March 20, 2016
Game Notes In PDF Format 
THE OPENING ACT
- Regular-season Conference USA champion UTEP (27-4) will play host to regular-season Sun Belt Conference title winner Arkansas State (27-5) in the second round of the WNIT at the Don Haskins Center at 7:05 p.m. MT Monday. The victor advances to face TCU (18-14) on a date and site to be determined in WNIT third-round play.
- Tickets are $6 (general admission) and $4 (UTEP students), and went on sale 9 a.m. MT March 18 at the University Ticket Center. Fans may also visit TicketMaster.com or call (915) 747-5234 to purchase tickets.
- Steve Kaplowitz and Traci Miller will have the call on 600 ESPN El Paso, KROD-AM Radio. There will be a live stream on UTEPAthletics (subscription based). Fans may also follow @UTEPWBB on Twitter.
- The Red Wolves drilled Southern University, 68-45, in their WNIT opener while the Miners held off Abilene Christian, 66-62, to set up the second-round match-up. UTEP and A-State played in the first round in 2014.
- Arkansas State has set a single-season school record for wins with a record of 27-5 and has advanced to the WNIT second round for the second straight year. Its five losses have been by a combined 22 points.
- UTEP is making its second appearance in the WNIT in program history (1-0 2016, 5-1 2014, runner-up) and fourth overall foray into postseason basketball (NCAA second round, 2008 and first round, 2012).
- The Miners are 7-3 all time in postseason tournament action, including 6-1 in the WNIT. All seven WNIT games have been played in the Don Haskins Center, with the Miners drawing at least 4,500 fans in each tilt.
- The Miners are 17-0 on the year in El Paso, marking the longest home winning streak in school history (prior best 14 straight). They boast a +15.0 scoring margin (75.6-60.6) in those games.
- A-State is 12-4 on the road this year, including an 9-1 mark within SBC action. The four setbacks have been by a combined 15 points, with two of the setbacks coming against 2016 NCAA Tournament teams.
- For the second straight game and 15th occasion in program history, both teams enter with 20+ wins. The Miners are 9-5 all time in such contests, including 6-3 in postseason play.
- UTEP (27-4) and A-State (27-5) have a combined 54 wins between the programs, which ties as the third-most victories between the Miners and an opponent for a contest in program history.
- UTEP was 16-2 in conference play to equal the school and league record for C-USA victories. This year's team shares the honors with the 2008 Miners (16-0), Houston (16-0, 2011) and Western Kentucky (16-2, 2015).
- It marked the third regular-season championship in school history (2008, 2012 and 2016).
- The Miners have received votes in the Associated Press top-25 poll for a school-record 14 straight weeks.
- UTEP picked up votes in the USA TODAY Sports women's basketball coaches top-25 poll for six consecutive weeks, including being ranked #25 the week of March 1-6, before not receiving any votes on March 14.
- This is the fourth 20+ win season in five years and sixth overall in program history (all under Keitha Adams).
20+ Win Seasons At UTEP (Sorted By Total Victories)
Year Head Coach Overall C-USA (Finish) Postseason
2011-12 Keitha Adams 29-4 15-1 (First) 0-1 (NCAA First Round)
2013-14 Keitha Adams 29-8 12-4 (Third) 5-1 (WNIT Runner-Up)
2007-08 Keitha Adams 28-4 16-0 (First) 1-1 (NCAA Second Round)
2015-16 Keitha Adams 27-4 16-2 (First) 1-0 (WNIT Second Round)
2012-13 Keitha Adams 22-10 8-8 (Fifth) Declined WNIT bid (injuries)
2006-07 Keitha Adams 22-8 10-6 (Tied Fourth) DNQ
NOTING THE POSTSEASON WNIT
- In its 19th year, the Postseason WNIT is the second-longest current running postseason event for women's college basketball (behind NCAA Tournament), and features a 64-team field (32 automatic, 32 at large). All games, including the semifinals and championship, are hosted by participating schools.
- It is the only men's or women's postseason tournament – other than the NCAA – to offer an automatic berth to each of the 32 established conferences.
- The event began in 1998 (16 teams) and expanded in 1999 (32), 2006 (40), 2007 (48) and 2010 (64).
- Regular-season champions that do not make the NCAA have earned automatic bids since 2006.
- All 32 conferences have secured automatic bids since 2007
- Thirty six teams in the field have won 20+ games and 18 squads that either won or tied for league crown.
- This year's tournament features six teams from the Big Ten, five from the Mid-American Conference and four each from the ACC, C-USA and West Coast Conference.
- Four conferences each placed three teams – American, A-10, Big East and Colonial.
- Other conferences represented include Big West (2), Horizon (2), Missouri Valley (2), Pac-12 (2), Summit (2), Sun Belt (2), America East (1), Atlantic Sun (1), Big 12 (1), Big Sky (1), Big South (1), Ivy (1), MAAC (1), MEAC (1), Mountain West (1), Northeast (1), OVC (1), Patriot (1), SEC (1), Southern (1), Southland (1), SWAC (1) and WAC (1).
- Here's the breakdown of career postseason stats for the Miners (NCAA/WNIT), including this year.
