UTEP Miners

Game Notes In PDF Format

UTEP TO PLAY FIRST ROAD GAME OF YEAR AT ARKANSAS STATE TUESDAY
UTEP (5-1) will have its first road game of the campaign when it plays at Arkansas State (3-4) at 4 p.m. MST/5 p.m. CST Tuesday. The Miners capped their season-opening six-game homestand on a high note by downing HBU, 69-62, on Dec. 2. The Red Wolves are coming off a 74-48 setback at SEC foe Ole Miss on Dec. 2. A-State is 2-0 on the year at home and is attracting 751 fans per game.
 
BUSY STRETCH OF BASKETBALL
After having four games over the first two weeks of the season, UTEP is in the midst of playing three contests in the span of five days. The Miners are 1-1 in the sequence, with a 59-35 loss to New Mexico on Nov. 30 before bouncing back to knock off HBU, 69-62, on Dec. 2. Tuesday's match-up at Arkansas State concludes the stretch.
 
OPENING UP LONG STRETCH BETWEEN HOME GAMES
After a season-opening six-game homestand (5-1), the Miners will now embark on a period of more than five-and-a half weeks without playing a home game (Dec. 2-Jan. 11). UTEP will have nine games (six road, three neutral) in between. It is the longest such stretch since the 1987-88 season (Nov. 29-Jan. 4), during which the Orange and Blue had 12 contests between home tilts.
 
GAME FORMAT
For the third straight season, NCAA women's basketball games will be played in four 10-minute quarters. Teams 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 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 play during any dead ball.
 
CONNECT ON SOCIAL MEDIA          
Fans are encouraged to connect with the Miners on Facebook (UTEP Women's Basketball), Instagram (@utepwbb) and Twitter (@UTEPWBB). They are also encouraged to use #WeAreMiners in posts.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES (ARKANSAS STATE LEADS, 5-3 OVERALL; ARKANSAS STATE LEADS 3-0 IN JONESBORO)
Arkansas State leads the series, 5-3, but the Miners have won the past three match-ups. Most recently the Orange and Blue downed A-State ,74-68, on March 21, 2016 in the second round of the WNIT. UTEP also knocked the Red Wolves out of the WNIT in 2013-14. The two squads first met in the 1986-87 season. A-State has a 3-0 mark against the Miners when playing at home, including an 87-63 victory on Nov. 26, 2004, which was UTEP's last trip there.
 
GETTING TO KNOW ARKANSAS STATE
Arkansas State is 3-4 on the season, including most recently falling at SEC foe Ole Miss, 74-48, on Dec. 2. The Red Wolves are paced by Akasha Westbrook (11.6 ppg) and Jada Ford (9.0 ppg). Lauren Bradshaw is the top rebounder (5.0 rpg) but Peyton Martin (4.4 rpg) and Westbrook (4.3 rpg) have also proven to be capable on the glass. A-State has played a very difficult schedule, with five contests (1-4) against power conference school members. The lone win came against Florida (70-69) on Nov. 14. The Red Wolves are allowing 79.4 points per game while allowing the opposition to shoot 47.8 percent (208-435) from the floor. They are 2-0 at home but stand 1-4 on the road in 2017-18. A-State returned three starters and seven letter winners from last year's team (7-25). It has a proud tradition with 10 WNIT appearances, including most recently in 2016. In fact A-State won the event in 1993. 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).
 
LAST MEETING WITH A-STATE: (at UTEP 74, ARKANSAS STATE 68, March 21, 2016)
UTEP shot 44 percent (28-63) from the floor and controlled the glass (39-29) on the way to knocking off an outstanding Arkansas State team, 74-68, in front of energized 5,023 fans at the Don Haskins Center on March 21, 2016. Sparkle Taylor (18 points, six rebounds), Jenzel Nash (16 points, three assists and two steals) and Cameasha Turner (16 points, eight boards, three steals) led the way for the Miners, but the biggest bucket of the night was courtesy of Agata Dobrowolska. It was tied at 68 in the final minute of action before the senior sunk a turn-around jumper with 45 seconds to account for the game's fourth and final lead change. 
 
