UTEP Miners

Game Notes In PDF Format
 

THE OPENING TIP

The UTEP women's basketball team (7-3) will close out nonconference play when it welcomes former C-USA and WAC foe Tulsa (4-8) to the Don Haskins Center for a 1 p.m. MT match-up at the Don Haskins Center Sunday. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for kids, and may be purchased by calling (915) 747-5234. UTEP enters the contest on a mini two-game skid, with the losses by a combined 15 points. Most recently the Miners fell at SMU, 60-56, on Dec. 19. The Golden Hurricane snapped a six-game losing streak by besting Colorado State, 61-55, on Dec. 21. The game will be streamed on CUSA.TV (subscription based) and streamed through 600 ESPN El Paso with Adrian Broaddus and Traci Miller on the call. 

 

HE SAID IT (COACH BAKER ON TULSA)

"Tulsa will be a challenge for us because they have a good mixture of athleticism, solid guard play, and strong post play inside. We will need to play well to have success against them. But our young team is hungry, and is eager to bounce back."

 

TURN IT AROUND

UTEP enters its final nonconference game of the season at 7-3, which is a stark reversal from a year ago. The Miners were 2-8 at this juncture in 2018-19, and eventually finished the year at 9-22. 

 

BIG WINS

Five of UTEP's victories have been by double figures, including three of at least 20 points. The Miners had their largest differential (+45) under head coach Kevin Baker in a 92-47 drubbing of Alcorn State (11/16), in addition to toppling Western Michigan (11/29) by 30 (76-46) and a 20-point (65-45) dispatching of NM State (11/23). It marks the first time since 2013-14 that UTEP posted at least three nonconference wins against DI programs by 20+ points. That year the Miners had six such efforts prior to league action.

 

GAME FORMAT

NCAA women's basketball games are 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 frame. Teams have four timeouts (three 30s, one 60), three of 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.

 

GET TO KNOW TULSA (4-8 OVERALL; 4-2 HOME; 0-4 ROAD; 0-2 NEUTRAL)

Tulsa heads into its nonconference finale at 4-8 on the year, which has been hindered by going a combined 0-6 in road (0-4) and neutral (0-2) matches. The Golden Hurricane are coming off a 61-55 home win against Colorado State on Dec. 21. The effort snapped a six-game losing streak. Tulsa is paced by Kendrian Elliott, who is nearly averaging a double-double with 16.2 points per game (sixth AAC/111th NCAA) and 8.8 rebounds per contest (sixth AAC/72nd NCAA). Elliott is shooting 60.8 percent from the floor, which leads the AAC is rates 21st nationally. She also posts a team-best 1.7 blocks per game (fourth AAC/76th NCAA). Addison Richards (9.3 ppg) is also a consistent scoring threat. Tulsa is 3-0 on the year when scoring at least 65 points and 3-1 when leading at the half. The Golden Hurricane have made five postseason appearances, playing in the NCAA Tournament in 2006 and 2013 and qualifying for the WNIT in 2004, 2005 and 2015.  Tulsa is a private university located in Tulsa, Okla., that was founded in 1882 as the Presbyterian School for Indian Girls. Notable alumni include Peter Frey (2008 Silver Medalist in target shooting), Hank Haney (highly-regarded golf coach) & the late Gordon Matthews (pioneer of voice mail technology. The late Paul Harvey (American broadcaster) and Phillip McGraw-AKA Dr. Phil (TV personality) both attended the school but neither earned degrees. 

 

THE SERIES (OVERALL: UTEP LEADS, 21-11; IN EL PASO: UTEP LEADS, 12-4)

UTEP is 21-11 against Tulsa, aided by winning 15 of the past 16 in the series. The Miners and Golden Hurricane played at least once annually from 1999-2000 through the 2013-14 season, first as members together in the WAC and then in C-USA before TU departed for the American Athletic Conference. TU knocked off the Miners, 66-45, in El Paso on Dec. 29, 2018, to snap UTEP's 15-game winning streak in the series. UTEP is 12-4 when playing in El Paso, and is riding a 10-contest surge in the Sun City against Tulsa.