Name GP-GS Min PTS REB AST BLK STL YEARS
Parker^ 7-6 205-29.3 57-8.1 64-9.4 16-2.3 2-0.1 6-0.9 '12,'14
Nash 7-0 143-20.4 68-9.7 18-2.6 16-2.3 0-0.0 8-1.1 '12,'14,'16
Turner 7-7 130-18.6 22-3.1 16-2.2 8-1.1 1-0.7 6-0.9 '14,'16
Taylor 7-0 83-11.9 36-5.1 16-2.3 2-0.3 0-0.0 4-0.6 '14,'16
Dobrowolska 7-0 46-6.6 4-0.6 8-1.1 3-0.4 1-0.1 2-0.3 '14,'16
Breedlove 1-1 29-29.0 16-16.0 2-2.0 0-0.0 0-0.0 2-2.0 '16
Seda 1-0 22-22.0 9-9.0 11-11.0 0-0.0 1-1.0 1-1.0 '16
McKinney 1-0 20-20.0 2-2.0 1-1.0 0-0.0 1-1.0 0-0.0 '16
Zapart 1-0 18-18.0 4-4.0 3-3.0 0-0.0 1-1.0 0-0.0 '16
Kennedy 1-0 13-13.0 6-6.0 2-2.0 0-0.0 0-0.0 0-0.0 '16
Howell 1-0 5-5.0 3-3.0 1-1.0 0-0.0 0-0.0 0-0.0 '16
McCants 1-0 6-6.0 0-0.0 4-4.0 0-0.0 0-0.0 0-0.0 '16
Eduardo 1-0 9-9.0 0-0.0 4-4.0 0-0.0 0-0.0 0-0.0 '16
Kirsteine 4-0 18-4.5 5-1.3 2-0.5 1-0.3 0-0.0 0-0.0 '14
^Denotes missed last game with an injury
'12-NCAA First Round; '14 WNIT Rounds 1-6; '16 WNIT Round 1
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.
GETTING TO KNOW ARKANSAS STATE
Overall: 27-5 Home: 14-0 Away: 12-4 Neutral: 1-1
SBC: 19-1 Home: 10-0 Away: 9-1 Neutral: o-0
NC: 8-4 Home: 4-0 Away: 3-3 Neutral: 1-1
- At 27-5 Arkansas State has set the single-season school record for wins in its 42nd year as a program. The prior program standard for victories was 21. It is the third straight 20+ triumph season and 12th such campaign in school history.
- Rolled through the Sun Belt Conference at 19-1 before falling in the league tournament. It marked the third outright league title in program history.
- Marking its 11th appearance all time in the WNIT, including seventh under head coach Brian Boyer, who was tabbed the league's Coach of the Year for the fourth time of his career.
- Won the 1993 edition of the event when it operated under the name of the NWIT, downing SMU, 67-54, in the finals.
- Sports a record of 14-9 all time in the WNIT and has advanced to the second round for second straight year. It is also the third consecutive year that A-State has qualified for the event to match the longest such stretch since 1992-94.
- Paces the SBC and is among nation's top-50 schools nationally for turnover margin (5.6-ninth) scoring margin (+14.9-17th), field-goal percentage (44.9-25th), three-point percentage (35.2-30th), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.1-35th), fewest turnovers/game (13.7-37th) and assists/game (15.2-50th).
- Also among SBC and national leaders for scoring offense (75.2-second/23rd), turnovers forced/game (19.3-third/30th), fewest personal fouls/game (15.7-second/61st), steals/game (9.2-second/64th), free-throw percentage (72.8-third/72nd) and three-point field-goal defense (29.7-second/88th),
- Led by three-time Sun Belt Conference Student of the Year Aundrea Gamble, who is the first women's basketball player to win the award three times. She, along with UConn's Breanna Stewart (front runner for national player of the year), are the lone DI women's hoops players to average better than 17 points and four assists while shooting better than 50 percent from the floor.
- Khadija Brown-Haywood (first team) and Brittney Gill (third team) also secured All-Sun Belt Conference accolades.
- Gamble led the SBC and was among nation's best in assists/game (5.0-50th), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.8-63rd). Brown-Haywood di so for defensive boards/game (7.0-22nd), double-doubles (14-26th), rebounds/game (9.3-49th).
- Gamble pours in 18.7 points/game (second SBC/45th nation) while Brown-Haywood is at 17.4 points/game (third SBC/72nd nation).
- Amanda Lawson (9.8 ppg), Jessica Flanery (8.8 ppg) and Gill (8.1 ppg) have also been consistent scorers.
- Notable Arkansas State alumni include Rodger Bumpass (Comedian and voice of Squidward on TV show SpongeBob SquarePants) and Al Joyner (1984 Olympic Gold Medalist in the triple jump).
INSIDE THE SERIES
- Arkansas State won the first five meetings between the programs but UTEP has claimed the past two match-ups, including a 74-64 victory in the first round of the 2014 WNIT on March 21, 2014.
- The two squads split a pair of match-ups during the 2004-05 season.