GOING BACK IN TIME (at UTEP 69, HBU 62 (12/2/17)
Senior Tamara Seda recorded her fourth straight double-double (18 points, 16 rebounds) while junior Najala Howell poured in a season-high tying 19 points to help lead UTEP to a 69-62 victory against HBU at the Don Haskins Center on Dec. 2. The Huskies led 31-26 at the half but the Miners came alive after the break to post the come-from-behind win to close out the season-opening six-game homestand in style. The game featured eight ties and seven lead changes, with the final one coming down the stretch when UTEP peeled off nine straight points-all on treys- to turn a one-point deficit (57-56) into their largest lead of the contest (65-57). HBU scored the next five points but the Miners put the game out of reach with a Jordan Alexander jumper with 21 seconds to play. UTEP set season highs for 3-pointers made (10), attempted (21) and percentage (47.6), including going 6-8 from distance in the final frame to help complete the comeback. The Miners also won the boards (44-32) while holding HBU to 38.1 percent (24-63) from the floor, including 19.0 percent (4-21) from distance. Sophomore Roeshonda Patterson provided a spark off the bench with a career-high matching 11 points to join Howell and Seda in double figures. Freshman Jordan Jenkins pitched in a personal-best six points to go along with six assists.
 
SENSATIONAL START TO BAKER ERA
At 5-1 Kevin Baker has matched the best start through six games by a first-year UTEP head coach in program history. The only other time it happened was in the program's first season in 1974-75 when Carol Ammermann also got her squad out of the gates at 5-1 (eventually 6-1). Additionally, Baker and Ammermann are also the only two first-year head coaches to have won their first four games at UTEP. Baker is the eighth head coach at the school.
 
GETTING OUT OF THE GATES FAST
UTEP is off to a 5-1 start for the 10th time in program history. The Miners previously opened up with a mark of at least 5-1 in 2015-16 (18-1), 2013-14 (10-1), 2012-13 (14-1), 2011-12 (10-1), 2006-07 (14-1), 1998-99 (6-1), 1996-97 (8-1), 1976-77 (6-1) and 1974-75 (6-1).
 
CLEANING UP ON THE BOARDS
The Miners have outrebounded their opponents in all six contests of the campaign and have a +14.0 rebounding margin (43.2-29.2) on the season to rank 10th nationally. Helping that figure was winning the rebounding battle by 20+ boards in back-to-back games (51-27, +24 vs. Arkansas, 11/24/17; 46-25, +21, vs. Texas Southern, 11/25/17) for the first time since the 2011-12 season. That year UTEP achieved the feat in wins against Texas State on Dec. 31, 2011 (50-24, +26) and SMU on Jan. 5, 2012, (52-28, +24).
 
STREAKY SHOOTING
After eclipsing better than 50 percent from the floor in each of the first three games of the season for the first time since at least 1982-83 (prior records incomplete), UTEP dipped to below 35.0 percent in the next two tilts. The Miners regained their touch last time out by drilling 42.3 percent (22-52) vs. HBU on Dec. 2.
 
FREE THROWS GALORE
The Miners have done an outstanding job of getting to the charity stripe and taking advantage once there. In fact UTEP has made more free throws than its foes have attempted. The Orange and Blue are 91-128 (71.1 percent) at the free-throw line in 2017-18 while the opposition stands 45-74 (60.8 percent). Overall it works out to 15.2 free throws made per game for UTEP to 7.5 for its opponents.
 
POINTS AT A PREMIUM FOR THE OPPOSITION
UTEP has held all five opponents to 62 points or less, something it hasn't achieved to start a season since limiting the first 11 opponents in 1996-97 to below that threshold. The effort has led to a scoring defense of 57.0 to rank 41st nationally. Furthermore, only Texas Southern on Nov. 25 has managed to eclipse its scoring average (at time of game) as illustrated in the chart below.
Date        Opponent            Scoring Average        Points Scored         Difference
Nov. 11         CSU Bakersfield      NA                                              56                                           NA
Nov. 18        Texas A&M-CC        67.3 ppg                                   55                                           -12.3             
Nov. 24        Arkansas                       73.8 ppg                                   61                                           -12.8
Nov. 25        Texas Southern         53.8 ppg                                   55                                           +1.2
Nov. 30       New Mexico               89.3                                            59                                           -30.3
Dec. 2           HBU                                62.0                                            62                                           0.0
 
KEEPING THE FOULS TO A MINIMUM
A factor to consider in UTEP's early success defensively in 2017-18 is the fact that it has done a good job of limiting its fouls. The Miners have committed 15 or fewer fouls in four of six games. Overall the Miners are committing 14.5 personal fouls per game to rank 18th in the nation.
 