 

LAST MEETING WITH TULSA: AT TULSA 66, UTEP 45, 12/29/18

Katarina Zec (season-high 16 points) and Zuzanna Puc (13 points) each reached double figures in scoring but a slow start proved fatal in UTEP's 66-45 setback at Tulsa on Dec. 29. The Miners dug themselves a 20-point hole (25-5) through 10 minutes of action and could never recovery against the Golden Hurricane. UTEP won the second (11-10) and third quarters (18-14) before being outpaced slightly (17-11) in the final frame. The Orange and Blue were without their second-leading scorer (Ariona Gill), who missed the contest with an injury. Freshman Sabine Lipe started in her place, contributing a career-best six assists and three boards. UTEP finished at 32.7 percent (18-55) from the floor, recording 13 assists on its 18 made field goals. It also took decent care of the ball with 15 turnovers, but the first quarter was too much to overcome. Rebounding favored Tulsa slightly (36-33), but the Miners enjoyed a 26-20 cushion for points in the paint. Jade Rochelle set the tone for the Orange and Blue on the boards by grabbing a team-best seven caroms. In terms of scoring, Jordan Alexander (seven points), Ariana Taylor (five points) and Rochelle (four points) followed after Zec and Puc.

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GOING BACK IN TIME (AT SMU 60, UTEP 54, 12/19/19)

Katarina Zec (12 points) and Ariana Taylor (season-high 10 points) both reached double figures in scoring while Ariona Gill (eight points, 11 rebounds) flirted with a double-double in UTEP's hard-fought 60-56 setback at SMU on Dec. 19. The Miners (7-3) forced 18 turnovers and held the Mustangs (5-4) to 39.0 percent (23-59) from the floor. UTEP shot a similar percentage, but couldn't compensate for a discrepancy on free throws. SMU finished 12-22 at the charity stripe, including 10-14 in the final frame. UTEP was 3-6 at the line, and did not attempt a free throw during the second half despite holding a 32-24 advantage for points in the paint. Another factor was rebounds, with the Mustangs controlling the glass by a count of 43-33. UTEP recorded 17 assists on 24 field goals, with Gill dishing out a career-high five helpers. She also set a career best with five steals. 

 

YOUTH+EXPERIENCE IN STARTING LINEUP

UTEP has turned to its strong freshmen class to comprise 60 percent of the starting lineup. Freshmen Katia Gallegos, Avery Crouse and Arina Khlopkova have joined seniors Ariona Gill and Katarina Zec in the starting lineup. Overall Gallegos and Zec have started all 10 contests while Gill and Crouse have nine starts and Khlopkova has four.

 

ZEC'S GAME GOING STRONG

Senior Katarina Zec has been a consistent performer across the board for the Miners in 2019-20. She leads the team in scoring (12.7 ppg) and minutes played (30.7 mpg). Zec also paces the unit for 3-pointers made (17) and attempted (46). Dating back to the end of last season, she has hit double figures in scoring in 20 of the past 22 contests. 

 

BALANCED SCORING

Katarina Zec is the lone Miner in double figures for scoring (12.7 ppg), but she is not the only capable scorer on the roster. Six other players are pitching in at least 5.0 ppg. They are in the form of Katia Gallegos (8,8 ppg), Ariona Gill (8.3 ppg), Michelle Pruitt (6.8 ppg), Avery Crouse (6.6 ppg), Arina Khlopkova (6.0) and Ariana Taylor (5.3). The balanced effort has played a big role in UTEP accounting for 67.7 points per game, good enough for fourth in C-USA.

 

SHARING THE ROCK

Freshman Katia Gallegos has settled into the role as starting point guard. She has dished out 39 assists while committing 24 turnovers in 26.6 minutes per game. The assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6) is fourth in C-USA and her 3.9 assists per game ranks fifth in the league. Overall, UTEP's 14.5 assists per game places second in the league and 105th nationally.

 

GILL KEYING EFFORT ON THE BOARDS

UTEP has a +3.2 rebounding margin (fifth C-USA/111th NCAA), with Ariona Gill (9.1 rpg-fifth C-USA/62nd NCAA). She has grabbed at least 10 boards in five games, including a career-high 14 in the win vs. Weber State (12/5). The top two scorers on the squad have also been helping out on the glass, in the form of Katarina Zec (5.4 rpg) and Katia Gallegos (4.4 rpg).

 

GIVE ME THAT BALL

UTEP's full-court pressure defense has given the opposition fits, with foes making 21.2 turnovers per contest (first C-USA/28th NCAA). Katia Gallegos (1.9 spg-ninth C-USA) is leading the charge for the unit. 

 

SHUTTING DOWN THE 3-BALL 

UTEP has kept opponents to 20.1 percent (34-169) on 3-point attempts. That figure is second nationally, trailing only Arkansas at 19.5 percent. Eight of 10 foes have been held to less than 28 percent from distance, including four below 10 percent. 

