Feb. 10, 2017
Game Notes In PDF Format 
THE OPENING ACT
- UTEP (6-17, 3-8 C-USA) will vie for a split on this week's road swing when it plays at Southern Miss (15-9, 7-5 C-USA) at 3 p.m. MST/4 p.m. CST Saturday. USM won earlier this year in El Paso, 79-68, on Jan. 7.
- Brandon Cohn will have the call for 600 ESPN El Paso, KROD-AM Radio. Fans can also stay up-to-date by following the Miners (@UTEPWBB) or Southern Miss (@SouthernMissWBB) on Twitter.
- Match-up features the only two head coaches in C-USA to have at least 400 collegiate wins; UTEP's Keitha Adams is 409-240 (282-203 at UTEP) while USM's Joye-Lee McNelis stands 436-349 (207-192 at USM).
- The tilt concludes a four-game conference road trip- UTEP's longest in 11 years ('05-06, first year in the league)- and also a brutal stretch of playing seven of nine contests away from home.
- The upside is that UTEP will be able to return home to play four consecutive league home games. That is something that also hasn't happened in 11 years.
- Southern Miss is 10-2 at home (4-1 C-USA). UTEP is 1-6 on the road (1-5 C-USA).
- USM has won three of its past four games, including a 74-71 home victory against UTSA on Feb. 9.
- UTEP has dropped three straight league games for the first time this year, including a 69-61 road setback against Louisiana Tech on Feb. 9.
- In 11 C-USA games the Miners and their opponents are identical for field-goal percentage (UTEP 41.2%, Opp. 41.2%) and quite close in field goals made (UTEP 281; Opp. 285) and attempted (UTEP 682; Opp. 691), rebounds/game (UTEP 38.8; Opp. 40.7) and assists/game (UTEP 14.8, Opp. 14.4) yet UTEP has a -7.0 (68.4-75.4) scoring margin. The reason? Foes have scored 52 more points on free throws (UTEP 135-203, 66.5%, Opp. 187-253, 73.9 percent) and 60 more points on three pointers (UTEP 48-168, 28.6%; Opp. 66-202, 32.7%). That adds up to a -112 differential (-10.2/game) for the Miners between free throws in triples in C-USA play.
- In league play the specialty stats points per game are pretty similar for points in the paint (UTEP 30.2; Opp. 31.5), bench production (UTEP 18.7; Opp. 18.5), second-chance (UTEP 10.4; Opp. 10.2), and fastbreak (UTEP 6.5; Opp. 6.9). An area of concern is points off turnovers/game (UTEP 13.3; Opp. 17.9).
- UTEP is hitting 45.3 percent (233-514) of its two-point shots in league play; foes are at 44.8 percent (219-489).
GAME FORMAT
- For the second 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.
THIS AND THAT ON CONFERENCE USA
- Teams play all 13 members at least once and face five teams in home-and-home for 18-game C-USA slate.
- The top 12 teams (14 in C-USA) will qualify for the single-elimination tournament (March 8-11, Birmingham, Ala.-UAB) with the top four teams as seeded by regular season standings receiving a bye. The winner will gain the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
- Middle Tennessee (10-2) has a half game lead on WKU (9-2) for 1st. Charlotte (93) is 3rd. UTSA (7-4) is 4th while Southern Miss, Old Dominion and LA Tech are tied for 5th at 7-5). The remaining seven squads are below .500.
- North Texas (5-6) sits in 8th with Rice and Marshall tied for 9th at 4-7.
- UTEP and FIU are tied for 12th at 3-8 while FAU is last at 0-11.
INSIDE THE SERIES
- UTEP leads the series 12-6, including slight 4-3 edge when playing in Hattiesburg.
- The Miners have won their past three trips to Reed Green Coliseum. UTEP downed the 57-54 last year (2/18/16), 70-59 in 2014-15 (1/10/15) and 70-63 in 2011-12 (1/16/12).
- USM knocked off UTEP, 79-68, in El Paso on Jan. 7, 2017, in the first meeting this year.
- Last season the Miners swept the season series (W, 72-64, 1/28/16-home; W, 57-54, 2/18/16-road).
- Seventeen of the 18 match-ups between the programs have come since 2005-06 when UTEP joined C-USA.
GETTING TO KNOW SOUTHERN MISS
Overall: 15-9 Home: 10-2 Road: 4-5 Neutral: 1-2
C-USA: 7-5 Home: 4-1 Road: 3-4
- Southern Miss returned three starters and nine letter winners from last year's team (14-16, 7-11 C-USA).
- Stormed out to a 7-1 start on the season before dropping three of four to wrap non-league play at 8-4.
- Bolted out to a 3-1 start in C-USA play only to suffer three consecutive losses. Recovered to win three straight and four of five since that point, including a 74-71 win vs. UTSA on Feb. 9.
- Lead C-USA in both steals/game (11.7) and turnovers forced/game (22.1).
- Among upper echelon for numerous other categories; is 2nd in field-goal percentage (43.9) and turnover margin (+5.0), 4th in scoring offense (70.1) and assists/game (15.4), 5th in 3-pt percentage (32.7), free-throw percentage (69.4) and scoring margin (+5.8), 6th in scoring defense (64.3) and rebound margin (+1.2).
- Boast top-100 NCAA rankings for turnovers forced/game (7th), steals/game (14th), turnover margin (27th), field-goal percentage (44th), assists/game (66th) and scoring offense (83rd).
- Southern Miss has several players among the C-USA leaders for numerous categories. Brittanny Dinkins is 1st in steals/game (3.6), 4th for scoring (18.1) and free-throw percentage (81.0), 6th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.8), 11th in assists/game (4.0), 14th in field-goal percentage (48.9),
- Jayla King is 4th in offensive boards/game (3.5), 8th in rebounding (7.4), 14th in steals/game (1.7) and 25th in scoring (11.0).
- Keri Jewett-Giles is 10th in steals/game (1.8).
- Shonte Hailes is 8th in assist-to-turnover (1.7) and 13th for assists/game (3.5).
- Megan Brown is 13th for free-throw percentage (75.7)
- Dinkins has top-100 NCAA rankings for steals/game (6th), field goals made (172-21st) and attempted (352-43rd), points/game (54th), field-goal percentage (87th)
- Seven players account for at least 5.0 points/game.
- Yielded 70+ points in three straight and seven of 12 C-USA games (2-5 record in such contests).
