007-08. That team won the program’s first league championship and advanced to second round of NCAA Tournament.
- Team effort on the glass with six Miners grabbing at least 3.0 rebounds/game. Nash tops the list at 5.8 rpg (tied 19th C-USA), aided by a team-high 52 offensive boards. Turner follows at 5.2 rpg, which is helped by a squad-best 78 defensive rebounds. Chrishauna Parker (4.7 rpg), Tamara Seda (3.7 rpg), Taylor (3.4) and Breedlove (3.0) round out the list.
- UTEP has three of the top 10 players in C-USA for steals/game, with each also among the NCAA leaders. They are Breedlove (3.2-1st/sixth), Nash (2.5-third/49th) and Turner (2.1-ninth/133rd).
- Breedlove is also in ratings for assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3-seventh/182nd), three-point percentage (37.3-10th C-USA/DNQ) and assists/game (3.8-eighth/144th).
- Daeshianna McCants (0.9-11th) is among C-USA leaders for blocks/game.
- Turner (85.0-sixth/44th) and Nash (78.0-11th/140th) check in for free-throw percentage.
- Taylor (50.3-eighth) and Turner (49.1-10th) have top-10 C-USA rankings for field-goal percentage.
- Faced a fourth-quarter deficit in only five of 21 games on the year. Three of those came on the road (at NM State, Long Beach State, North Texas., Marshall and WKU) while UAB is the only team to lead UTEP at home this year in the fourth quarter.
- Led for 71% of the action (592:45 of 840:00) on the year, with at least a 30-minute advantage in 14 games.
- All 15 players earn at least 6.0 minutes/game, including 10 at +10.0 mpg. Turner tops the list at 30.3 mpg.
- Miner back-ups are outscoring the opposition by a count of 576-347 (27.4 ppg-16.5 ppg).
- Outscored opponents 432-250 (20.6 ppg-11.9 ppg) in points off turnovers.
- Also hold advantages in second-chance points at 265-208 (12.6 ppg-9.9 ppg), points in the paint at 650-540 (31.0 ppg-25.7 ppg) and fast-break points at 215-92 (10.2 ppg-4.4 ppg).
WHAT’S TRENDING
TEAM DEFENSE
- Foes averaging 75.2 points while shooting 48.8 percent (106-217) from the floor the past four games.
- Opponents held to 57.5 ppg on 35.2 percent (340-965) the first 17 games of the season.
- Even with recent issues,the field-goal percentage defense (37.9) would tie for fourth on the UTEP single-season charts while scoring defense (60.9) would be seventh on the list.
- Recorded at least 10 steals in 16 of 21 games and the 11.7 steals/game would be second all time at UTEP. - On pace for 339 total steals which would rank fourth.
- NM State (11-26, 42.3 percent) and UAB (8-18, 44.4 percent) are the only opponents to make better than 40 percent of three-point tries against UTEP this year.
- Forcing 21.1 turnovers/game, which would be the fourth-highest average in program history.
- The projected 612 total turnovers forced would rank sixth all time at the school.
- Yielded single-digit offensive boards in two of past three games; happened twice first 18 games of year.
- The 54.4 percent (30-55) by WKU was highest by a foe in a Miner win since UTEP topped Oral Roberts, 75-74, on Jan. 27, 1989, despite allowing ORU to make 64.4 (29-45) percent of its shots.
- Two of the past three foes have made 15 turnovers or fewer; happened once first 19 games on the year.
TEAM OFFENSE
- Posted highest scoring quarter (27 points) in league play, doing so both in the second and fourth frames at WKU. Overall figures tie as fourth-most points scored in a quarter this season.
- Recorded a season-high 18 assists in the win at WKU.
- Shot 52.4 percent (33-63) at WKU, marking the best effort on the road since hitting 55.8 percent (29-52) in a 75-72 victory at Houston on Feb. 14, 2009.
- Tallied 85 points in the win at WKU; had scored 64 points in the setback at Marshall.
- Scoring offense of 71.3 would be fourth all time at UTEP.
- Nailed 77.4 percent (65-84) from the free-throw line the past four games; was at 58.2 percent (39-67) the prior four contests beforehand. Cameasha Turner at 87.5 percent (21-24) and Jenzel Nash at 80 percent (16-20) have spearheaded the efforts during the hot streak at the charity stripe.