MORE ON THE DEFENSE
UTEP has held the opposition to 34.8 percent (126-362) from the floor in 2017-18, which is 35th nationally. For the first time 1982-83 (prior records incomplete), the Miners kept their first three foes to below 33 percent shooting. In fact no opponent thus far has eclipsed 40.0 percent from the floor, making it the longest such streak (six) to begin a campaign since 2011-12 when UTEP held the first 10 foes to below 40.0 percent.
 
PLENTY OF PLAYING TIME TO GO AROUND
The Miners have only 10 active players this year, meaning that there's going to be plenty of playing time to go around. Head coach Kevin Baker has done a good job of spreading the minutes around with seven different Miners (Najala Howell-33.2, Katarina Zec-33.0, Tamara Seda-31.3, Jordan Alexander-26.0, Faith Cook-26.0,  Zuzanna Puc-18.3 and Jordan Jenkins-17.5) logging at least 16 minutes per contest. Additionally both Roeshonda Patterson (13.4) and Jakeira Ford (11.3)are in double figures for playing time on average.
 
SEDA DOMINATING DOWN LOW
Senior Tamara Seda has been a force to be reckoned with early on in 2017-18. She paces the team in scoring (15.5 ppg), rebounding (10.8 rpg), offensive rebounds (25) and double-doubles (four). She has reached double figures in scoring in all six contests, including pouring in a career-best 20 points against both CSU Bakersfield (Nov. 11) and Arkansas (Nov. 24). She is second on the squad (minimum 10 FGA) in field-goal percentage (47.9) and enters the match-up at Arkansas State on the strength of four straight double-doubles. It is the first time of her career that she has strung together four straight games. Moreover, she is the initial Miner to record the feat in non-conference play since Dragana Zoric also did so during the 2002-03 campaign. 
 
ZEC STEPPING HER GAME UP
Sophomore Katarina Zec is third on the team in scoring (8.7 ppg), including hitting double figures in three straight games for the first time of her career earlier this season. Zec has done an outstanding job at the free-throw line by going 12-13 (92.3 percent). She is also second on the squad in offensive boards (12) and playing time (33.0) while ranking fifth in overall rebounding (4.3 rpg). As a freshman she pitched in 5.7 ppg and 1.7 rpg in 20.8 mpg.
 
COOK MAKING IMPROVEMENT TOO
After shooting 19.3 percent (11-57) from 3-point range as a freshman, Faith Cook has improved to 31.3 percent (5-16) from beyond-the-arc. Included in that was going 3-5 from home run-range in the season-opening win against CSU Bakersfield on Nov. 11. The three triples shattered her previous best of one (11 different games). Overall Cook is accounting for 5.0 ppg after putting up 1.9 ppg a year ago. Cook also is dishing out 2.7 assists per game (second on team), which tops her effort (1.7) from a year ago as well. She is securing 26.0 minutes per game of playing time, which paces the reserves.
 
HOWELL'S ALL-AROUND EFFORT
Junior Najala Howell leads the Miners in playing time (33.2 mpg), ranks second on the team in assist (2.5), scoring (13.5 ppg) and third in rebounding (6.0). She has been incredibly efficient, pacing the squad in field-goal percentage (54.0) and 3-point shooting (52.4). Howell has hit double figures in five of the six games this year, including a 19-point effort (one shy of her career high) against both Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Nov. 18 and HBU on Dec. 2.
 
COMING ALIVE FROM 3-POINT LAND
Najala Howell leads the team in 3-pointers made (11), attempted (21) and 3-point field-goal percentage (52.4). Helping her cause was burying a career-best four triples (on six tries) in the victory against HBU on Dec. 2. It's a stark improvement from a year ago when she hit 35.2 percent (19-54) from beyond-the-arc.
 