- Only allowed 70+ points three times in 12 non-conference contests (0-3 record in such games).
- Notable Southern Miss alumni include Jimmy Buffett (singer, songwriter and actor), Brett Favre (three-time NFL MVP QB & future Hall of Famer) and Robert L. Stewart (former NASA astronaut).
LAST MEETING WITH SOUTHERN MISS; Southern Miss 79, at UTEP 68 (1/7/17)
- Tamara Seda (14 points, career-high tying 17 rebounds), Sparkle Taylor (21 points, career-high five assists) and Najala Howell (13 points, career-high tying six assists) all hit double figures in scoring but UTEP couldn't quite slow down Southern Miss in a 79-68 setback at home on Jan. 7.
- The Miners shot 49.1 percent (27-55) from the floor while controlling the boards (35-22) but the Lady Eagles had too much firepower. Brittanny Dinkins erupted for 29 points (13-22 FG) to lead the way for USM, which shot the best percentage (58.2, 32-55) by a Miner opponent on the season.
- UTEP was harassed into 22 turnovers that resulted in 30 points.
- Southern Miss' 23 rebounds were the fewest by a D1 opponent since the Miners also held UAB to 23 boards in a semifinals win of the 2012 C-USA Championships (3/9/12).
- USM was 0-7 from three-point range; it was the most attempts without a triple by an opponent since the Miners held Idaho State to 0-11 from beyond-the-arc in the 2011-12 season opener (11/12/11).
- Taylor set a career high in steals (four) vs LA Tech (1/5/17) and then matched it vs. Southern Miss (1/7/17).
- Seda became the first Miner in 27 years (Lisa Watson (1/27-29/89) with 14+ boards in back-to-back tilts.
GOING BACK IN TIME
at Louisiana Tech 69, UTEP 61 (2/9/17)
- Lulu McKinney scored nine points and dished out 12 assists (t3rd all time at UTEP) while Sparkle Taylor (14 points) and Zuzanna Puc (11 points) reached double figures in scoring but it wasn't enough in a 69-61 loss at Louisiana Tech Thursday evening.
- The Miners shot 40.6 percent (26-64) from the floor, committed only 12 turnovers and held the top shooting team in Conference USA to just 36.7 percent (22-60) from the floor, including 1-12 (8.3 percent) on three pointers.
- The Lady Techsters made up for that by hitting 24-33 at the free-throw line and winning the boards, 48-34. LA Tech had almost as many offensive caroms (20) as UTEP did defensive (21). UTEP collected 13 offensive rebounds and was 6-11 at the charity stripe.
- McKinney's 12 assists were the most by a Miner in seven years; she was one shy of tying school record.
The Orange and Blue led by six (10-4) early on and by three (17-14) through 10 minutes of action only to have LA Tech bounce back in the second quarter. It outscored UTEP, 20-9, in the frame to lead by eight (34-26) at the half. UTEP could get no closer than five the rest of the way.
- Tamara Seda pitched in six points and seven boards before fouling out while Katarina Zec recorded six points and a career-high tying four boards.
GETTING TO KNOW THE 2016-17 MINERS
- Eight of the 12 student-athletes on the Miners' roster are in their first year of playing games at the division I level. There are six true freshmen (Faith Cook, Jakeira Ford, Roeshonda Patterson, Zuzanna Puc, Rachel Tapps and Katarina Zec), one redshirt-freshman (Jessica Barbosa- practiced with team last year) and one junior-college transfer (Ax Bernard).
- There are four returnees (senior Sparkle Taylor, juniors Lulu McKinney and Tamara Seda and sophomore Najala Howell). McKinney, Seda and Taylor all start after mainly coming off bench last year.
- UTEP has more newcomers (seven) than returnees (four) on the roster for the first time since the 2008-09 campaign when it also had that ratio. That year was also the last time UTEP seven freshmen.
- The Miners lost nine letter winners, including all five starters from last year's team (29-5, 16-2 C-USA regular-season champion, advanced to quarterfinals of the WNIT).
- UTEP has a veteran coaching staff that has great chemistry from working together at the school; it is in form of head coach Keitha Adams (16th year), associate head coach Ewa Laskowska (16th year) and assistant coaches Bill Damuth (seventh year) and Kelli Willingham Bagley (second year).
BRIEF RUNDOWN ON UTEP'S 2016-17 SEASON
Overall: 6-17 Home: 5-6 Road 1-6 Neutral 0-5
C-USA: 3-8 Home: 2-3 Road 1-5
- Played its most challenging non-league schedule in program history (#61 strength of schedule at the conclusion of non-conference play; currently 135th), with a single-season school record five games vs. teams from power conferences. It was 0-5 in those contests, all on neutral sites.
- 3-4 vs. non-power league programs during non-conference action (record includes win vs. DII foe).
- Traveled to compete in two prestigious tournaments in non-conference play for first time since 2009-10.
- Three league contests have been decided by two points or less, which ties as the most such games in an entire season of conference play at the school. It previously happened in 1993-94 (Western Athletic Conference), 1990-91 (WAC), and 1976-77 (Intermountain Athletic Conference).
- Played back-to-back one-point games, a program first, during first league road trip of the year. UTEP lost the longest tilt in school history (88-87, 3OT) on a 35-foot buzzer beater at FIU (1/12/17). Two days later FAU's triple at the buzzer danced on the rim before dropping out for a 51-50 Miner win (1/14/17).
- The next five games (1-4) since the down to the wire contests in Florida were decided by 10+ points.
- The Miners were derailed, 69-61, at Louisiana Tech last time out on Feb. 9.
- The 17 losses are the most in 12 years (12-17, 2004-05).
QUICK HITTERS
- UTEP is in the top half of the league a few areas; it is 2nd in rebounds (933), (3rd in rebounds/game (40.6), blocks/game (4.4) and blocked shots (102), and 7th in field-goal percentage defense (40.6), rebound margin (+0.9) and turnovers/game (17.1).
- Boast top-100 NCAA rankings for blocks/game (60th), rebounds/game (73rd), blocked shots (65th) and rebounds/game (97th).
- Nailed better than 40 percent in eight of past 12 tilts; happened twice the first 10 contests on the year.
- On average UTEP is -2.2 (14.0-16.2) in 1Q, -3.6 (15.5-19.0) in 2Q, -0.2 (16.4-16.6) in 3Q and -0.6 (17.0-17.6) in 4Q.