 

GETTING TO KNOW THE 2019-20 MINERS

The Miners returned three starters and seven letter winners from a year ago, including senior guard/forward Katarina Zec (10.1 ppg/4.4 rpg/1.9 apg), senior guard/forward Ariona Gill (8.7 ppg/4.4 rpg), sophomore forward Ariana Taylor (5.9 ppg), senior guard/forward Jade Rochelle(4.0 ppg/4.7 rpg), senior guard Neidy Ocuane (4.0 ppg/1.8 apg) and sophomore guard Sabine Lipe (3.2 ppg and 2.3 rpg). UTEP brought in seven newcomers (junior college transfers Tia Bradshaw, Michelle Pruitt and DejaNae Roebuck, and freshmen Avery Crouse, Katia Gallegos, Arina Khlopkova and Tatyana Modawar) to bolster the unit. The group features three top-100 JUCO players, including two All-Americans, and four high school standouts that produced a combined record of 105-27 at their respective schools. The squad is under the direction of third-year head coach Kevin Baker, who is assisted by Todd Buchanan, Anthony Anderson and Heather Karner.  

 

THE BAKER FILE (OVERALL: 377-170, COLLEGE: 155-69, UTEP: 33-39)

Kevin Baker is 33-39 in his third year at the helm of the UTEP women's basketball team, including 7-3 this year. He registered the most wins (26) by any Miner coach through their first two years in program history, including setting the school standard for victories (17) in a debut season in 2017-18. The Miners have also won a game in back-to-back C-USA tournaments for the first time since a five-year stretch (2010-14). He is in his 18th year overall (377-170) as a head coach, including his eighth season (155-69) as a college head coach. He has a unique background which has seen him rise through the coaching ranks from the high school level, to NCAA Division III, then NCAA Division II and now his NCAA Division I position at UTEP. He has set school records for wins at every previous stop of his career, and has taken every prior school to the postseason with a total of five district championships. He is an eight-time Coach of the Year. In his most-recent posts prior to UTEP, Baker's teams captured back-to-back conference championships at UT-Tyler and Angelo State. Baker led both a Division II (Angelo State) and Division III (UT-Tyler) school to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

 

WINNING NUMBERS UNDER BAKER

The Miners are 17-2 (4-1 this year) when scoring 70+ points under Kevin Baker. Other notable records in the Baker era include being 19-7 (6-1 this season) when allowing less than 60 points, 13-5 (1-1 this season) when drilling better than 40 percent from 3-point range (min. four makes), 12-4 (1-0 this year) when shooting at least 50 percent from the floor, 24-10 (5-2 this year) when holding the opponent to below 40.0 percent from the floor, 25-8 (7-0 this year) when leading after three quarters and 25-10 (7-0 this season) when up at the half.

 

BASIC FACTS ON UTEP

UTEP is 580-687 in its 46th season as a women's basketball program, including standing 7-3 this year. 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, cutting down the nets in 2012 and falling in 2008. There have been six 20+ win seasons (all since 2006-07), 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 seven 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 (most recent 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. 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 was founded in 1914. Notable alumni include former ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Sam Donaldson, well-respected and former NFL referee Ed Hochuli, former NASA astronaut Danny Olivasengineer & Dennis Poon, who designed Taipei 101 & some of the tallest buildings in the world.

 

SPECIAL RUN

The Miners are 162-105 since the start of the 2011-12 season, including 7-3 this year. UTEP has played postseason basketball three times during the stretch, 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). The Orange and Blue have enjoyed 19 separate winning streaks of at least three games (nine such skids), and posted 93 double-digit victories (54 such losses) during that time frame.

 

HOME GAMES A PLENTY

UTEP will play a total of 18 home games in 2019-20 (6-2 thus far), which will be the most in the regular season for the Miners since also doing so in 2006-07. Nine of the 11 nonconference contests are slated for home. There will then be nine C-USA contests at the Don Haskins Center.

 

HOME SWEET HOME

UTEP has an all-time home record of 370-232, including standing 6-2 in the Don Haskins Center this year. The Miners have amassed a record of 172-58 at home since 2006-07, including 103-41 since 2011-12. UTEP has been particularly strong in nonconference play, standing 88-19 in the Sun City in such contests since 2006-07. 

 

TRAVEL TIME

UTEP is 149-373 all time on the road, including standing 1-1 in this year. When playing at a neutral site the Miners stand 62-82, including going 2-2 last season. Since the start of the 2006-07 season UTEP is 66-80 on the road, including 42-49 since 2011-12. 

