Game notes in PDF format
THE OPENING TIP
The UTEP women's basketball team (6-1) will put its three-game winning streak on the line when it plays host to Weber State (1-4) at 7 p.m. MT Thursday. UTEP faculty and staff who show their ID can get a ticket for only $3 as part of "UTEP Faculty & Staff Night." Otherwise tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for kids and may be purchased by calling (915) 747-5234. The contest will be the sixth of seven straight at home (4-1 in stretch) for UTEP. It will also be the first of two tilts in three days for the Miners, who will close out the homestand against N0. 20/19 and unbeaten Arizona at 1 p.m. MT Saturday. The Orange and Blue are coming off two wins in as many days at the Eighth-Annual UTEP Thanksgiving Classic, including holding off Georgia State, 71-68, last time out on Nov. 30. Weber State snapped a four-game skid to start the season by picking up a 64-54 road victory at UC Riverside on Nov. 24. 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 WEBER STATE)
"They graduated pretty hard from last year. Their leading scorer graduated. They got off to a kind of rough start, but then they turned around and beat a really good UC Riverside team. They shot the ball really well, made a ton of 3-pointers in their last game. So it could be that they're just figuring it out, and they could be a very dangerous team for us."
WINNING WAYS
UTEP is 6-1 on the year, its best start of the Kevin Baker era. It also is the top beginning to a season in four years (8-0, 2015-16). Four of the victories have been by double figures, including three of at least 20 points. The Miners had their largest differential (+45) under 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).
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 WEBER STATE (1-4 OVERALL; 0-1 HOME; 1-3 ROAD)
Weber State dropped its first four games of the season before securing a 64-54 road win at UC Riverside on Nov. 24. The Wildcats have been idle since and enter the match-up at UTEP well rested. WSU was 21-11 and advanced to the WBI in 2017-18 before slipping to 6-24 a year ago. Ula Chamberlin (12.0 ppg) paces WSU in scoring, with Liz Graves (9.8 ppg) knocking on the door for double digits as well. Kayla Watkins (7.8 rpg) and Ciara James (6.8 rpg) set the tone on the glass while Chamberlin has dished out a team-best 3.2 assists per game. Opponents are shooting 44.9 percent (145-323) from the floor, but WSU has held foes to 28.8 percent (30-104) from beyond-the-arc. WSU likes to shoot the 3-ball, nailing 26-81 at a 32.1 percent clip. Chamberlin has connected on a team-best 10-25 (40.0 percent) from beyond the arc. They've been hurt by turnovers, making a nation-worst 27.8 giveaways per contest. All five games for Weber State on the year have been decided by double digits, with the closet outcome being its 10-point victory last time out. Notable WSU alumni include Damian Lillard (NBA, Trailblazers) and Alan Stock (CEO of Cinemark Theatres).
THE SERIES (OVERALL: WSU LEADS, 4-3; IN EL PASO: UTEP LEADS, 3-0
UTEP and Weber State are squaring off for the second straight season and eighth time overall. The Wildcats have a 4-3 edge overall, including a 68-63 toppling of the Miners in Ogden, Utah, on Nov. 28, 2018, last year. The Miners, though, are undefeated (3-0) when squaring off against WSU in El Paso. The most-recent match-up in the Sun City resulted in a 70-58 UTEP victory on Nov. 27, 2009. The series dates to the start of UTEP's program when both schools were members of the Intermountain Athletic Conference for women's basketball.
LAST MEETING WITH WSU: AT WEBER STATE 68, UTEP 63 11/28/18
Jordan Alexander produced her first double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) of the year while Katarina Zec added a season-high 15 points but a slow start doomed UTEP in its 68-63 setback at Weber State on Nov. 28, 2018. The Miners were sluggish at the onset, with the Wildcats capitalizing in the form of a 15-0 run over the first five minutes of the game. UTEP went to work from the point on, getting the deficit all the way down to two (43-41, 4:07 3Q) midway through the third quarter. WSU responded five a 5-0 run and the Miners couldn't get closer than five the rest of the way. UTEP piled up 15 assists on 22 made field goals, while tying for the fewest turnovers (six) in a road game in program history. The boards (42-41, WSU) were competitive as well but the home side found some separation with its shooting. WSU nailed 44.2 percent (23-52) from the field, including drilling 10-21 (47.6 percent) from 3-point range. Conversely, the Miners finished at 29.7 percent (22-74) from the floor. The Miners hit a season-best nine triples but needed the second-most attempts (33) in program history to do so. Zec drilled a quartet of triples while Alexander connected on 3-6 from beyond-the-arc. Jade Rochelle came off the bench to contribute career bests in both points (eight) and rebounds (eight), while Alexa Hoy added nine. Ariona Gill chipped in six points and career-high six boards.