- Among c-USA players Sparkle Taylor is 3rd in field goals attempted (342), 4th in field goals made (150), 8th in scoring (16.4), 10th in free-throw percentage (76.8, 76-98), 14th in defensive boards/game (4.3) and 16th in rebounding (6.0).
- Taylor averaged 3.3 rpg and hit 67.2 on free throws her first three years at UTEP.
- Taylor is among national leaders for field goals attempted, (60th), field goals made (67th), points/game (110th), free throws made (143rd, field-goal percentage (180th) and free-throw percentage (180th).
- Taylor has 19 double-digit scoring efforts on the year to bring her career total of such contests to 56.
- Taylor has nine games with 20+ points; it's the most such tilts by a Miner since Kayla Thornton (16, 2013-14).
- In the C-USA rankings redshirt-junior Tamara Seda is 2nd in rebounds/game (9.7) and total rebounds (224), 3rd in blocked shots (38), double-doubles (nine), offensive boards/game (3.9) and defensive rebounds/game (6.0), 4th blocks/game (1.7) and 15th in field-goal percentage (48.5).
- Seda appears in nationally rankings for rebounds/game (30th), rebounds (38th), double-doubles (40th), blocked shots (81st) and blocks/game (89th),
- Seda (36) and Ax Bernard (38) have given UTEP multiple players with 30+ rejections in the same season for the first time since 2013-14 (Kristine Vitola-90, Kayla Thornton-35).
- Bernard is 6th in C-USA blocks (30) and blocks/game (1.3). Nationally she is 150th and 154th, respectively.
- Seda is also second on the squad in scoring (9.0).
- Seda has grabbed 10+ rebounds in 10 of the past 18 games and 11 times total on the year.
- Seda has secured at least 14 boards in seven games this year; that is the most such contests in a single season by a Miner in at least 33 years (individual game-by-game records prior to 1982 incomplete).
- Seda has a chance at becoming just the fourth Miner since 1979-80 (prior records incomplete) to average 10.0+ rebounds for a season. Tonietta Greene (10.2-1982-83), Be Stoney (10.0-1979-80) and Kayla Thornton (10.1-2013-14) all previously did so.
- Seda is accounting for 9.0 points/game and 9.7 rebounds/game; she had 4.4 ppg and 4.1 rpg last year.
- Among C-USA players, junior Lulu McKinney is 3rd in assists (118) and assists/game (5.1) and 7th in assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.7).
- McKinney is nationally ranked for assists/game (45th), assists (50th) and assist-to-turnover ratio (118th).
- McKinney paces the team in 3-pointers made (33), attempted (119), free-throw percentage (85.7) and minutes/game (31.9).
- McKinney is the first Miner in 12 years (Shalana Taylor in 2004-05) to have five games with 9+ assists. The efforts have come against WNMU (9 ast, 11/17), Houston Baptist (10 ast, 11/30), at FIU (9 ast, 1/12), at UTSA (9 ast, 1/21) and at Southern Miss (12-2/9). The 12 at USM set a career high and tied for third on the Miner single-game records list.
- Najala Howell is at 7.9 points/game and 3.5 rebounds/game. As a freshman she had 1.5 ppg and 1.8 rpg.
- Howell has nine 10+ point contests; her season high as a freshman was six points.
- Howell has tallied five points or less in five straight games; she had 10+ points in the prior seven tilts.
- Zuzanna Puc has recorded 10+ four consecutive contests; she did so twice the first 19 games.
- Puc is putting up 11.3 points/game (2nd team) on 59.4 percent shooting (1st team) during the hot streak.
- Puc was named the C-USA Freshman of the Week (1/30) after averaging 9 points and 7 rebounds in the mini homestand vs. WKU (1/26) and Marshall (1/28). She was the first Miner to be so honored in two years.
- Puc paces the newcomers and is 3rd on the team in rebounds/game (5.6). In league play she is 2nd (6.1).
- Puc has been hindered with fouls; she has the most total fouls (74) and DQs (five) on the team.
- Puc has started 10 straight games and 17 total on the season. The 17 starts top the newcomers.
- Katarina Zec missed six straight games (final five non conference, first C-USA) while recovering from an injury sustained in practice on Dec. 5, but her form is returning. She is at 7,8 points/game in 26.5 minutes/game the past four games. Her first six games back from injury she was at 3.7 ppg and 12.5 mpg.
- Zec has grabbed four rebounds (tied career high) in back-to-back games.
- Zec was credited with a career-high six assists at Louisiana Tech (2/9).
- Zec was 3-4 on free throws vs. Houston Baptist (11/30); in her other 16 games she's a combined 5-8.
- Zec has logged 20+ minutes in five straight games; it the longest such stretch of her career.
- Jakeira Ford scored 11 points in 22 minutes at Middle Tennessee (2/4). She set career highs for field goals attempted (12) and free throws made (three) while matching it for free throws attempted (four) and steals (two). Ford previously reached double digits in scoring vs. WNMU (13, 11/17) and Pitt (11, 12/19).
- Ford followed that up with six points (2-5 FG, 2-2 FT) in 18 minutes at LA Tech (2/9).
- Ford has scored 36 points in her past five appearances; she had 11 points her first five C-USA games.
- Ford is 5-6 on free throws the past two tilts; she was 7-18 at the line her first 17 contests.
- Thirteen of Rachel Tapps's 16 rebounds on the year have been at the defensive end.
- Tapps had a career-best four assists vs. Houston Baptist (11/30); she has four total in her other 17 games.
- Tapps is 5-12 (41.7) on the year on 2-point shots but 0-9 on 3-point tries.
- Seventy-three percent of Roeshonda Patterson's field goal attempts have been three pointers. Patterson is 9-45 (20.0) from distance on the year and 5-17 (29.0 percent) on two-point tries.
- Nine of Patterson's 10 rebounds on the year have been defensive.
- Patterson has played in six of the past seven games; she was a DNP in four of five before that stretch.
- Seventy-two percent of Faith Cook's field goal attempts have been three pointers. Cook is 8-46 (17.4 percent) on triples and 4-18 (22.2) on two-point shots.
- Cook is second on the team in both total assists (46) and assists/game (2.0).
- Jessica Barbosa set career highs in points (six), free throws made (two) and minutes (11) at UTSA (1/21).