AWARDS AVENUE
- UTEP picked up three of the major six individual Conference USA awards, with head coach Keitha Adams (Coach of the Year), senior Starr Breedlove (Newcomer of the Year) and junior Sparkle Taylor (Sixth Player of the Year) all being recognized.
- Adams becomes the first three-time winner (2008, 2012 and 2016) of the award in C-USA women's basketball history.
- Breedlove is the fourth Miner to earn the Newcomer of the Year award, joining former standouts Gloria Brown (2011), Natasha Lacy (2008) and Jareica Hughes (2007).
- It is also the fourth occasion that UTEP has produced the Sixth Player of the Year; Jenzel Nash grabbed the award in 2014 while Brown was a back-to-back winner (2011 and 2012).
- Cameasha Turner (first team), redshirt-junior Jenzel Nash (first team) and senior Starr Breedlove (second team) were named to the 2016 All C-USA teams. Breedlove and Turner were also chosen to the five-member C-USA All-Defensive team.
- UTEP had the most all-conference honorees (three of 16) in the league while also being the lone C-USA program to place multiple members on the All-Defensive squad. The two first-team selections tie as the most in the league, with UTEP sharing the honor with Western Kentucky.
- The three all-league picks equal the most in school history (2008-Hughes, first, Lacy and Izabela Piekarska, second; 1984-Sharon Jackson, first, Lenore Dembs, second and Kris Hudson, honorable mention). Moreover, it marks the first time in program history that UTEP has landed multiple players on the All-Defensive team.
- Cameasha Turner was voted to the 2015-16 CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division I women's basketball second team. Turner, who boasts a cumulative 4.0 GPA in criminal justice, is the first Miner in program history to be so distinguished.
- Turner was also voted to the five-member C-USA All-Academic team for the second straight year.
- Nash was named the C-USA Co-Player of the Week on Feb. 29; it was the lone weekly honor for UTEP.
GOING BACK IN TIME
at UTEP 66, Abilene Christian 62 (WNIT First Round, 3/18/16)
- UTEP forced 18 turnovers and held Abilene Christian to 27.6 percent shooting on the way to a 66-62 victory in the first round of the WNIT in front of 4,517 fans at the Don Haskins Center on March 17.
- The Wildcats put up quite a fight, using a 12-0 run in the fourth quarter to grab their first lead of the contest at 52-49 with 5:18 to play. But UTEP, which extended its school-record home winning streak to 17 games, had an answer. The Miners, spurred on by the roaring 4,500+ fans, struck back with a 9-1 surge over the next three minutes to regain control.
- ACU, which had an eight-game unbeaten streak snapped, continued to battle down the stretch but UTEP hit 8-9 at the free throw line late to hold on for the victory.
- Starr Breedlove tallied nine of her team-high 16 points in the final frame to lead the way but she had some help as well. Tamara Seda posted her first career double-double (10 points, career-high 11 rebounds) to provide a big lift off the bench while senior Cameasha Turner nearly duplicated the feat (12 points, seven boards).
- Jenzel Nash dished out six assists to tie for the second most in a game in UTEP postseason history while her four steals earned a share for fourth.
- The Miners tied for the second-most blocked shots (five) and steals (12) in postseason annals.
THE RUNDOWN ON UTEP'S 2015-16 SEASON
Overall: 27-4 Home: 17-0 Road 8-3 Neutral 2-1
C-USA: 16-2 Home: 9-0 Road 7-2
NC: 11-2 Home: 8-0 Road 1-1
- 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).
- Had overall 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.
- Effort sparked the start of a seven-game win streak before a loss at UTSA in the regular-season finale.
- Entered C-USA tournament as top seed for the third time (2008, 2012 and 2016) in program history.
- Advanced to the C-USA semifinals for the fourth time in five years by outlasting host and (8) UAB, 62-59, on March 10 before falling to eventual league runner-up (5) Old Dominion, 66-54, on March 11.
- Cited as one of "Last Four Teams Out" for 2016 NCAA Women's Basketball Championships and thus received Conference USA's automatic bid to the WNIT.
- Started the WNIT with a 66-62 win against Abilene Christian (26-4) on March 17.
- This year's team is the first at UTEP to have three separate winning streaks of 7+ games in same season.
- UTEP paces C-USA and has top-30 national rankings for steals/game (11.8-sixth), turnovers forced/game (21.1-13th), free throw attempts (679-13th), turnover margin (+5.3-14th), three-point field-goal percentage defense (27.3-first/29th),
- Also among C-USA and national leaders in free throws made (462-third/24th), scoring margin (+9.3-first/53rd), scoring offense (71.0-third/59th), rebounds/game (40.4-first/73rd), field-goal percentage defense (37.9-third/95th) and scoring defense (61.5-fourth/120th).
- Hindered in three-point shooting (138-535, 25.8 percent-14th C-USA/327th nation) and personal fouls /game (21.4-14th C-USA/335th nation).