- Drilled 46.2 percent (6-13) from three-point land at WKU, which is second-best percentage on the year.
- Attempted only 13 triples at WKU; had tried 20+ treys in four straight and five of six previous tilts.
- Committed 29 turnovers total, including five (tied second fewest in school history) vs. LA Tech, in the past three games; averaged 19.7 giveaways in the three games beforehand.
INDIVIDUALS
- Jenzel Nash (16), Cameasha Turner (14), Starr Breedlove (14) and Sparkle Taylor (14) have accounted for 58 of the 67 individual double-digit scoring efforts on the year; Lulu McKinney (four), Lawna Kennedy (two), Agata Dobrowolska (one), Anete Kirsteine (one) and Tamara Seda (one) are responsible for the other nine.
- Breedlove has gone 16-20 at free-throw line past three games; she was 8-17 the six games before that.
- Breedlove hit 63.6 percent (7-11) from the floor at WKU, including 2-3 from distance; she was at 22.2 percent (8-36) overall, including 16.7 percent (3-18) from distance, the prior two tilts.
- Breedlove has committed four turnovers combined the past three games; career-high six vs. USM.
- Dobrowolska grabbed two defensive rebounds and recorded a pair of helpers in seven minutes at WKU. She was a coaches’ decision DNP at Marshall for the first time this season.
- Daeshianna McCants was 1-2 from the floor for a pair of points in 13 minutes at WKU. She had missed all three shot attempts in a combined 64 minutes of action in the first 11 C-USA contests.
- For the first time this season and fourth occasion of career, McKinney has reached double figures in scoring in consecutive contests. She has never strung together three such tilts.
- McKinney has nailed multiple triples in nine contests, including going 4-6 at WKU last time out. - McKinney dished out a season-best six assists at WKU.
- Nash is making 43.4 percent (86-198) of two-point shots while hitting 16.5 percent (14-85) on threes.
- Nash has grabbed at least two offensive rebounds in 14 of 21 contests.
- Nash has logged 30+ minutes in five of past eight contests to surpass total (four) of such games her first two years of action with the Orange and Blue.
- Nash has attempted one free throw total the past three games; she had at least five tries the prior two.
- Chrishauna Parker has averaged a team-high 6.5 boards since returning to starting five (past four tilts). She has 15 offensive boards and 11 defensive in the stretch.
- Parker tallied six points at WKU to match her highest scoring output in league action.
- Parker has played 10+ minutes in four straight games; she hasn’t done so in five or more since 2013-14.
- Taylor has hit double figures in scoring in eight straight and 11 of the past 14 games. Her previous career-long streak was four, achieved late in her freshman season in ‘13-14.
- Taylor has nailed 55.8 percent (24-43) from the floor the past four games; she was 6-16 (37.5%) at FIU.
- After failing to grab a rebound for the first time of the year vs. USM, Taylor has grabbed three or more in three straight contests.
- Turner tallied 17 points at WKU; her seven-game streak with 10+ points had been halted at Marshall.
- Turner has made four turnovers combined the past four games; had a combined five in two tilts before.
- Turner has grabbed at least two offensive boards in five of her past seven contests; did so twice before.
- Turner has been tagged with at least three personal fouls in three straight games for first time on year.
- Turner has hit 53.7 percent (36-67) from floor past eight games; she was 29.4 (5-17) percent her first two league contests.
- Tamara Seda has nearly as many offensive rebounds (38) as defensive (39) on the season.
- Seda set career highs for points (11) and blocked shots (three) at WKU.
THE BASIC FACTS ON UTEP
- UTEP is 529-622 in its 42nd season as a women’s basketball program, including 19-2 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 and 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 266-183.
- Overall she stands at 393-220 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 seven of the eight 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 10 seasons; there were three such campaigns in program’s first 27 years.
- More than 115 games above .500 (225-109) 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 51 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 (19-2, 10-1) has easily surpassed last year’s overall (12-16) and league win (7-11) totals.
- 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 (303-45) and Texas A&M (255-83) lead the way while UTEP (211-94) has a firm grip on third. Texas (199-120) is fourth followed by Lamar (186-122). TCU (180-128-sixth), Stephen F. Austin (172-130-seventh), Prairie View A&M (171-140-tied eighth), SMU (167-136-ninth) and Texas Tech (162-150-10th) round out the top 10.