- After four straight games with at least one rebound, Barbosa hasn't grabbed a board her past two tilts.
- McKinney tops the team in minutes/game (31.1) while Taylor (30.0), Seda (27.2), Puc (21.7), Howell (21.1) and Zec (20.2) also earn 20+ mpg.
- Seda (nine), Taylor (two), Howell (one) and Puc (one) have combined for 13 double-doubles on the year; the effort is more than the combined efforts (11) of the 2014-15 (seven) and 2015-16 squads (four).
- Taylor had two such performances her first three seasons at UTEP while Seda had one last year.
BASIC FACTS ON THE PROGRAM
- UTEP is 545-642 in its 43rd season as a women's basketball program, including 6-17 this year.
- Made four postseason bids (2016,-WNIT quarterfinals; 2014-WNIT runner-up, 2012-NCAA first round and 2008-NCAA second round), sporting combined record of 9-4 (8-2 WNIT, 1-2 NCAA).
- Won four league championships (2016 C-USA regular season, 2012 C-USA regular season and conference tournament and 2008 C-USA regular season); 1-1 record all time in league tournament title games, winning the title in 2012 and falling in 2008.
- 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.
- One of 10 programs nationally (Baylor, Chattanooga, FGCU, James Madison, Maryland, Notre Dame, South Carolina and UConn) to have won 29+ games at least three times in the past five years.
- 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). Mentioned in the AP Preseason Poll four times, including garnering three points in '16-17.
- 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
- 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's all-time win leader Keitha Adams is 282-203 in her 16th year at the helm of the program. Overall she stands at 409-240 in her 21st year as a collegiate head coach.
- Record of 127-37 in five years as head coach of Independence Community College (Independence, Kan.)
- One of two active C-USA coaches (Southern Miss' Joye Lee-McNelis) with 400+ career collegiate wins.
- Adams is the only three-time C-USA Women's Basketball Coach of the Year (2016, 2012 and 2008).
- 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 conference 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 110 games above .500 (241-129) since joining Conference USA for the 2005-06 season.
- Earned votes in AP 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 22 with a losing record. Eight of those 20 came in her first two years.
- Coached 24 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.
- Member of El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame (inducted April 30, 2014) and El Paso Commission For Women Hall of Fame (inducted April 10, 2010).
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 (339-49, 87.4%), and Texas A&M (279-92, 75.2%) are 1-2 followed by UTEP (227-114, 66.6%). Texas (228-128, 64.0%-4th), Lamar (205-133, 60.7%-5th), Stephen F. Austin (197-137, 59.0%-6th), TCU (199-144, 58.0-7th), SMU (182-152, 54.5%-8th), Prairie View A&M (183-159, 53.5%-9th) and Texas Tech (175-167, 51.2%-10th) round out the top 10.
SPECIAL RUN
- Even with 6-17 record this year, the Miners are 127-60 since the start of '11-12 year; 76 double-digit wins.
- One of 10 programs nationally (Baylor, Chattanooga, FGCU, James Madison, Maryland, Notre Dame, South Carolina and UConn) to have won 29+ games at least three times in the past five years.
- Postseason basketball in three of past five years, with 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).
- Enjoyed 14 separate winning streaks of at least three games during that time frame.
- Contrast that with three three-game losing skids, one four-game and one six-contest setback streak.
WINNING NUMBERS UNDER COACH ADAMS
- 217-44 when leading at halftime, including 5-1 this year.
- 212-63 when keeping foes to less than 40 percent from the floor, including 6-3 this year.
- 200-74 when committing fewer turnovers than opponents, but stands 2-4 when doing so this year.
- 197-57 when connecting on at least 40 percent from the field, but is 3-7 when doing so this season.
- 189-62 when winning the rebounding battle, including 6-3 this season
- 174-26 when scoring 70+ points, including 79-6 with 80+ points (11-0 with 90+ points and 4-0 100+ points).
- 147-35 when allowing less than 60 points, including 3-0 this year.
- 94-14 when opposition has more turnovers than field goals, including 1-0 this year.
- 50-5 when holding opponents to fewer than 50 points, including 2-0 this season.
- 31-4 when leading after the third quarter, including 5-2 this season.
- 23-6 when leading after the first quarter, including 3-4 this year.
HOME SWEET HOME
- All-time home record of 349-212, including 5-6 this season.
- 185-57 at home since 2002-03, with winning home records in all 14 of those seasons. Overall 185-69 in El Paso under head coach Keitha Adams.
- 84-21 in El Paso since 2011-12, aided by finishing 19-1 at home last year.
- 88-23 in non-conference regular-season home games under Adams, including 75-11 since 2006-07.
ALL ABOUT THE FANS
- Tremendous support to help propel UTEP to a pair of deep runs in the WNIT (2014 runner-up honors, 2016 quarterfinals) in the past three years.
- Averaged 7,773 fans/game during the 10 WNIT games (8-2 record) in El Paso.
- Aiding those numbers were back-to-back sellouts (first in program history) in the semifinals and finals of the 2014 WNIT.
- Ranked in the top-50 nationally for three of the past five years
- Placed 28th in 2013-14 (3,793 avg.), 42nd in 2012-13 (2,708 avg.) & 46th in 2011-12 (2,639 avg.)
- Keitha Adams is no stranger to big crowds; her squads are 28-10 when playing in front of 4,000+ fans. The Miners are 25-3 at home and 3-7 on the road on the road in the situation.
TRAVEL TIME
- 139-352 all time on the road, including 1-6 this season.
- 57-78 mark when playing at a neutral site, including 0-5 on the year. All five of those setbacks came against power-five conference programs.
- 71-111 on the road under head coach Keitha Adams, hindered by 15-52 mark her first five years.
- 57-59 on the road since '06-07
- 33-28 on the road since '11-12 season.
- Posted third-most road wins (8-3 record) in program history last year. Effort secured the fourth winning road record and sixth with road winning percentage of .500 or better under Adams. In the program's first 27 years, UTEP's best effort was finishing at .500 twice (2-2, '74-75 and 7-7, '92-93).
CAREER ACHIEVEMENTS
- Senior Sparkle Taylor became the 13th member of UTEP's 1,000-point club after a 25-point effort vs. Louisiana Tech on Jan. 5. She has now climbed to 6th for career points (1,158). She is also 5th for field goals made (455), 8th for field goals attempted (1,006), tied 8th in games played (117), 12th in free throws made (230), tied 13th for individual wins (76), 15th in free throws attempted (328), 19th in minutes played (2,191, 24th in rebounding (445) and tied for 32nd in steals (76).