- Four players (all guards) average double figures in scoring. Jenzel Nash tops the list at 13.4 ppg (11th C-USA), followed by Cameasha Turner at 12.6 ppg (15th C-USA), Starr Breedlove at 12.0 ppg (tied 20th C-USA) and Sparkle Taylor at 10.1 ppg. Lulu McKinney at 6.6 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 five Miners grabbing at least 3.0 rebounds/game. Nash tops the list at 5.7 rpg (tied 19th C-USA), aided by a team-high 75 offensive boards. Chrishauna Parker follows at (5.5 rpg) while Turner checks in at 4.8 rpg, helped by a squad-best 111 defensive boards. Tamara Seda (4.2 rpg) and Taylor (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 (3.1-first/seventh), Nash (2.8-second/19th) and Turner (2.0-eighth/120th).
- Breedlove is also in ratings for assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4-fifth/170th), assists/game (3.6-10th/184th) and three-point percentage (42-121, 34.7-12th C-USA/DNQ).
- Nash also is among league leaders for offensive boards/game (2.4-13th) and assists/game (2.9-15th).
- Turner (96-122, 78.7-seventh/134th) and Nash (87-119, 73.1-15th/224th) are rated for free-throw percentage.
- Turner (125-259, 48.3-11th) and Taylor (118-252, 46.8-13th) are top 15 in C-USA for FG percentage.
- Led for 72% of the action (906:48 of 1255:00) on the year, with at least a 30+ minute advantage in 22 tilts.
- At least +2.5. margin in first (+2.7, 16.8-14.1), second (+2.9, 16.2-13.3) and third (+2.8, 18.0-15.1) but that dips to +0.6 (18.7-18.1) during fourth quarter action.
- All 14 players earn at least 5.0 minutes/game, including 10 at +10.0 mpg. Turner tops the list at 30.0 mpg.
- Miner back-ups are outscoring the opposition by a count of 782-495 (25.2 ppg-16.0 ppg).
- Outscored opponents 653-378 (21.2 ppg-12.2 ppg) in points off turnovers.
- Also hold advantages in second-chance points at 401-325 (12.9 ppg-10.5 ppg), points in the paint at 974-802 (31.4 ppg-25.9 ppg) and fast-break points at 321-136 (10.4 ppg-4.4 ppg).
WHAT'S TRENDING
TEAM DEFENSE
- Set the single-season school record with 367 total steals. The prior record was 355 ('13-14).
- Record at least 10 steals in 23 of 31 games and the 11.8 steals/game would be second-highest ever.
- Forced at least 20 turnovers in 20 games and the 21.2 turnovers/game would rank fourth at UTEP.
- Forced 656 turnovers to rank third on the UTEP single-season list. The school record is 673 ('89-90), followed by 672 ('13-14).
- Overall opponents at 37.9 percent (655-1728) which would tie for fifth on the UTEP single-season charts.
- Foes at 27.3 percent (139-510) from three pointers which would be the fourth-best 3PTFG% def. at UTEP.
- The current scoring defense of 61.5 would rank sixth all time in Miner single-campaign lore.
TEAM OFFENSE
- On track to become fourth team in program history with a +70.0 scoring offense (71.0).
- The 2,196 total points is currently fourth on the Miner charts; the record is way off at 2,825 ('13-14) but the only other seasons ahead are much closer at 2,286 ('07-08) and 2,229 ('11-12).
- Posted six games of 80+ points, including a pair with at least 90 points.
- Hit 469 free throws to place second on the UTEP single-season charts. Program record is 697 ('13-14). The 679 free throw attempts is sixth on the list. School standard is 964 ('13-14), followed by 712 ('88-89), 691 ('92-93), 681 ('97-98) and 671 ('00-01).
- Pulled down 466 offensive boards, which is the third-highest total of the Keitha Adams era and seventh on the UTEP single-season list.
- UTEP is making 15.8 turnovers/game, which would be seventh-lowest average in program history.
INDIVIDUALS
- Starr Breedlove (23), Jenzel Nash (22), Cameasha Turner (21) and Sparkle Taylor (16) have accounted for 82 of the 96 individual double-digit scoring efforts on the year; Lulu McKinney (six), Lawna Kennedy (four), Agata Dobrowolska (one), Anete Kirsteine (one), Chrishauna Parker (one) and Tamara Seda (one) are responsible for the other 14.
- Breedlove (97) and Nash (86) are the second duo in program history to post 80+ steals in the same year; Natasha Lacy (108) and Jareica Hughes (88) did so in '07-08.
- Breedlove's 97 steals are second on UTEP's single-season charts, trailing only Lacy (108, '07-08) and while Nash's 86 thefts rate sixth.
- Breedlove (31-31) and Turner (30-30) are the only Miners to start every game they've played in this year.
- Breedlove (42-121, 34.7 percent), McKinney (34-119, 28.6 percent) and Turner (31-116, 26.7 percent) are a combined 107-356 (30.0 percent) from three-point range; the rest of the squad is 31-179 (17.3 percent).
- Seda (19), Wiktoria Zapart (18), Daeshianna McCants (17) and Dobrowolska (14) have 68 blocks; the rest of team has 46.
- Breedlove is the third Miner in program history to record at least 90 assists (112) and 90 steals (97) in the same season. Lacy ('07-08, 156 ast/108 stl) and Terri Pedregon ('94-95, 110 ast/95 stl) also did so.