ALEXANDER GETTING AFTER IT
Junior Jordan Alexander, one of two newcomers on this year's squad, is looking like a difference maker. She paces the team in free-throws made (23), while ranking second in rebounding (6.7 rpg) and free throws attempted (29) and fourth in scoring (7.5 ppg). The majority of her rebounds (34-of-40) have been at the defensive end, which has helped the Miners produce a +14.0 (43.2-29.2) rebounding margin.
 
THREE STRAIGHT SOLID EFFORTS BY PATTERSON
Sophomore Roeshonda Patterson has come off the bench to provide a spark for the Miners the past three tilts. She scored seven points in 12 minutes against Texas Southern on Nov. 25, followed that up with a five-point effort vs. New Mexico on Nov. 30 and most recently matched her career high with 11 points in the win vs. HBU on Dec. 2. She is hitting 47.1 percent (8-17) from the floor, including 55.6 percent (5-9) from distance in the stretch. It is the first time of her young career that she has tallied at least five points in three straight games. In fact she had never posted back-to-back such efforts previously.
 
PUC FINDING HER RHYTHM
After missing the first two tilts due to injury, sophomore Zuzanna Puc is starting to round into form. She has provided a nice boost from the bench with 4.5 ppg and 4.8 rpg in 18.7 mpg. Most recently she pitched in five points while securing a season-high eight rebounds in a campaign-best 23 minutes against New Mexico on Nov. 30.
 
STAUNCH FIRST-QUARTER DEFENSE
Twice this year the Miners have held opponents to five points or less in the first quarter of play. UTEP conceded only three points in the first quarter against Arkansas on Nov. 24, which ties the program standard for fewest points allowed in a frame. The Orange and Blue previously limited CSU Bakersfield to five points in the first frame on Nov. 11. It set the then program standard for fewest points allowed in the first quarter and tied as third for fewest points in a quarter overall.
 
IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
The Miners have top-100 NCAA team rankings for rebound margin (+14.0-10th),  fewest personal fouls per game (14.5-18th), field-goal percentage defense (34.8-35th), scoring defense (57.0-41st), 3-point field-goal percentage (37.5-49th), rebounds per game (43.2-50th), 3-point field-goal percentage defense (27.8-71st) and field-goal percentage (42.9-98th), Individually Tamara Seda is 17th in double-doubles (four), 27th in rebounds per game (10.8) and 30th in offensive rebounds per game (4.0).
 
GETTING TO KNOW THE 2017-18 MINERS
UTEP returned eight letter winners (Faith Cook, Jakeira Ford, Najala Howell, Roeshonda Patterson, Zuzanna Puc, Tamara Seda, Rachel Tapps and Katarina Zec) from last year's squad (8-23, 5-11 Conference USA). Puc, Seda and Zec all started for UTEP in 2016-17. The Miners also added four newcomers (Jordan Alexander, Ariona Gill, Jordan Jenkins and Neidy Ocuane) but Gill and Ocuane are slated to take a redshirt year in 2017-18. The squad is under the direction of first-year head coach Kevin Baker, who is assisted by first-year assistants Nicole Dunson, Michael Madrid and Lori Morris.
 
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
Head coach Kevin Baker inherited a young team, with 60% of the active roster (6-of-10) comprised of sophomores (Faith Cook, Jakeira Ford, Roeshonda Patterson, Zuzanna Puc, Rachel Tapps and Katarina Zec). The Miners have just three upperclassmen, in the form of one senior (Tamara Seda) to go along with returning junior Najala Howell and junior-college transfer Jordan Alexander. Freshman Jordan Jenkins rounded out the active roster. Two other newcomers (junior-college transfers Ariona Gill and Neidy Ocuane) are sitting out the 2017-18 season as redshirts.
 