- Junior Lulu McKinney is 6th in three-point attempts (348), 7th in assists (275), 8th in three-pointers made (98), 17th in minutes played (2,281), 26th in steals (93), tied 33rd in games played (84) and 39th in points (605).
- Redshirt-junior Tamara Seda is 10th in blocked shots (59), tied 12th in double-doubles (10) and 33rd in rebounds (357).
- Junior transfer Ax Bernard is 21st in blocked shots (30).
2015-16 YEAR IN REVIEW
- Put together one of the finest years in program history in 2015-16. The Miners equaled the school record for wins (29), took home the 2016 C-USA regular-season championship (16-2) and advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2016 WNIT. All four games in the WNIT were played in El Paso, with the Miners averaging 6,405 fans in the timeframe.
- Set single campaign records set for steals (397) turnovers forced (706) with head coach Keitha Adams skillfully deploying a mixture of defensive schemes.
- Received votes in the USA TODAY Sports women's basketball coaches top-25 poll for six consecutive weeks, including breaking into the top 25 (#25) for the second time in school history the week of March 1-6. UTEP also picked up votes for a school-record 14 straight weeks in the AP Top-25 poll.
- Became the first team in program history to put together three separate winning streaks of at least seven contests and set the school mark for longest home undefeated surge at 19.
- Took home three of the six major individual awards from C-USA, with Keitha Adams (Coach of the Year), Starr Breedlove (Newcomer of the Year) and Sparkle Taylor (Sixth Player of the Year) being honored. UTEP also had a league-high three of the 16 All C-USA honorees and was the only team in the conference to have multiple individuals on the All-Defensive team.
CLIFFNOTES ON THE '16-17 SEASON
at Middle Tennessee 76, UTEP 53 (2/4/17)
- Junior Lulu McKinney scored a season-high tying 15 points while freshmen Jakeira Ford (11 points) and Zuzanna Puc (10 points) also hit double digits but Middle Tennessee rode big games from Ty Petty (27 points, six assists) and Alex Johnson (25 points, seven boards to maintain a share of first place with a 76-53 home conquest on Feb. 4.
- The Miners showed good fight and trailed by five (38-33) with 4:37 to play in the third quarter only to have the Blue Raiders wrap a 12-0 run around the break. UTEP couldn't get within 11 from that point.
- Middle Tennessee won the boards (45-33) and shot 44.6 percent (29-65) from the floor despite the Miners holding them to 29.2 percent (7-24) from three-point range.
- UTEP finished at 35.1 percent (20-57) from the floor, including 36.4 percent (4-11) from distance.
at UAB 74, UTEP 61 (2/2/17)
- Sparkle Taylor scored 16 points to pace a trio of Miners in double figures but homestanding UAB rode a barrage of three pointers (12-23) to a 74-61 victory at Bartow Arena Thursday evening.
- The Miners shot 46.2 percent (24-52) from the floor and took decent care of the ball (14 turnovers) but the Blazers were even better. UAB connected on 50 percent (27-54) of its shots, including nailing the 12 triples, while finishing with 19 assists and 13 turnovers.
- UTEP had a +8 differential (34-26) for points in the paint but was -20 (16-36) on three pointers.
- The Miners trailed by three (29-26, 3:26 2Q) before UAB wrapped an 18-4 run around halftime.
- Tamara Seda (12 points, eight rebounds) Zuzanna Puc (11 points, seven rebounds) supported Taylor.
at UTEP 84, Marshall 74 (1/28/17)
- All five starters reached double figures in scoring and UTEP used a huge second quarter to power past Marshall, 84-74, at the Don Haskins Center on Jan. 28. The Thundering Herd led 17-12 after 10 minutes of action but the Miners had a +20 differential (30-10) in the second quarter to cruise into the locker room armed with a 42-27 advantage. The cushion swelled to as many as 21 (56-35, 4:40 3Q) and the visitors never truly threatened the rest of way.
- Sparkle Taylor (25 points, four assists), Tamara Seda (15 points, 12 rebounds), Zuzanna Puc (12 points, 11 rebounds), Katarina Zec (career-high tying 11 points, career-high five assists) and Lulu McKinney (10 points, six assists, career-high tying five rebounds) keyed the charge for the Miners.
- UTEP shot 40.8 percent (29-71) from the floor, won the boards (46-45) and converted 19 Marshall turnovers into 28 points.
- The Miners racked up 23 assists on the 29 made field goals while also committing only 13 turnovers.
- The 30-point burst in the second quarter was the Miners' second-highest scoring total in a quarter (32 vs. WNMU) this year and ranks four on the program's single-game records.
- Jakeira Ford (five points), Ax Bernard (three points, two rebounds) and Faith Cook (two assists, no turnovers) made some contributions at key times to help buoy the starters.
WKU 71, at UTEP 54 (1/26/17)
- Sparkle Taylor tallied a game-high 23 points and UTEP shot 45 percent (23-51) from the floor but visiting and C-USA leader WKU emerged with a 71-54 win in front of a season-best 2,469 fans on Jan. 26.
- The Lady Toppers' pressure gave the Miners fits in the first half, allowing WKU to build a 41-21 halftime lead. Fourteen of the 17 Miner turnovers came in that opening frame, which led to 19 points.
- UTEP made some fine adjustments at the break, resulting in a +3 (33-30) differential over the final 20 minutes of action. The Miners committed only three turnovers in the second half while also slowing down WKU's attack. UTEP cut the deficit to 15 on a pair of occasions but WKU was able to answer every run.
- Jakeira Ford proved a spark off the bench for the Miners with six points and five rebounds in 198 minutes of action. Lulu McKinney (six points, two assists) and Zuzanna Puc (five points, career-high three assists) also made contributions for the Orange and Blue.
at UTSA 97, UTEP 76 (1/21/17)
- UTEP nailed 46 percent from the floor (28-61) and drilled a season-high eight triples but the one-two punch of Tesha Smith (38 points) and Loryn Goodwin (20 points) allowed homestanding UTSA to topple the Miners, 97-76.
- Sparkle Taylor (16 points), Lulu McKinney (season-high 15 points, nine assists) and Najala Howell (15 points) all reached double figures in scoring but the Roadrunners simply had too much firepower.