- A combined eight Miners have fouled out in the past five games; six total did so in first 26 contests.
- Breedlove has reached double figures in scoring in a career-best nine straight contests.
- Kennedy is the only Miner to have more offensive boards (44) than defensive (33).
- Breedlove (14) and McKinney (11) are the only Miners to hit at least two three pointers in 10+ games.
- Dobrowolska equaled her career high with two steals vs. Abilene Christian (March 17).
- Najala Howell hit the Miners' only three pointer of the game vs. ACU; it was second of the season.
- Nash has logged 30+ minutes 11 times this year. In her first two seasons, she had four such total contests.
- Seda posted her first-career double-double (10 points, career-high 11 rebounds) vs. ACU. The 10 points was one shy of her career best (11 at WKU, 2/6/16). She also matched her career bests for field goals made (four), attempted (nine) and free throws attempted (six).
- Taylor is putting up 10.1 points/game in only 17.8 minutes/game.
- Taylor has been the top point scorer off the bench for the Miners 15 times overall, including 10 of her 15 games as a reserve during C-USA action.
- Taylor and Turner have both her at least 50 percent from the floor in 15 contests this year.
- Turner has reached double figures in scoring in back-to-back games and five of the past six.
- Zapart set career highs against Abilene Christian in points (four), field goals made (two), attempted (four) and minutes (18).
THE BASIC FACTS ON UTEP
- UTEP is 537-624 in its 42nd season as a women's basketball program, including 27-4 this year.
- Six 20+ win seasons (all since 2006-07), including four of the past five; never had more than 18 wins in a season before Keitha Adams.
- Three regular-season league championships (2016, 2012 and 2008), all as members of Conference USA.
- Record of 1-1 all time in league tournament championship games, winning in 2012 and falling in 2008.
- Became first C-USA women's team to go 16-0 while claiming program's initial league title in 2008.
- Finished 15-1 in 2012 and won the program's first conference tournament championship.
- Own C-USA single-season record for winning streak at 23, which was set in 2007-08.
- Making its second appearance in the WNIT in program history (1-0 2016, 5-1 2014, runner-up) and fourth overall foray into postseason basketball (NCAA second round, 2008 and first round, 2012).
- 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, no. 4 nationally 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 the only three-time C-USA Women's Basketball Coach of the Year (2016, 2012 and 2008).
- She is UTEP's all-time win leader at 274-185.
- Overall Adams stands at 401-222 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 400+ career collegiate wins
- All six 20+ win seasons and seven of the eight with 18+ victories have been during her tenure.
- She is responsible for all four postseason bids (NCAA in 2012 and 2008; WNIT 2016 and 2014) and all four championships (2016 C-USA regular season, 2012 C-USA regular season and conference tournament and 2008 C-USA regular season) 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 120 games above .500 (233-111) since joining Conference USA for the 2005-06 season.
- Earned votes in top-25 poll in eight seasons ('15-16, '13-14, '12-13, '11-12, '08-09, '07-08 and '06-07).
- Grabbed a top-25 ranking in two seasons (2015-16 and 2007-08; was in poll final six weeks of '07-08).
- Never achieved national ranking, let alone even earn points in a poll, before Adams's era.
- UTEP has compiled 52 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 (27-4, 16-2) greatly surpassed last year's overall (12-16) and league win (7-11) totals.
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 (314-45) and Texas A&M (261-85) lead the way while UTEP (219-96) has a firm grip on third. Texas (207-123) is fourth followed by Lamar (188-128). TCU (186-132-sixth), Stephen F. Austin (179-132-seventh), Prairie View A&M (175-145-eighth), SMU (169-142-ninth) and Texas Tech (164-156-10th) round out the top 10.
SPECIAL RUN
- 119-42 since the start of '11-12 season (27-4 this year), with 73 double-digit wins.
- Playing postseason basketball for the third time in the past five years. 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
- 24-1 on season and 210-42 under Keitha Adams when leading at halftime.
- 23-1 when leading after three quarters and 18-1 when doing so after the first quarter.
- 18-1 on year and 205-60 under Adams when keeping foes to less than 40 percent from the floor.
- 16-0 on year and 192-50 under Adams when making better than 40% from the floor.
- 15-1 on season and 181-59 under Adams when winning the rebounding battle.
- 17-0 on year and 169-23 under Adams when scoring 70 or more points
- 13-1 on year and 144-35 under Adams when allowing less than 60 points.
- 11-2 on season and 92-14 under Adams when opposition has more turnovers than field goals.
- 6-0 on season and 77-4 under Adams with 80+ points.
- 4-2 on the year when trailing after the first quarter.
HOME SWEET HOME
- Perfect 17-0 on the year in El Paso to set the longest home winning streak in school history, with a +15.0 margin (76.6-60.0) in those games.
- The previous record for longest home win streak was 14, set by the '07-08 squad.
- 77-14 in El Paso since 2011-12.
- 178-51 at home since '02-03, with winning home records in all 14 of those seasons (including this year).
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.)
- 23-2 under head coach Keitha Adams in home games with 4,000+ fans.
TRAVEL TIME
- 8-3 overall on the road, including 7-2 in C-USA play, to trounce last year's totals (3-8 overall, 3-6 C-USA).