NEW FACES
The Miners have four newcomers to the squad in 2017-18 though two of the additions (junior Ariona Gill, 5-11, G/F, San Jacinto College) and junior Neidy Ocuane (5-5, G, Seward County CC) are redshirting the 2017-18 season. Junior Jordan Alexander (5-11, F, Trinity Valley CC) and true freshman Jordan Jenkins (5-3, G, Buffalo HS) both have started the first six games and are expected to remain significant contributors throughout the year. Last year Alexander helped TVCC qualify for its 10th straight trip to the national tournament and finish with an overall record of 30-6. She put up 6.5 points per game while also grabbing 2.5 rebounds per game. Jenkins averaged 20 points, eight steals, seven assists and six rebounds to help her squad earn runner-up honors in Texas 2017 in the UIL 3A playoffs. Ocuane paced her team in assists per game (4.7) and steals per game (2.4) while ranking fourth in scoring (11.2). Her efforts helped it win the program's first conference title in eight years.
 
NOTING THE SCHEDULE
The return of the UTEP Thanksgiving Classic and a 16-game Conference USA slate, match-ups against both New Mexico and NM State and non-conference contests against power league members Arkansas and East Carolina highlight the 2017-18 UTEP women's basketball schedule. There are also games against three teams that played in the 2017 NCAA Tournament (NM State, Texas Southern and WKU) and four from the 2017 Postseason WNIT (Georgetown, LA Tech, Middle Tennessee and Southern Miss)
 
THE BAKER FILE
Kevin Baker was appointed as the eighth head coach in UTEP women's basketball history on Monday, April 24, 2017. He has a unique background which has seen him rise through the coaching ranks from high school level, to NCAA Division III, then NCAA Division II and now his NCAA Division I position at UTEP. Throughout his ascent, though, he has consistently found a way to win. He is 349-132 overall in his 16th year as a head coach, including 127-31 in his sixth season as a college head coach. He has set school records for wins at every stop of his career, and has taken every school to the playoffs with a total of five district championships. He is an eight-time Coach of the Year. In his stops most recently prior to UTEP, Baker's teams captured back-to-back conference championships at UT-Tyler and Angelo State. Baker has led both a Division II (Angelo State) and Division III (UT-Tyler) school to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
 
HISTORY OF FIRST-YEAR COACHES AT UTEP
In terms of success rate in the first season on the sidelines, Carol Ammerman (11-5, 1974-75) and Janet Wood (11-16, 1979-80) share the platform for most victories by a Miner head coach in their initial campaign. Ammerman's effort came in the first year of the program, and is also the lone winning record by a first-year Miner head coach in school history. Overall the prior seven head coaches at UTEP are a combined 54-120 (8-17 average record). At 5-1 through six games, Kevin Baker is off to a good start if he hopes to buck that trend in 2017-18.
 
EXPERIENCED STAFF
While head coach Kevin Baker and his three assistants (Nicole Dunson, Michael Madrid and Lori Morris) are in their first year at UTEP, they brought plenty of coaching experience to the Sun City. The quartet entered the 2017-18 season with a combined 93 years of coaching experience (Morris-37 years, Baker-23 years, Madrid-22 years and Dunson-11 years).
 
BASIC FACTS ON THE PROGRAM
UTEP is 552-649 in its 44th season as a women's basketball program, including 5-1 in 2017-18. The Miners have made four postseason bids (2016,-WNIT quarterfinals; 2014-WNIT runner-up, 2012-NCAA first round and 2008-NCAA second round), sporting a combined record of 9-4 (8-2 WNIT, 1-2 NCAA). UTEP has claimed four league championships (2016 C-USA regular season, 2012 C-USA regular season and conference tournament and 2008 C-USA regular season). It has a 1-1 record all time in league tournament title games, winning the title in 2012 and falling in 2008. There have been six 20+ win seasons (all since 2006-07), including four of the past six years. UTEP has cracked the top-25 poll in two seasons (2015-16, 2007-08), including being ranked in the final six weeks in '07-08, while receiving votes in eight campaigns total ('15-16, '13-14, '12-13, '11-12, '08-09, '07-08 and '06-07). The Miners have been mentioned in the AP Preseason Poll four times, including garnering three points in 2016-17. In 2008 UTEP became the first C-USA women's team to finish undefeated in league play (16-0) while claiming the program's initial league title in 2008. The Miners finished 15-1 in C-USA in 2012 in addition to also winning the program's first conference tournament championship. UTEP owns the C-USA single-season record for winning streak at 23, which was set in 2007-08. The University of Texas at El Paso (founded in 1914) recently enjoyed its 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.
 