- UTSA had 52 points in the paint-while adding 31 more (on 39 attempts) at the free-throw line.
- UTEP held UTSA to 4-20 (20.0 percent) on threes but UTSA still finished at 48 percent (31-64) overall.
- UTSA outscored UTEP, 35-17, in the second quarter. UTEP went toe-to-toe with UTSA in the in the first (18-17), third (23-23) and fourth (18-22) quarters but it wasn't enough to compensate for that second frame.
- The Miners were called for 29 fouls (third most in the Keitha Adams era) while 20 went vs. UTSA. UTSA
- There were four lead changes and two ties.
UTEP 51, at Florida Atlantic 50 (1/14/17)
- UTEP wrapped a 19-5 run around halftime to fuel a comeback and morale-boosting 51-50 win at Florida Atlantic on Jan. 14.
- The Miners trailed the Owls by as many 13 (25-12, 3:42 2Q) displayed tremendous grit to storm back ahead (31-30, 3:43) before the two sides traded scores the rest of the way. There were five ties and nine lead changes, and FAU had a chance to win at the buzzer. This time, though, fate was on the side of the Miners with FAU's top scorer Sasha Cedeno's three pointer hitting both sides of the rim before dropping out.
- Tamara Seda posted her third straight and team-leading eight double-double (13 points, 14 rebounds) to lead the way while Najala Howell (10 points) and Sparkle Taylor (eight points, eight boards) also proved key.
at FIU 88, UTEP 87, 3OT (1/12/17)
- Sparkle Taylor drilled a jumper with about three seconds remaining in triple overtime to put UTEP up, 87-85, but FIU's Kristian Hudson's desperation heave from about 35 feet went as time expired to sink the Miners, 88-87, in longest game in program history at Lime Court at FIU Arena Thursday evening.
- Taylor paced the Miners with 21 points, but FIU pulled out a miraculous win thanks to Hudson (35 points) and company.
- Tamara Seda (14 points, 13 rebounds), Najala Howell (19 points), Katarina Zec (10 points), Lulu McKinney (nine points, nine assists) and Zuzanna Puc (eight points, six boards) made quality contributions.
- UTEP played ahead for 40 of 55 minutes; the game featured 15 lead changes and 13 ties.
- The Miners set season highs for free throws made (25) and attempted (32), with Taylor going 9-9.
Southern Miss 79, at UTEP 68 (1/7/17)
- Tamara Seda (14 points, career-high tying 17 rebounds), Sparkle Taylor (21 points, career-high five assists) and Najala Howell (13 points, career-high tying six assists) all hit double figures in scoring but UTEP couldn't quite slow down Southern Miss in a 79-68 setback at home on Jan. 7.
- The Miners shot 49.1 percent (27-55) from the floor while controlling the boards (35-22) but the Lady Eagles had too much firepower. Brittanny Dinkins erupted for 29 points (13-22 FG) to lead the way for USM, which shot the best percentage (58.2, 32-55) by a Miner opponent on the season.
- UTEP was harassed into 22 turnovers that resulted in 30 points.
- Southern Miss' 23 rebounds were the fewest by a D1 opponent since the Miners also held UAB to 23 boards in a semifinals win of the 2012 C-USA Championships (3/9/12).
- USM was 0-7 from three-point range; it was the most attempts without a triple by an opponent since the Miners held Idaho State to 0-11 from beyond-the-arc in the 2011-12 season opener (11/12/11).
- Taylor set a career high in steals (four) vs LA Tech (1/5/17) and then matched it vs. Southern Miss (1/7/17).
- Seda became the first Miner in 27 years (Lisa Watson (1/27-29/89) with 14+ boards in back-to-back tilts.
at UTEP 69, LA Tech 62 (1/5/17)
- Sparkle Taylor poured in 25 points to join UTEP's 1,000-point club (1,010) and the Miners stifled Louisiana Tech defensively in a 69-62 victory at the Don Haskins Center on Jan. 5
The Miners held the Lady Techsters to 27.4 percent (17-62) from the floor, their second-lowest percentage of the year (25.7 percent vs. Nichols State), while also winning the rebounding battle decisively (51-40).
- Tamara Seda pulled down a game-high 14 boards to lead the charge on the glass while Najala Howell (14 points, career-high six assists) and Lulu McKinney (14 points, five assists) also made key contributions.
- Taylor added a career-high four steals.
- UTEP set a season high for free throws attempted (29) while its 21 makes at the line tie for second.
- The Miners scored at least 16 points in all four quarters for the first time this season.
UTSA 83, at UTEP 81 (1/1/17)-OT
- Sparkle Taylor (career-high tying 28 points) and sophomore Najala Howell (career-high 20 points) provided a nice one-two scoring punch but UTSA's Tesha Smith converted a putback off Loryn Goodwin's air ball with four seconds left in overtime to send her squad past UTEP, 83-81, in the C-USA opener for both squads at the Don Haskins Center on Jan. 1.
- Zuzanna Puc's shot to force double overtime was too strong.
- There were 10 ties and 14 lead changes and was the first OT contest to start league play since '04-05.
- UTEP, which trailed by 10 (17-7) five minutes in, forced OT with Howell's trey with 0.5 seconds left.
- Taylor made the most field goals (13) by a Miner since 1999.
- Tamara Seda recorded her second straight and fifth double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) on the year
- UTEP made eight more field goals (34-82, 41.5 percent) while also shooting a better percentage than UTSA (26-70, 37.1 percent) but the Roadrunners overcame that through a barrage of three pointers (9-21) and living at the free-throw line (22-31). UTEP was 8-10 on free throws despite holding advantages for both points in the paint (40-28) and second-chance points (18-14).
- UTEP's seven-game win streak in league openers was halted.
- The Miners slipped to 10-6 in situation under Keitha Adams, including 9-3 since joining C-USA ('05-6).
- UTEP is now 14-22 all time in conference openers.
at UTEP 74, CSU-Bakersfield 61 (12/28/16)
- Tamara Seda scored 15 points and ripped down a career-high 17 rebounds, while Sparkle Taylor paced the squad with 16 points as the Miners slowed down the Roadrunners 74-61 in the Don Haskins Center to close out non-conference play in style on Dec. 28. The effort also halted a four-game losing skid.