- The eight road wins rank third all time at UTEP, trailing only the '11-12 (1-1) and '07-08 (10-3) squads
- Snapped three opponent home winning streaks of 10+ games; won 71-65 at NM State on Dec. 2 (W 17), topped WKU, 85-78, on Feb. 6 (W 15) and downed Southern Miss, 57-54 on Feb. 18 (W 11).
- 70-105 on the road under head coach Keitha Adams, hindered by 15-52 mark her first five years.
- 56-53 on the road since '06-07
- 32-22 on the road since '11-12 season.
- Assured of fourth winning road record under Adams, a feat never achieved prior to her tenure
- Sixth year of road winning percentage at. 500 or better under Adams; happened twice in 27 years before.
CAREER ACHIEVEMENTS
- Redshirt-senior Chrishauna Parker has helped UTEP forge a record of 108-27 during her career, which gives her more wins than any other Miner in school history. Parker is also the lone player in program history to rank in the top 10 for career rebounds (844-second) and assists (290-sixth). She is sixth in double-doubles (15) and in free throws attempted (397) and ninth in makes (252). Parker is also a member of the 800-point club (809-22nd), tied sixth in games played (117), seventh for starts (94), ninth for minutes (2,886), 18th for steals (116) and 28th in field goals made (274).
- Senior Cameasha Turner joined the 1,000-point scoring club (1,034-10th) during the C-USA Championships. She is also fourth for games played (121), sixth for starts (98), in wins during a career (90) and for free-throws made (266), seventh for three-pointers attempted (291), seventh in steals (157), tied 10th for three-pointers made (86), 10th in minutes played (2,854) and for free-throws attempted (363), 13th for assists (193), 15th for field goals made (341) and 23rd in rebounds (440).
- Redshirt-junior Jenzel Nash is 12th for scoring (970). She is also fifth in steals (165), seventh for wins during her career (85), eighth for field-goals attempted (981), 10th in free throws made (234), 13th for field-goals made (346), 14th for free throws attempted (327) and assists (188), 19th for three-pointers attempted (213) and tied 23rd in games played (97).
- Sophomore Lulu McKinney is tied 14th in three-point attempts (222) and 19th in three-pointers made (62).
- Junior Sparkle Taylor (760-27th) joined the 700+ point club this year while she is 23rd in field-goals made (297) and 30th for games played (91). She, along with seniors Agata Dobrowolska and Anete Kirsteine are 15th for career wins (68).
- 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.
CLIFFNOTES ON THE '15-16 SEASON
(5) OLD DOMINION 66, (8) UTEP 54, C-USA SEMIFINALS, 3/11/16)
- (1) UTEP forced 21 turnovers and played hard but couldn't get enough shots to fall in an 66-54 setback vs. (5) Old Dominion in the semifinals of the 2016 Conference USA Championships at Legacy Arena on March 12.
- Cameasha Turner tallied 18 points while Jenzel Nash (13 points) and Starr Breedlove (10 points) all hit double for the Miners. ODU was paced by Jennie Simms's double-double (21 points, 10 rebounds) while Ije Ajemba (14 points) and Gianna Smith (10 points) also got things going.
- UTEP committed only 12 turnovers and enjoyed advantages in points in the paint (26-20) and points off turnovers (17-12) but that wasn't enough to compensate for an off shooting day. The Miners finished at 28.8 percent (19-66) from the floor-compared to ODU's 39.1 percent (18-46).
- Old Dominion won the rebounding battle (47-36), although UTEP did have more offensive boards (14-12).
- The Lady Monarchs connected on 26-41 (63.4 percent) at the charity stripe, with Simms alone going 11-14 in the department. UTEP was 12-17 (70.6 percent) at the free-throw line.
- ODU's 41 tries from the line tied as the second most in C-USA Championship history.
- The Miners were called for 31 fouls, marking the highest total in 24 years (32 at Utah, 3/12/92) and tying for the fifth most ever in program history. It was also just the second time under head coach Keitha Adams that UTEP amassed 30+ infractions. The other occasion was vs. Texas State (30 fouls, 11/30/13).
- It marked the fourth time in five years that UTEP reached the C-USA semifinals. It was the fifth since joining the league and eighth in program history. (WAC- 1993, 1995 and 2004; C-USA 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016).
(1) UAB 62, (8) UAB 59, 3/10/16)
C-USA QUARTERFINALS
- Top seed UTEP outlasted host (8) UAB, 62-59, in a wild overtime contest in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Conference USA Championships at Bartow Arena on March 10.
- The game appeared destined for double overtime when Chelsee Black, who led UAB with a game-high 19 points, banked in a halfcourt shot at the buzzer. But after an official review, it was determined that the shot came after time expired to send the Miners (26-3) dancing into the semifinals for the fourth time in five years.
- It was a hard-fought battle, with both the Miners (26-69, 33.3 percent) and Blazers (22-63, 34.9 percent) shooting worse than 35 percent from the floor. UAB won the boards, 45-44, but UTEP compensated by forcing 18 turnovers that led to 15 points.