THIRD-BEST IN TEXAS SINCE 2006-07
The Miners have the third-highest winning percentage among all DI programs in Texas since '06-07. Baylor (356-52, 87.3%), and Texas A&M (289-100, 74.3%) lead the way followed by UTEP (234-121, 65.9%).  Texas (241-133, 64.4%-4th), Lamar (214-138, 60.8%-5th), Stephen F. Austin (208-140, 59.8%-6th), TCU (205-152, 57.4%-7th), SMU (190-161, 54.1%-9th), Prairie View A&M (190-167, 53.2%-9th) and Texas Tech (181-177, 50.6%-10th) round out the top 10.
 
SPECIAL RUN
The Miners are 134-67 since the start of the 2011-12 season, with 80 double-digit victories in that time frame. UTEP has played postseason basketball in three of the past six seasons, making two deep runs in the WNIT (2014 runner-up, 2016 quarterfinals) and earning the C-USA automatic bid to the 2012 NCAA Tournament (lost, first round). It is has enjoyed 14 separate winning streaks of at least three games during that time frame.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
UTEP has an all-time home record of 356-215, including standing 5-1 this year. The Miners have amassed a record of 157-41 at home since 2006-07, including 90-24 since 2011-12. Aiding that 90-24 record over the past six years was a school-record 19-1 home mark in 2015-16. The Miners' next home contest is against Charlotte on Jan. 11, which will be the seventh of 14 regular-season tilts at the Don Haskins Center in 2017-18. UTEP has been particularly strong in non-conference play, sporting a record of 80-12 at home in the situation since 2006-07.
 
ALL ABOUT THE FANS
The Miners received tremendous support to help propel them to a pair of deep runs in the WNIT (2014 runner-up honors, 2016 quarterfinals) in the past four years. UTEP averaged 7,773 fans per game during the 10 WNIT contests (8-2 record) in El Paso. Aiding those numbers were back-to-back sellouts , the first in program history, in the semifinals and finals of the 2014 WNIT. The Miners have ranked in the top-50 nationally for attendance in three of the past six years. UTEP placed 28th in 2013-14 (3,793 avg.), 42nd in 2012-13 (2,708 avg.) and 46th in 2011-12 (2,639 avg.). The Miners are 28-10 when playing in front of 4,000+ fans since 2001-02. They are 25-3 in the situation at the Don Haskins Center and 3-7 when doing so on the road.
 
TRAVEL TIME
UTEP is 139-355 all time on the road, including a record of 1-9 during the 2016-17 season. When playing at a neutral site the Miners stand 57-78, including five losses to power-five programs last season. Since the start of the 2006-07 season UTEP is 57-62 on the road, including 33-31 since 2011-12.
 
CAREER ACHIEVEMENTS
Redshirt-senior Tamara Seda ranks sixth at UTEP in blocked shots (73), tied sixth in double-doubles (15), tied 11th in rebounding average (6.8), 21st in rebounds (485), 44th in games played (71) and 45th in scoring (540).
 
2016-17 IN REVIEW
UTEP went through a rebuilding year in 2016-17, finishing with a record of 8-23, including 5-13 in Conference USA play, before bowing out in the first round of the 2017 C-USA Championships. The youth-laden Miners lost all five starters from the 2015-16 season and returned only four letter winners from that squad, giving them a new look for the year. UTEP played its most challenging non-conference schedule in program history with a single-season school-record five games against teams from power five conferences. It went 0-5 in those contests while finishing 3-4 vs. non power league programs in non-conference play. Overall UTEP was saddled with a 2-9 start to the year before going 3-3 over the next six games. The Miners then lost a season-long six straight and eight of the next nine before posting back-to-back victories. UTEP dropped its final two games of the regular season and was upended by sixth-seeded Old Dominion in the first round of the C-USA Championships, 80-70.
 