- CSUB took an early 5-2 lead but the Miners responded with a 15-0 run in the first quarter and never looked back. Taylor connected on a jumper at the 8:14 mark to start the run, while Najala Howell ended it with a jumper at the 3:17 mark. Howell poured in a career-high 15 points and recorded seven rebounds.
- Faith Cook led the Miners with seven dimes and scored a career-best nine points, while Ax Bernard (career-high tying 11 points) also got after it on the offensive end. Seda added a career-best four blocks.
- UTEP led by 13 (24-11) after the first quarter but the visitors cut the deficit down to two (54-52, 7:37 4Q). The Miners stepped up their game and tallied the next nine points to go up 63-52 with 5:58 left in the contest to seal the victory.
- The Miners outrebounded the Roadrunners 47-37, while the Orange and Blue hit 81 percent of their free throws (season-high made 22-of-27). UTEP forced five steals and scored 14 points off turnovers.
Alabama 78, UTEP 60 (12/20/16- Patrick Harrington Classic Game 2)
- Sparkle Taylor posted a game-high 20 points and UTEP shot its highest percentage (51.9) vs. a division I foe on the year but Alabama forced 24 turnovers and unleashed a barrage of three pointers (11-25) to secure a 78-60 victory in the final game of the Patrick Harrington Classic on Dec. 20.
- The Miners were down 25-13 after 10 minutes of action but Alabama's margin over the final three quarters was only +6 (53-47). UTEP closed out the contest on a 16-4 run, with freshmen accounting for 14 points in the sequence.
- The Crimson Tide shot 44.6 percent from the floor and finished with 17 offensive boards. Free throws were also a factor with Alabama making 9-15 compared to UTEP's 1-3 from the line.
- Lulu McKinney (10 points) joined Taylor in double figures while Zuzanna Puc (nine points), Najala Howell (seven points) and Faith Cook (career-high tying five points) also got involved in the offense.
Pitt 71, UTEP 46 (12/19/20- Patrick Harrington Classic Game 1)
- Sparkle Taylor (15 points) and Jakeira Ford (11 points, career-high nine rebounds) both reached double figures in scoring but UTEP couldn't keep pace with ACC juggernaut Pitt in a 71-46 setback in the first game of the inaugural Patrick Harrington Classic at The Arena at NWF State College Dec. 19.
- Pitt connected on 44.3 percent (27-61) of its shots. UTEP finished at 32.7 percent (17-52) from the field, which was affected by going 2-18 (11.1 percent) from beyond-the-arc.
- The Miners kept things competitive on the glass (41-38, Pitt) with the much larger Panthers but it was hindered by an inability to knock down shots with consistency.
- Tamara Seda and Ford paced the squad in rebounds with nine apiece while Zuzanna Puc had six.
NM State 67, at UTEP 59 (12/15/16)
- Zuzanna Puc notched her first career double-double (11 points, 12 rebounds) and UTEP made a late charge but visiting NM State escaped El Paso with a 67-59 win in the FirstLight Federal Credit Union Battle of I-10 on Dec. 15.
- The Miners trailed the Aggies by 15 (59-44) with 7:37 to play before fighting back to whittle the deficit all the way down to five (64-59) with 1:37 left. UTEP had two opportunities to get within three or even two but a couple of shots rimmed out and NM State iced the game with two late free throws.
- Najala Howell (career-high 13 points, Lulu McKinney (12 points), Tamara Seda (10 points, eight rebounds) and Faith Cook (career-high nine assists) helped give the Miners a more balanced offensive attack. UTEP finished at 37.0 percent (20-54) from the floor and dished out 18 assists but was hindered by a readout of 23.5 percent (4-17) on three pointers and 60.0 percent (15-25) at the charity stripe.
- NM State's effort snapped a five-game winning streak for UTEP in the series, though the Miners still stand 15-6 against their I-10 rivals since 2005-06.
at New Mexico 79, UTEP 66 (12/11/16)
- Tamara Seda posted her second straight double-double (career-high 19 points, career-high 16 rebounds) but homestanding New Mexico rode the play of Cheirsa Beynon (24 points, seven assists, six rebounds) and Richelle van der Keijl (18 points, 12 rebounds) to a 79-66 victory at The Pit.
- UNM shot 51.4 percent (18-35), including 43.4 percent (7-16) on triples, in addition to forcing eight UTEP turnovers to help surge out to a 48-29 halftime advantage.
- UTEP outscored UNM, 37-31, during the final 20 minutes but the damage had been done. The Miners made just four turnovers in the second stanza to finish 12 giveaways for the third straight game.
- Sparkle Taylor (14 points, eight rebounds), Zuzanna Puc (nine points, three rebounds), Lulu McKinney (eight points, four assists) and Najala Howell (eight points, three rebounds) supported Seda's play
at UTEP 75, Houston Baptist 45 (11/30/16)
- UTEP took a step in the right direction by trouncing Houston Baptist, 75-45, on Nov. 30. The Miners never trailed in the contest and led by double figures the majority of the second half.
- Tamara Seda came off the bench to post a monstrous double-double (career-high 18 points and career-high 15 rebounds) and Sparkle Taylor poured in 21 points to go along with six boards.
- Lulu McKinney dished out a career-best 10 assists while also scoring seven points. Katarina Zec also hit double figures in scoring (10 points). Rachel Tapps was credited with a career-high four assists while spelling McKinney at the point. Najala Howell finished with eight points (8-8 on free throws).
- UTEP piled up 24 assists on 26 field goals made. It took great care of the ball (12 turnovers), forced 24, won the boards (49-44) and held HBU to a paltry 25.0 percent (16-64). UTEP connected on 38.8 percent (26-67) from the field, which was aided by a sizzling 60 percent (9-15) effort during the second quarter.
- Ax Bernard showed off her full repertoire of abilities, setting career highs for blocks (seven-tied fourth UTEP single-game records) and assists (four) and matching it for rebounds (seven). Bernard's block party helped propel the Miners to 12 total swats (tied third UTEP single-game records).
Kansas State 61, UTEP 40 (11/26/16, Paradise Jam Game 3)
- UTEP put up a good fight but couldn't get enough shots to drop in a 61-40 setback against undefeated Big 12 member Kansas State in both team's final game of the 2016 Paradise Jam on Nov. 26.
- The Miners held K-State, which entered the game with a +25.4 scoring margin (73.4-48.4), to a season-low 61 points. UTEP committed only 12 turnovers, kept things competitive on the boards (40-37, K-State) and enjoyed a 9-2 advantage in second-chance points.