- Lulu McKinney (11 points), Jenzel Nash (11 points) and Starr Breedlove (10 points) hit double figures in scoring for the Miners.
- Not to be lost in the madness were two milestone moments for the Miners; head coach Keitha Adams recorded career win 400 and senior Cameasha Turner became the 11th member of UTEP 1,000+ career point club (1,004).
- Nash also had six steals to tie for the second most by a Miner in a league tournament game.
(at UTSA 69, #25 UTEP 64, 3/3/16)
- Cameasha Turner (13 points), Starr Breedlove (12 points) and Chrishauna Parker (12 points) all hit double figures in scoring but homestanding UTSA shot 47.8 percent from the floor to derail No. 25 UTEP, 69-64, in regular-season finale for both squads on March 3. The loss snapped UTEP's seven-game streak.
- It was a back-and-forth contest with four ties and 14 lead changes, with the last coming midway through the fourth quarter. The Miners led, 58-57, with 5:19 to play before the Roadrunners scored the game's next six points to put the Orange and Blue in a five-point hole (63-58, 2:44 to play).
- UTEP showed some moxie, with Sparkle Taylor sinking a corner triple (her second of the season) to trim the deficit to just two. After the sides traded free throws over the next couple of possessions, the Miners forced a five-second call on an inbounds play, which was UTSA's 19th turnover of the tilt. The effort got UTEP the ball, down three (65-62) with 48 seconds left. Taylor got another look from distance but this time it didn't go. UTSA got the board and took care of business down the stretch at the line to hold on for the win.
(at UTEP 94, Charlotte 91, 2/25/16)
- UTEP forced 30 turnovers and got big efforts from several players to outlast Charlotte, 94-91, in double overtime to claim the outright 2016 Conference USA regular-season championship in front of a roaring 4,012 fans at the Don Haskins Center on Feb. 27.
- Jenzel Nash enjoyed a monstrous game (career-high 31 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals in career-high 47 minutes) to lead the way for the Miner, who pushed their overall win streak to seven while halting the 49ers' undefeated surge at five.
- Lulu McKinney buoyed Nash with 18 points, including two big triples in the second overtime period, while Starr Breedlove (13 points) and Cameasha Turner (12 points) also hit double figures in scoring.
- Charlotte shot 51.6 percent (33-64) from the floor and won the boards (50-36) but was done in by the relentless pressure from the Orange and Blue. UTEP had a 43-2 advantage in points off turnovers, in addition to a notable 34-3 cushion for bench scoring.
- The visitors looked poised to hand UTEP its first home loss of the year, leading 72-70 with 15 seconds to play in regulation and in possession of the ball. Nash had other ideas, though, coming up with a steal and drawing a foul. She calmly sank both charity stripe tosses to tie the tilt. Charlotte called timeout to set up a play but misfired at the buzzer.
- There were just eight points total in the first overtime, and Nash's potential game-winning shot wouldn't drop with one tick left to send it to double overtime. Nash nailed a triple to get the scoring started in the second extra period before a free throw by Laia Raventos made it 79-77 UTEP with 3:15 on the clock.
- McKinney then took over, draining clutch triples on consecutive possessions to give the Miners some much-needed breathing room (85-78, 1:42 to play).
- Charlotte continued to battle down the stretch but never got closer than three the rest of the way.
- It was the first double-overtime game at the school since 2005-06.
- It marked the second game in program history with both teams scoring 90+ points.
- The 83 shot attempts were second most under Keitha Adams and tied for 10th at UTEP.
(at UTEP 70 Old Dominion 64, 2/25/16)
- UTEP clinched at least a share of the 2016 Conference USA regular-season title while also locking up the number one seed in the upcoming C-USA Championships after knocking off Old Dominion, 70-64, inside the Don Haskins Center Feb. 25.
- The Miners led the Lady Monarchs wire-to-wire on the way to posting their school-record setting 15th consecutive home victory.
- Cameasha Turner (18 points, eight rebounds and four steals), Starr Breedlove (16 points, four steals) and Sparkle Taylor (14 points) led the way for the Orange and Blue, who also extended their overall win streak to six.
- The Miners held ODU to 34.5 percent (19-55) shooting while also forcing 19 turnovers. UTEP enjoyed a big margin in bench scoring (25-14) and fast-break points while doing good work to stay within one (20-19) for second-chance points.
- Tamara Seda (nine points) and Taylor (14 points) helped factor into the advantage from reserve scoring
- Another factor was UTEP taking great care of the ball, piling up 13 assists while committing only seven turnovers. Lulu McKinney dished out four helpers while Chrishauna Parker added three to go along with her seven rebounds.
(UTEP 72, at LA Tech 65, 2/20/16)
- UTEP wrapped up a 25-3 run around halftime to take control of the game before holding off a furious rally in an exhilarating 72-65 win at Louisiana Tech Feb. 22.
- It was a back-and-forth contest early on, with four lead changes and nine ties during the first 13 minutes of action alone. The Lady Techsters led 19-17 with 7:17 to play in the second quarter before the Miners started to find a rhythm at both ends of the court.