 

ZEC IN THE CAREER RANKINGS

UTEP senior Katarina Zec has sprinkled her name throughout the UTEP career records. Zec is seventh in 3-pointers attempted (317), tied for seventh for 3-pointers made (109), eighth for games started (90), 12th in minutes played (2,725), 17th for assists (180), 23rd in points (868), tied 22nd for field goals made (312), tied 25th in games played (97) and 39th for rebounds (352).

 

QUICK REVIEW OF LAST YEAR

There were some ups and downs in 2018-19, but UTEP played its best basketball late in the season to punch a ticket to the C-USA Championships for the second straight year. Once there 11th-seed UTEP made some noise by rallying from a 10-point deficit late in the third quarter to upset sixth-seed Marshall, 64-56, in double overtime (3/13/19). UTEP delivered its first road sweep in league play in three years with two wins in three days (at FAU, 70-44, 2/7/19 and at FIU, 60-55, 2/9/19). The 26-point differential at FAU was the second-biggest margin of victory in a conference road game in program history. UTEP also dispatched North Texas (59-51, 3/7/19) to improve to 2-0 on "Senior Day" under Baker. 

 

CONNECT ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Fans are encouraged to connect with the Miners on Facebook (UTEP Women's Basketball), Instagram (@utepwbb) and Twitter (@UTEPWBB). 

 

UP NEXT

The Miners will open Conference USA play at home against FIU at 7 p.m. MT on Jan. 2. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for kids and may be purchased by calling (915) 747-5234.

 

CLIFF NOTES ON THE '19-20 SEASON

#20/19 ARIZONA 54, AT UTEP 43, 12/7/19)

UTEP forced 23 turnovers and held No. 20 Arizona to its lowest scoring output in a nonconference game in three years but couldn't get enough shots to fall in a 54-43 setback at the Don Haskins Center on Dec. 7. The Miners limited the Wildcats to 38.0 percent shooting (19-50), including just 7.1 percent (1-14) from beyond-the-arc. Arizona entered the contest averaging 78 points and shooting 49 percent from the floor. UTEP also kept All-American Aari McDonald to 13 points on 4-14 shooting, eight below her scoring output. The defensive effort, particularly over the final three quarters, helped give Arizona its smallest margin of victory on the year. The Wildcats brought a +33 scoring margin into the game. Ariona Gill (11 points) and Katia Gallegos (10 points) paced UTEP on offense. The Miners shot 43 percent in the opening frame but couldn't sustain that on the way to finishing at 25.9 percent (15-58) for the day. But the defense, which kept Arizona to 1-9 in the final quarter, allowed the home side to be down by just nine with three minutes to play. UTEP could get no closer, with the Wildcats hitting enough free throws down stretch to hold on.

 

AT UTEP 70, WEBER STATE 51, 12/5/19)

Senior Jade Rochelle provided a huge spark off the bench by setting career highs in points (15) and steals (six) to help the UTEP women's basketball team topple Weber State, 70-51, at the Don Haskins Center on Dec. 5. Katarina Zec (15 points) and Katia Gallegos (12 points) also reached double figures in the Miners' (7-1) fourth consecutive win. The Wildcats (1-5) put up quite a fight, but UTEP had enough in the tank to continue its best start to a year during the Kevin Baker era. UTEP won the boards (42-35), thanks primarily to Ariona Gill's career-high 14 rebounds. Gill added seven points to flirt with the double-double. But the night was stolen by Rochelle, who was electric in her 21 minutes off the pine. She connected on 6-10 from the floor, in addition to going 3-3 at the free throw line. Her presence was equally felt on the defensive end where she came up one steal shy of cracking UTEP's top-10 single-game list. Another factor was the Miners' defense forcing 31 turnovers, the most by a UTEP opponent in four years. WSU was held to 35.6 percent (16-45) from the floor, including 23.1 percent (3-13) from 3-point range. UTEP connected on 34.4 percent from the floor but made up for it by getting to the free throw line 39 times (24 makes). The Miners had 12 assists on their 21 field goals made, with freshman Katia Gallegos tallying a game-high five.