- Senior Sparkle Taylor (10 points, five boards) and freshmen Roeshonda Patterson (eight points) and Katarina Zec (seven points) keyed the efforts for UTEP, which used good ball movement and shot selection but unfortunately couldn't get them to fall. The Miners finished at 23.4 percent (15-64) from the floor.
- The Wildcats shot 46.8 percent (22-47) from the field but UTEP forced 17 turnovers.
NC State 71, UTEP 55 (11/25/16, Paradise Jam Game 2)
- Sparkle Taylor scored 16 points to go along with eight rebounds but NC State's pressure and size proved to be too much in a 71-55 defeat in both team's second game of the Paradise Jam on Nov. 25.
- The Miners shot a better percentage from both the floor (19-46, 41.3 percent; 29-72, 40.3 percent) and free-throw line (15-17, 88.2 percent; 7-13, 53.8 percent) than the Wolfpack but the ACC power compensated in other areas. NC State won the boards (40-31), aided by 20 offensive rebounds that led to a 19-9 advantage in second-chance points while also forcing 24 turnovers (committed 12) that resulted in a 26-12 margin for points off giveaways.
- Tamara Seda (nine points and Katarina Zec (eight points) supported Taylor's efforts on offense.
- UTEP led, 10-8, at the first quarter and was up by five (21-16) halfway through the second quarter before NC State put together a 12-1 run over the next four minutes. The deficit at half was eight (32-24) and it had only grown to 12 (59-47) with 6:25 to play in the fourth quarter but NC State went on a 12-2 surge. UTEP battled down the stretch to score the game's final six points.
LSU 78, UTEP 45 (11/24/16, Paradise Jam Game 1)
- LSU knocked off UTEP, 78-45, in the opening game for both squads of the 2016 Paradise Jam at the University of Virgin Islands Sports and Fitness Center on Nov. 24. Freshman Roeshonda Patterson came off the bench to score a career-high 11 points to pace UTEP as the lone individual in double figures.
- LSU connected on 53.4 percent (31-58) from the floor, piling up 21 assists on its 31 field goals made.
- The athleticism and press by LSU gave the Miners fits. UTEP was held to 28.6 percent (16-56) shooting while being harassed into 27 turnovers.
- Rebounding was even (34-34), UTEP forced 17 turnovers that led to 17 points and points in the paint were close (24-22, LSU) but the Lady Tigers enjoyed advantages elsewhere.
at UTEP 93, Western New Mexico 46 (11/17/16)
- UTEP opened the game on a 27-0 run and never looked back on the way to a 93-46 conquest of division II program Western New Mexico on Nov. 17.
- The Miners set program single-game records for both total rebounds (66) and rebounding margin (+45) while the 47-point margin of victory ranks eighth on the charts.
- UTEP hit 61.2 percent (41-67) of its shots-the fourth-best effort at the school- while holding the Lady Mustangs to 22.4 percent (15-67), the 11th lowest by a foe.
- UTEP dished out 26 assists (tied seventh) on 41 made field goals (tied fourth). Additionally, the Orange and Blue outscored WNMU, 58-0, for points in the paint while more than doubling up the visitors with bench scoring (48-21).
- Freshman Zuzanna Puc led the way with a career-high 19 points and seven rebounds, but she had plenty of support. Sparkle Taylor (13 points, 11 rebounds), Najala Howell (10 points, 12 rebounds) and Tamara Seda (10 points, 14 boards) all posted double-doubles while freshman Jakeira Ford added a career-high 13 points in just 14 minutes of action off the bench.
- Lulu McKinney dished out a career-high nine assists-while committing only one turnover- to help direct the squad's offensive efforts. Freshmen Katarina Zec (11 points), Roeshonda Patterson (six points), Faith Cook (five points) also set personal highs in scoring while redshirt-freshman Jessica Barbosa scored two points and had two boards in her collegiate debut.
Texas Southern 89, at UTEP 68 (11/13/16)
- Sparkle Taylor posted her third career double-double (14 points, 13 rebounds) but visiting Texas Southern rode the hot shooting of Kaitlyn Palmer (24 points) to knock off UTEP, 89-68, inside the Don Haskins Center Sunday afternoon.
- Palmer connected on 8-16 from three-point range to lead a quartet of players in double figures for the Lady Tigers. TSU, which has averaged 20 victories over the past four years, connected on 45.8 (33-72) of its shots while the youth-laden UTEP squad finished at 36.1 percent (27-72) from the floor.
- UTEP won the boards (49-48) and forced 15 turnovers but was outscored, 44-30, in points in the paint while TSU also had a 25-7 advantage in points off turnovers.
- Junior transfer Ax Bernard stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, seven rebounds and five blocks in a team-high 34 minutes of action. Freshman Zuzanna Puc nearly recorded a double-double (nine points, 10 rebounds). Freshman Jakeira Ford (nine points, three rebounds), Junior Lulu McKinney (seven points, four assists), junior transfer Chanel Khammarath (five points, two steals), freshman Katarina Zec (five points, two rebounds) and sophomore Najala Howell (five points) buoyed the efforts of Taylor. Taylor's 13 rebounds were a career high, as were her 31 minutes played.
Northern Arizona 65, at UTEP 51 (11/11/16)
- Senior Sparkle Taylor erupted for a career-high 28 points but Northern Arizona downed UTEP, 65-51, in the season opener for both squads on Nov. 11.
- NAU wrapped a 20-2 run around halftime to put the Miners in a 15-point (36-21) hole with 7:28 to play in the third quarter. But Taylor, who was limited to four first-half points as result of picking up two early fouls, caught fire. She put on an offensive clinic, scoring 18 of UTEP's next 20 points in the game to fuel a 20-4 run and propel the home side back ahead (41-40) with 2:21 to play in the third period. After going to the bench with her third foul, NAU scored the next nine points of the contest to pull back ahead (49-41) with 7:39 left in regulation. UTEP didn't get closer than seven the rest of the way.
- Junior-college transfer Ax Bernard (five point, five rebounds) and redshirt-junior Tamara Seda (five points, seven rebounds) got involved as well offensively but no one else on the squad contributed more than four points. Freshman Jakeira Ford shared the team lead for rebounds at seven.
- All eight Miner newcomers saw action in the game, and the Miners even had five freshmen on the court at junctures during the game.