SPECIAL RUN
- 111-40 since the start of ‘11-12 season (19-2 this year), with 70 double-digit wins.
- Qualified for postseason play in two of the past 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 and one six-game setback streak.
WINNING NUMBERS
- 16-0 on season and 201-41 under Keitha Adams when leading at halftime.
- 16-0 when leading after three quarters and 12-0 when doing so after the first quarter.
- 12-1 on year and 199-60 under Adams when keeping foes to less than 40 percent from the floor.
- 12-0 on year and 189-50 under Adams when making better than 40% from the floor.
- 11-0 on season and 177-58 under Adams when winning the rebounding battle.
- 12-0 on year and 164-23 under Adams when scoring more than 70 points
- 9-1 on year and 140-35 under Adams when allowing less than 60 points.
- 7-1 on season and 88-13 under Adams when opposition has more turnovers than field goals.
- 5-0 on season and 76-4 under Adams with 80+ points.
- 4-1 on the year when trailing after the first quarter.
HOME SWEET HOME
- Perfect 12-0 on the year in El Paso, marking the second-longest home winning streak in program history.
- The only other Miner team (‘07-08) to open at 12-0 at home went on to finish undefeated (14-0).
- Boasts +16.3 scoring margin (75.8-59.5) in 12 home games
- 72-14 in El Paso since 2011-12.
- 173-51 at home since ‘02-03
- Already assured of the 14th 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.)
- 21-2 under head coach Keitha Adams in home games with 4,000+ fans.
TRAVEL TIME
- 6-2 overall on the road, including 5-1 in C-USA play, to best last year’s total’s (3-8 overall, 3-6 C-USA).
- The six road wins already tie for fifth all time at UTEP.
- Opened up ‘15-16 road slate with a 71-65 victory at NM State on Dec. 2, which snapped the Aggies’ 17-game home winning streak. It remains NM State’s only home loss (17-3 overall, 11-1 home).
- Fell, 47-40, at Long Beach State on Dec. 18 in only other non-conference road contest.
- Got off to 4-0 start in league play for third time at school (‘08, ‘12) before falling at Marshall, 79-64, Feb. 4.
- The four-game road winning streak was the third longest in school history.
- Bounced back to beat WKU, 85-78, on Feb. 6, snapping the Lady Toppers’ 15-contest home unbeaten streak.
- 68-104 on the road under head coach Keitha Adams, hindered by 15-52 mark her first five years.
- 54-52 since the start of the 2006-07
- 30-21 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 has helped UTEP pile up 100 victories during her career, which gives her more wins than other Miner in school history. Parker is also the lone player in program history to rank in the top 10 for career rebounds (784-fourth) and assists (277-sixth). She is sixth in double-doubles (15), eighth in free throws made (240) and attempts (381). Parker is also a member of the 700-point club (767-25th), eighth for starts (85), 11th for minutes (2,678), tied 11th for games played (110), 22nd for steals (105) and 29th in field goals made (259).
- Senior Cameasha Turner is 17th all-time in scoring (911). She is sixth for starts (88), ninth for wins during a career (82), steals (137) and for free-throws made (238), 10th for games played (111) and three-pointers attempted (251), 13th in free-throws attempted (321), tied 13th for three-pointers made (75), 15th for minutes played (2,559) and in assists (178), 21st for field goals made (299) and 28th in rebounds (400).
- Sophomore Lulu McKinney is tied for 21st in three-pointers made (55) and rates 23rd in attempts (185).
- Redshirt-junior Jenzel Nash is 21st for scoring (832). She is also 12th for wins during her career (77), tied 12th in steals (131), tied 13th in free throws made (211), 14th for field-goals attempted (830), tied 15th for free throws attempted (290), 22nd for three-pointers attempted (187), 23rd for field-goals made (211) and assists (154) and 31st in games played (87).
- Junior Sparkle Taylor (699-33rd) joined the 600+ point club this year while she is 27th in field-goals made (273). She, along with seniors Agata Dobrowolska and Anete Kirsteine are 20th for career wins (60).