 

AT UTEP 71, GEORGIA STATE 68, 11/30/19)

Freshmen Arina Khlopkova (career-best 20 points) Avery Crouse (career-best 13 points) and Katia Gallegos (11 points, career-high eight rebounds) all had big nights to help lead the UTEP women's basketball team to a 71-68 victory against Georgia State in its final game of the Eighth-Annual UTEP Thanksgiving Classic on Nov. 30, 2019. The Miners (6-1) forced 20 turnovers, including Khlopkova drawing a charge late in the game, to help topple the upset-minded Panthers. There were eight ties and nine lead changes in a back-and-forth battle. It was tied at 68 with 1:42 to play when Gallegos split through traffic for the go-ahead lay-up. Georgia State missed a pair of shots to either tie or retake the lead late, and Khlopkova put the finishing touches on the win with a free throw with seven seconds left. UTEP overcame an off shooting night (37.1 percent) by taking care of business at the charity stripe (19-24, 79.2 percent) and turning up the pressure to force the aforementioned 20 turnovers. Sabine Lipe came off the bench to chip in four points, four rebounds and four assists while Ariana Taylor netted six points to go along with two boards. UTEP took good care of the ball, committing only 11 turnovers.

 

FRESHMEN POWER 

Freshmen Arina Khlopkova (career-best 20 points) Avery Crouse (career-best 13 points) and Katia Gallegos (11 points) all hit double digits in scoring in UTEP's win against Georgia State on Nov. 30. It marked the first time that three Miner freshmen scored at least 10 points in the same game against a Division I opponent since 2004-05 at Boise State (3/3/05).  In that game the effort was courtesy of Dana Penno (14 points),Izabela Piekarska (14 points), and Kasia Krezel (10 points). 

 

AT UTEP 76, WESTERN MICHIGAN 46, 11/29/19

The UTEP women's basketball team surged out to a 23-point lead at the half (38-15) en route to knocking off Western Michigan, 76-46, at the Eighth-Annual UTEP Thanksgiving Classic Friday afternoon.  The Miners (5-1) shot 49.2 percent (30-61) from the floor and won the boards (47-32) to handle the Broncos (2-3). UTEP also got after it on defense by holding WMU to 28.1 percent (16-64) and forcing 18 turnovers to keep them 28 points below their scoring average (74.0) entering the game.  Arina Khlopkova (career-high 14 points), Katarina Zec (12 points) and Michelle Pruitt (10 points) all hit double figures in scoring to pace UTEP. Tia Bradshaw (career-best eight points) also had a career scoring day. Ariona Gill (10 rebounds) led the charge on the glass while Zec secured a season-high eight boards. UTEP shared the ball well, with 20 assists on 30 field goals, with Katia Gallegos (five) and Avery Crouse (career-best four) leading the way in the department.

 

AT UTEP 65, NM STATE 45, 11/23/19

Senior Ariona Gill posted a double-double (13 points, 11 rebounds), and UTEP defended with furor in a 65-45 vanquishing of I-10 rival NM State to complete the season sweep of the Aggies at the Don Haskins Center on Nov. 23. The Miners led wire-to-wire in the 20-point victory against the Aggies. UTEP held NM State to 33.9 percent (21-62) from the floor, including a paltry 6.7 percent (1-15) from 3-point range. The Miners also forced 19 turnovers, which led to 19 points, and crushed the Aggies on the boards, 51-30. Freshman Katia Gallegos turned in an outstanding all-around effort. She scored 10 points while setting career highs in rebounds (seven), assists (six) and steals (four) in 29 minutes of action. Senior Katarina Zec also hit double digits (11 points) in scoring for the fifth time in as many games on the year while freshman Avery Crouse netted eight points. UTEP shot 41.5 percent (27-65) from the floor, including 52.9 percent (9-17) during a second quarter where it outscored the visitors, 20-10. But the Miners' defense stole the show. UTEP set season bests for fewest points allowed (45) and 3-point percentage defense (6.7 percent). The Aggies had 25 points through three quarters before putting up 20 points in the final frame, when the outcome was already decided. 

 

NEW MEXICO 93, AT UTEP 78, 11/19/19)

UTEP put up 78 points while shooting 49 percent from the floor, but it wasn't enough to keep up with high-octane New Mexico in a 93-78 setback at the Don Haskins Center on Nov. 19. Nearly 1,500 fans, most of them young students, made for an entertaining atmosphere on the Miners' "Education Day" game, but the Lobos emerged victorious in a battle of unbeatens. Katarina Zec (16 points), Tatyana Modawar (career-high 12 points) and Katia Gallegos (10 points) all hit double figures in scoring for UTEP. Ariona Gill flirted with a double-double (eight points, 10 rebounds) while Avery Crouse netted nine and Ariana Taylor chipped in seven points. UNM relied on a barrage of 3-pointers (12-29), an extremely good day at the line (17-19) and winning the boards (41-30) to outlast the Miners. The Lobos had a 24-14 margin on second-chance points while also holding advantages for points in the paint (38-28) and fastbreak points (34-12). UTEP lost for just the second time (14-2) of the Kevin Baker era when scoring at least 70 points.