- UTEP closed the half on a 13-3 push to carry a 30-22 cushion into halftime before peeling off the first 12 points of the third quarter to rip the game wide open.
- The margin swelled to as many as 22 (61-39) with 8:12 to play in the game before LA Tech finally made a run.
- The home side put together a 24-6 run over the next 6:45 to trim the Miner advantage to four (67-63) with 40 seconds left but UTEP kept its composure on the way to securing its fifth consecutive win. It is the first home league setback on the season for LA Tech, which also slips to 190-27 all time in conference games at the historic Thomas Assembly Center.
- Jenzel Nash poured in 24 points to go along with nine rebounds to lead the way but she was far from alone.
- Starr Breedlove (15 points, seven assists), Lawna Kennedy (10 points) and Chrishauna Parker (nine points, five rebounds) also got things going to help propel the Miners to their fifth consecutive win.
- It marked UTEP's first road win in its sixth trip to Ruston.
(UTEP 57, at Southern Miss 54, 2/1/16)
- Cameasha Turner poured in 20 points and Starr Breedlove added 12 points to go along with five steals to help the UTEP women's basketball team emerge with a 57-54 victory at Southern Miss on Feb. 18.
- It was the first home setback of the season (11-1) for the Lady Eagles with the Miners improving to 7-2 on the road, including 6-1 in league action. The seven road wins tie for third on the Miner single-campaign charts while the 22 overall triumphs tie for fourth at the school.
- UTEP has now halted three lengthy home undefeated streaks this season, previously stopping NM State's 17-game home surge (W, 71-65, 12/2/15) and WKU's 15-contest home streak (W, 85-78, 2/6/16).
- The Miners bolted out to 18-7 lead after the first quarter. The margin was 10 (29-19) at halftime and swelled to as many as 18 (41-23) with 3:33 to play in the third quarter. It remained double digits (53-43) with 3:32 to play in the game before a 9-0 run by the Lady Eagles.
- UTEP halted the run with free throws by Breedlove and Turner (split pair) before electing to foul USM to prevent a potential three pointer. USM hit both free throws to get within one and fouled Lulu McKinney with four seconds. The sophomore calmly sunk each and Breedlove sealed the win with a steal.
- Both the Miners (21-59, 35.6 percent and 21 turnovers) and Lady Eagles (18-50, 36.0 percent and 25 turnovers) ran into issues offensively.
- Rebounding (43-37) went in favor of UTEP, which helped it survive an off shooting night (10-22, 45.5 percent) at the charity stripe.
- It was the first game on the season to be decided by three points or less.
(at UTEP 75, Florida Atlantic 47, 2/13/16)
- UTEP turned up the defensive pressure by holding Florida Atlantic to 31.5 percent shooting and forcing 23 turnovers on the way to a convincing 75-47 wire-to-wire victory on Feb. 13.
- UTEP pounced on the Owls early, tallying 12 of the game's first 14 points to secure a double-digit cushion less than four minutes in. After FAU cut it to three early in the second quarter, UTEP used a 15-2 run to regain control.
- The Miners scored the first 16 points of the third quarter to put things out of reach.
- The Orange and Blue converted the Owls' 23 giveaways into 33 points while also controlling the boards (46-36). Another big factor was UTEP's defense of the three-point shot. FAU, which entered the game fifth nationally for three pointers/game, managed to make just 4-23 (17.4 percent) from distance.
- Starr Breedlove set the tone on the defensive end with a career-high seven steals (tied seventh most UTEP history), all of which came in the first half. She added 10 points and four assists in an efficient 23 minutes of action. Jenzel Nash (16 points, 6-9 FG, 3-3 FT) and Sparkle Taylor (12 points, 2-5 FG, 8-10 FT) also hit double figures for scoring while Cameasha Turner added nine points.
(at UTEP 70, FIU 52, 2/11/16)
- UTEP controlled the boards (49-29) and forced 27 turnovers to help propel it to a 70-52 victory against visiting FIU on "National Girls and Women in Sports Day" at the Don Haskins Center on Feb. 12.
- All 14 players who dressed saw action for the Orange and Blue, who never trailed in the contest. Jenzel Nash (13 points), Cameasha Turner (11 points) and Lawna Kennedy (11 points) all reached double figures in scoring to lead the way but there were plenty of other scoring options.
- Nine other Miners tallied at least one point in the game. It was a similar story with the effort on the glass, with every player securing at least one board. Chrishauna Parker pulled down a team-high nine rebounds, including seven of UTEP's season-high 24 offensive caroms. Daeshianna McCants and Nash buoyed Parker with six boards.
- Starr Breedlove and Nash shared the team lead for assists (four). Nash also created havoc on defense with five steals.
- The Panthers shot 40.4 percent (19-47) from the floor, compared to UTEP's 36.9 percent (24-65) but the Orange and Blue compensated thanks to the dominance on the glass and the turnovers forced.
(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, marking best effort on road since hitting 55.8 percent (29-52) in a 75-72 victory at Houston on Feb. 14, 2009.
- Credited with a season-high 18 assists while only making 10 turnovers.
- 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.
- 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).
(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 on Jan. 23.
- 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 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.
- 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.
- 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
(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.