- Sophomore Daeshianna McCants has blocked 17 shots this year to lift her career total to 40. The effort has allowed her to climb into 11th all time at UTEP. Overall 19 Miners have 30+ blocked shots.
LOOKING AHEAD
- The Miners will play for the second time in three days when they welcome Florida Atlantic to town for a matinee match-up at 2:05 p.m. MT Saturday. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for kids, but there is a buy-one and get one free special with adult tickets.
CLIFFNOTES ON THE ‘15-16 SEASON
(at Marshall 79, UTEP 64, 2/4/16)
- A valiant comeback bid by UTEP fell short in a 79-64 loss at Marshall on Feb. 4.
- The Miners trailed by as many as 24 (46-24) with 8:58 to play in the third quarter before unleashing a 22-4 run to pull all the way back to within four (50-46) late the stanza. To their credit the Thundering Herd weathered the storm, answering the UTEP surge with one of their own (11-2) midway through the fourth quarter to reinstate a double-digit advantage (69-55) with 5:43 remaining in regulation. UTEP showed good character in refusing to quit but it could get no closer than 10 the rest of the way.
- The loss was the first in C-USA and second overall for UTEP, which had its 10-game win streak stopped.
- Jenzel Nash recorded her first career double-double (14 points, 12 rebounds) while Sparkle Taylor came off the bench to tally 17 points. Lulu McKinney added 10 from the pine as well while Starr Breedlove and Cameasha Turner each finished with eight points.
- But enough shots wouldn’t fall, with the Miners finishing at 30.8 percent (30.8) from the floor
- Rebounding was also a factor, with the Thundering Herd winning the boards by a count of 50-42.
- Both Turner and Breedlove fouled out, marking the first disqualifications of the year by a Miner.
(at UTEP 86, Louisiana Tech 80, 1/30/16)
- Starr Breedlove scored 22 while Cameasha Turner added 19 to help UTEP push its winning streak to 10 after downing Louisiana Tech, 86-80, in front of a rowdy 3,157 fans at home on Jan. 30.
- The Lady Techsters set opponent season highs for points (80) and field-goal percentage (50.0) but the Miners) compensated for that by doing so many other things well.
- UTEP committed five turnovers, which tied as second fewest in program history. All of them came during the first half (two in first quarter, three in second). It also won the boards (42-34).
- Chrishauna Parker posted a game and season-high 10 rebounds, helping UTEP have 15-4 advantage on second-chance points.
- UTEP nailed 24-30 (80 percent) at the charity stripe, including 8-10 in the final minute to ice the game.
- The Miners led for 30:10 of the contest, including the entire second half. UTEP’s advantage swelled to as many as 10 (75-65, 7:09 fourth quarter) at one point.
- Sparkle Taylor buoyed the scoring efforts of Turner and Breedlove with 10 points off the bench while Lawna Kennedy and Tamara Seda each added seven.
(at UTEP 72, Southern Miss 64, 1/28/16)
- Cameasha Turner poured in 20 points (tied season high) to pace a quartet of players in double figures, and UTEP forced 24 turnovers on the way to downing Southern Miss,72-64, for its ninth straight win in front of a season-high 4,326 fans at the Don Haskins Center on Jan. 28.
- There were four ties and nine lead changes (season high). but UTEP’s pressure proved too much. They forced five turnovers in the final three minutes while getting timely scoring from Turner and Jenzel Nash.
- The result was UTEP turning a precarious 63-60 lead into a cozy 72-61 cushion before USM sunk a triple at the buzzer.
- Nash (16 points), Sparkle Taylor (13 points) and Starr Breedlove (12 points) buoyed Turner in the scoring department while Chrishauna Parker (seven boards) and Nash (seven) got after it on the glass. Turner (four) and Nash (three) came up with multiple steals apiece to spark the defense. Breedlove also had her passing game in high gear, with a contest-best seven assists.
- Turner hit 10-11 at the free-throw line, including 5-6 in the final 36 seconds to help ice the game.
UTEP 69, at FIU 57, 1/23/16)
- Fueled by a huge first quarter, the UTEP women’s basketball team won for the second time in three days and eighth straight overall after a grind-out 69-57 victory in front of 316 fans at FIU Saturday afternoon.