CLIFF NOTES ON THE 2017-18 SEASON
UTEP SUFFERS FIRST LOSS OF SEASON VS. (RV) NEW MEXICO (New Mexico 59, at UTEP 35 (11/30/17)
UTEP held New Mexico to 59 points-30 below its average- but couldn't get enough shots to fall in a 59-35 setback at the Don Haskins Center on Nov. 30. The undefeated Lobos, who are receiving votes for both top-25 polls, were limited to 39.7 percent (23-58) from the floor and 33.0 percent (12-36) from distance but they overcame through a physical defensive effort that gave the Miners fits. UTEP shot 25.0 percent (11-44) in the game while being harassed into 25 turnovers that led to 22 UNM points. The Miners won the battle of the boards, 44-31, but it wasn't enough to compensate for the off shooting night. Senior Tamara Seda recorded her third straight double-double (11 points, 13 rebounds) to pace UTEP while sophomore Katarina Zec added nine points. Sophomore Zuzanna Puc came off the bench to contribute five points and a season-high eight rebounds. Sophomore Roeshonda Patterson also pitched in five points and sophomore Faith Cook registered a career-high seven boards.
 
UTEP GRINDS OUT 65-55 WIN VS. TEXAS SOUTHERN (at UTEP 65, Texas Southern 55 (11/25/17)
Junior Najala Howell (16 points, 10 rebounds) and senior Tamara Seda (13 points, 13 rebounds) each posted double-doubles to help UTEP notch a hard-fought 65-55 win against Texas Southern in the final game of the sixth-annual UTEP Thanksgiving Classic at the Don Haskins Center on Nov. 25. The Miners never trailed in the contest and used a 10-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to break the game's one and only tie (48-48, 5:20 4Q) in decisive fashion. UTEP held the Lady Tigers, who have averaged 20 wins the past five years, to 38.8 percent shooting (19-49) while also crushing them on the boards (46-25). Playing a big role in the rebounding margin was a season-high 21 offensive rebounds which led to 21 second-chance points for the home side.  The Miners connected on 34.0 percent (18-53) of their shots but they more than made up for that with their rebounding and defensive efforts, in addition to setting season bests for free-throws made (26), attempted (33) and percentage (.788). In fact the Orange and Blue were 16-17 at the charity stripe in the pressure-packed fourth quarter. Sophomore Katarina Zec chipped in 10 points, her third straight game in double figures, while also grabbing a career-high eight rebounds. Junior Jordan Alexander registered 13 points and six caroms while sophomore Roeshonda Patterson provided a spark off the best with a season-high seven points and career-high matching three rebounds.
 
UTEP TAKES DOWN SEC FOE ARKANSAS, 64-61 (at UTEP 64, Arkansas 61 (11/24/17)
UTEP posted a wire-to-wire 64-61 victory against Southeastern Conference foe Arkansas in its opening game of the sixth-annual UTEP Thanksgiving Classic at the Don Haskins Center on Nov. 24. The Miners raced out to a 13-2 lead four minutes in, were up 18 (38-20) at half and 16 (52-36) through three quarters before withstanding a furious rally attempt by the Razorbacks. UA managed to whittle UTEP's advantage all the way down to one (62-61) but sophomore Faith Cook hit a fade away jumper to beat the shot clock with eight seconds left in the game to put the Miners back up by three. The visitor's Devin Cosper then misfired on a triple at the other end. Tamara Seda notched a double-double (career-high tying 20 points, 10 rebounds) to lead UTEP, but she was buoyed by 14 points and eight rebounds from Najala Howell and 10 points and six boards by Katarina Zec. Jordan Jenkins did her part with a career-high seven assists while Zuzanna Puc pitched in eight points and four boards in 15 minutes off the bench in her 2017-18 debut. UTEP connected on better than 50.0 percent (50.8 percent, 27-53) from the floor for the third straight game, something it hasn't done to start a season since at least 1981-82 (prior stats incomplete). The Miners also defended tirelessly, holding Arkansas to 30.0 percent (21-70) from the floor. The Razorbacks jacked up 41 3-point shots, but only made 11, for a readout of 26.8 percent. The Orange and Blue took care of business on the boards, winning the rebounding battle to the tune of 51-27. Helping that figure was 40 defensive boards, the most against a division I opponent since also securing 40 against Tulane on March 8, 2013. An area of concern for UTEP was turnovers (23) which led to 22 Arkansas points. But the Orange and Blue compensated for that by the dominance in other areas, in addition to holding a 38-18 advantage in points in the paint.
 