 

AT UTEP 92, ALCORN STATE 47, 11/16/19)

UTEP raced out to an 18-point lead (28-10) after the first quarter and never looked back in a 92-47 win against Alcorn State at the Don Haskins Center on Nov. 16. Katarina Zec (17 points) led a quartet of Miners (3-0) in double figures for scoring in the wire-to-wire victory against the Lady Braves (0-4). Ariona Gill (14 points, game-high seven rebounds), Michelle Pruitt (13 points) and freshman Avery Crouse (career-high 10 points) buoyed fellow starter Zec. The bench did its part too by piling up 34 points, with Ariana Taylor (nine points) setting the tone for the reserves. DejaNae Roebuck (career-high tying seven points) nearly matched Taylor. UTEP registered 23 assists on 34 field goals, won the boards (44-26) and forced 28 turnovers that were converted into 27 points. The Miners shot 54.8 percent (34-62) from the floor, including 39.1 percent (9-23) from distance. Alcorn State was held to 32.0 percent (16-50) shooting. It marked the third 90+ point scoring contest under head coach Kevin Baker, who has his squad off to a 3-0 start for the second time in three seasons.  

 

UTEP 63, AT NM STATE 57, 11/13/19)

Senior Katarina Zec scored 17 points, including a go-ahead three pointer with two minutes to play in the game, to help lift UTEP to a 63-57 win at I-10 rival NM State on Nov. 9. The effort secured the Miners' third straight 2-0 start under head coach Kevin Baker. Furthermore, they picked up their first road win against the Aggies since 2015-16. Junior transfer Michelle Pruitt (14 points) and freshman Katia Gallegos (13 points) joined Zec in double figures for scoring, while senior Ariona Gill pitched in seven points to go along with a team-best eight rebounds. Ariana Taylor came off the bench to score nine points, in addition to setting up Zec's clutch trey. It was a back-and-forth game with 12 ties and 19 lead changes, with the final change coming down the stretch. NM State led by two (57-55) with 3:24 to play, but UTEP closed the game on a 6-0 push to stay perfect on the young season. Zec provided the go-ahead score with a knockdown triple off a cross-court pass by Taylor. 

 

AT UTEP 63, UC RIVERSIDE 60, 11/9/19)

UTEP bolted out to a 19-point lead (33-14) at the half on the way to defeating UC Riverside, 63-50, at the Don Haskins Center on Nov. 9. The Miners led wire-to-wire against the Highlanders, who were playing for the third time in five days to start the season. UTEP took advantage of that fact, turning up the heat defensively with a pressing defense that forced 28 turnovers. Those giveaways led to 25 points. Katarina Zec tallied 18 points to lead a balanced offensive attack that featured six different players with at least six points. Freshman Katia Gallegos debuted with nine points, five assists, two steals and no turnovers in a squad-high 34 minutes of playing time. Junior transfer Michelle Pruitt (eight points, 10 rebounds) flirted with a double-double while fellow classmate and transfer DejaNae Roebuck came off the bench to score seven points. UTEP got to the free throw line 30 times and took 60 shots to the Highlanders' 41 attempts. The discrepancy came from UCR's 28 turnovers compared to only 15 by the Orange and Blue. 

 

STIFLING DEFENSE

UTEP locked down on UCR (11/9) from the onset, limiting the Highlanders to four points in the first quarter. It tied as the third-lowest points allowed in a frame by the Miners. Additionally, the 50 points allowed were the fewest in a season opener since 2006-07.

 

EXHIBITION REWIND

UTEP prepped for the 2019-20 season by posting a pair of victories against Division II opponents in exhibition contests. The Miners downed Eastern New Mexico, 84-64, (Oct. 26), while also besting St. Mary's (TX) (Nov. 2), 59-47. Katarina Zec averaged 20.5 points per game to lead the unit, with transfer Michelle Pruitt (10.5 ppg) also checking in for double figures. UTEP had a +9.0 rebounding margin (41.5-32.5) during the contests. The Miners also forced 24.0 turnovers per game, which made up for the opposition hitting 41.2 percent (42-102) from the floor in the two contests.