- The effort allows the Miners to continue the best overall start in program history at 16-1. UTEP also moves to 7-0 in C-USA play, including a flawless 4-0 on the road.
- The Panthers led for a total of 28 seconds after a triple by Destini Feagin on their opening possession of the game before the Miners (16-1, 7-0 C-USA) ripped off 22 straight points to grab control of the contest.
- The advantage was 17 (24-7) through 10 minutes of action, and homestanding FIU could never get itself back in the contest.
- That is not to say the squad did not show some fight; it used an 11-0 run of its own to whittle the Miner lead down to 24-16 with 6:24 to play in period but UTEP weathered the storm with tremendous poise. It struck back with eight straight points to reinstate order. FIU was unable to get within nine the rest of the way.
- UTEP showed tremendous resolve, with two emotional leaders (Chrishauna Parker and Cameasha Turner) missing the contest but Starr Breedlove (20 points), Lulu McKinney (17 points), Jenzel Nash (12 points) and Sparkle Taylor (12 points) provided plenty of firepower on offense. McKinney also helped keep FIU leading scoring Taylor Shade in check, limiting her to eight points (seven below her average).
- Nash (eight boards), sophomore Daeshianna McCants (seven rebounds) and Tamara Seda (career-high eight boards) got after it on the glass to help the Miners win the rebounding battle, 46-40.
- UTEP forced 19 turnovers, which led to 26 points, while also holding an 18-8 edge for bench scoring.
(UTEP 78, at FAU 66, 1/22/16)
- Trailing 30-18 with 7:57 to play in the second quarter, UTEP outscored high-flying FAU, 60-36, the rest of the way to come away with a 78-66 road victory on Jan. 21.
- The Miners’ seventh consecutive win moves them to 15-1 overall on the year, marking the best start in program history. UTEP also improves to 6-0 in Conference USA play, including 3-0 on the road.
- Jenzel Nash (17 points, eight boards, four steals), Cameasha Turner (16 points, five rebounds, three assists) and Starr Breedlove (15 points, five assists, five steals) all logged 30+ minutes to lead the way for the Orange and Blue.
- Sparkle Taylor came off the bench to tally 14 points and grab three rebounds in an efficient 21 minutes of action while veteran Chrishauna Parker showed tremendous poise with six points and seven boards. RS-sophomore post Tamara Seda matched her career high for both points (eight) and rebounds (seven) in a career-high 25 minutes.
- FAU opened up on fire, bolting out to a 7-0 lead just 1:30 into the contest. The Owls pushed the cushion out to 23-14 through 10 minutes. The margin swelled to 12 (30-18) with 7:57 left, before the Miners started to kick things into gear.
- UTEP ripped off 11 straight points, with Nash, Breedlove and Turner doing the heavy lifting before FAU’s Ali Gorrell, who put up 20 points, 12 boards and five assists, halted the sequence with a pair of free throws.
- To its credit, UTEP struck back and managed to pull even at 39 heading to halftime.
- The Miners continued to have the momentum in the third quarter, using a 24-13 10-minute sequence to grab control for good. FAU refused to go away quietly, getting within seven (67-60) with 5:54 to play before back-to-back lay-ups by Parker and Turner reinstated order.
(at UTEP 62, UTSA 55, 1/17/16)
- Cameasha Turner (18 points), Sparkle Taylor (15 points) and Jenzel Nash (13 points) all hit double figures in scoring and UTEP forced 25 turnovers to extend its winning streak to six after downing UTSA, 62-55, at the Don Haskins Center on Jan. 17.
- The Miners led the upset-minded Roadrunners for 33:46 of action on the way to staying perfect at home (10-0) and in league play (5-0).
- The 14-1 record matches the best start in program history, with the 2012-13 and 2006-07 squads also achieving the feat.
- It was a defensive battle, with both the Miners (24-68, 35.3 percent) and Roadrunners (23-61, 37.7 percent) having to work extremely hard to get any clean looks on offense.
- The difference came down to ball security, with the 25 Roadrunner giveaways leading to 24 Miner points. UTEP made only 16 turnovers that resulted in 13 points for the visitors.
- Nash dished out a career-high eight assists to nearly record a double-double. She also had six boards.
- Taylor posted a team-high seven rebounds to go along with her 15 points.
(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.
(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)