TAKING DOWN A POWER PROGRAM
UTEP downed Arkansas, 64-61, on Nov. 24 to secure its first win in program history against an SEC opponent. Overall it is UTEP's initial regular-season victory against a power-five conference foe since it crushed Kansas State, 84-39, on Nov. 16, 2013. The Miners are now 11-53 all time vs. teams from a power five conference (at point of match-up), but they are 7-10 since 2012-13.
 
UTEP CRUISES PAST TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI, 69-49
at UTEP 69, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 49 (11/18/17)
UTEP played well in all facets off the game in a convincing 69-49 victory against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at the Don Haskins Center on Nov. 18. The Miners shot 54.3 percent (25-46) from the floor while stifling the Islanders to a readout of 31.1 percent (19-61), including 4-15 (26.7 percent) from distance. UTEP won the boards (38-30), racked up 19 assists compared to 14 turnovers and led for the majority of the contest. Najala Howell paced the Orange and Blue with 19 points-one shy of a personal best- while also dishing out a career-high seven assists. Katarina Zec (12 points), Tamara Seda (11 points) and Jakeira Ford (10 points) all joined her in double figures for scoring while Jordan Alexander pitched in seven points.  Four different Miners grabbed at least five rebounds, with Ford leading the way with six caroms.  UTEP led by two (14-12) after the first quarter before outscoring the visitors 35-16 over the next two frames to blow open the game.
 
UTEP RALLIES PAST CSU BAKERSFIELD IN OPENER, 67-56
at UTEP 67, CSU Bakersfield 56 (11/11/17)
UTEP used a huge fourth quarter to rally past CSU Bakersfield, 67-56, in the 2017-18 season opener for both squads at the Don Haskins Center on Nov. 11. The Roadrunners led by eight (45-37) through three quarters of action but the Miners opened up the final frame on an 13-1 run to help fuel a dominant 30-11 advantage over the last 10 minutes of action. Senior Tamara Seda (20 points), junior Jordan Alexander (15 points) and sophomore Faith Cook (14 points) each established career highs to lead the way for the Miners, who were victorious in head coach Kevin Baker's Division I coaching debut. Junior Najala Howell (10 points) also reached double digits in scoring for UTEP, which nailed 51.2 percent (21-41) from the floor and 42.9 percent (6-14) from beyond-the-arc. Alexander, who played her freshman year at DI Louisiana before transferring to Trinity Valley, grabbed a personal-best 10 boards for her first career double-double while Seda added eight caroms. UTEP won the rebounding battle, 36-30, which was aided by a whopping 16-2 advantage in the fourth quarter. The Miners held CSUB to 32.8 percent (20-61) from the floor.
 
SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST
After scoring 37 points through three quarters of action, the Miners erupted for 30 points over the final 10 minutes to erase an eight-point deficit and rally past CSU Bakersfield on Nov. 11. The 30 points are the most scored in the fourth quarter by the Miners in program history and rank tied for fifth-most points in a quarter overall at the school.
 
START IT OFF STRONG
UTEP improved to 24-20 all time in season openers, including 21-7 when doing so in El Paso. Overall in home openers, the Miners now stand 28-14 (missing outcomes in some years).
 
RECAPPING THE EXHIBITION SEASON
For the first time since the 2007-08 season, the Miners played a pair of exhibition games to prepare for the regular season. UTEP split the contests, drilling NCAA Division III member Sul Ross State, 99-40, on Oct. 29, while falling to NCAA Division II member St. Mary's (Texas), 68-62, on Nov. 4. Katarina Zec (17.5 points per game) was the top point producer for the Miners but four others (Tamara Seda-16.5 ppg, Najala Howell-15.0 ppg, Jordan Alexander-11.0 ppg and Jakeira Ford-11.0 ppg) also averaged double figures in scoring. As a team UTEP shot 45.5 percent (56-123) from the floor while holding its foes to 30.9 percent (38-123). The Miners excelled at the free-throw line (35-42, 83.3 percent) and also dominated the rebounding department (51.0 rebounds per game to 27.5 opponent rebounds per game).