GOING BACK IN TIME (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).
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 (13.7 ppg) and minutes played (31.7 mpg) while sharing the top spot for defensive rebounds (33). Zec also paces the unit for 3-pointers made (15) and attempted (32). Dating back to the end of last season, she has hit double figures in scoring in 18 of the past 19 contests.
BALANCED SCORING
Katarina Zec is the lone Miner in double figures for scoring, 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 (9.0 ppg), Ariona Gill (8.2 ppg), Michelle Pruitt (7.9 ppg), Avery Crouse (7.4 ppg), Arina Khlopkova (7.1) and Ariana Taylor (5.8 ppg). The balanced effort has played a big role in UTEP accounting for 72.6 points per game (third C-USA/81st NCAA).
SHARING THE ROCK
Freshman Katia Gallegos has settled into the role as starting point guard. She has dished out 27 assists while committing only 14 turnovers in 24.6 minutes per game. The assist-to-turnover ratio (1.9) is 99th nationally. Her 3.9 assists per contest rates fourth in the Conference USA. Overall, UTEP's 15.6 assists per game ranks second in the league and 69th in the nation.
TEAM EFFORT ON THE BOARDS
UTEP has a +5.9 rebounding margin (second C-USA/73rd NCAA), and it has been a team effort on the glass. Three different players have served as the leading rebounder in seven total contests. Overall Ariona Gill (8.3 ppg-seventh C-USA/114th NCAA) leads the way, followed by Katarina Zec (6.0 rpg), Katia Gallegos (4.1 rpg) and Michelle Pruitt (4.0 rpg).
GIVE ME THAT BALL
UTEP's full-court pressure defense has given the opposition fits, with foes making 20.0 turnovers per contest (second C-USA/67th NCAA). Both UC-Riverside (11/9) and Alcorn State (11/16) had 28 giveaways. Katia Gallegos (2.0 spg-ninth C-USA/177th NCAA) is leading the charge for the unit.
LOVE ME SOME FREE THROWS
UTEP has done plenty of work at the charity stripe early on in the year. The Miners are among the league and national leaders for both free throws made (101-third/70th) and attempted (144-fifth/79th).
SHUTTING DOWN THE 3-BALL
UTEP has kept opponents to 20.7 percent (28-135) on 3-point attempts. That figure paces C-USA and is fifth in the country for 3-point field-goal percentage defense. Six of seven foes have been held to less than 28 percent from distance, including three 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: 376-168, COLLEGE: 154-67, UTEP: 32-37)
Kevin Baker is 32-37 in his third year at the helm of the UTEP women's basketball team, including 6-1 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 (376-168) as a head coach, including his eighth season (154-67) 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 16-2 (3-1 this year) when scoring 70+ points under Kevin Baker. Other notable records in the Baker era include being 18-6 (5-0 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, 23-8 (4-0 this year) when holding the opponent to below 40.0 percent from the floor, 24-8 (6-0 this year) when leading after three quarters and 24-10 (6-0 this season) when up at the half.
BASIC FACTS ON UTEP
UTEP is 579-685 in its 46th season as a women's basketball program, including standing 6-1 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 Olivas engineer & Dennis Poon, who designed Taipei 101 & some of the tallest buildings in the world.
SPECIAL RUN
The Miners are 161-103 since the start of the 2011-12 season, including 6-1 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 (5-1 thus far), which will be the most in the regular season for the Miners since also doing so in 2006-07. UTEP will be home for nine of its 11 nonconference games, the exceptions being matchups at I-10 rival NM State (Nov. 13) and SMU (Dec. 19). The first nine games of the season will either be played in El Paso or within 40 miles of it, until the Miners board a plane for the first time to battle the Mustangs in the Metroplex. There will then be nine C-USA contests at the Don Haskins Center.
HOME SWEET HOME
UTEP has an all-time home record of 369-231, including standing 5-1 in the Don Haskins Center this year. The Miners have amassed a record of 171-57 at home since 2006-07, including 102-40 since 2011-12. UTEP has been particularly strong in nonconference play, standing 87-18 in the Sun City in such contests since 2006-07.
TRAVEL TIME
UTEP is 149-372 all time on the road, including finishing 1-0 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 66-79 on the road, including 42-48 since 2011-12.
ZEC IN THE CAREER RANKINGS
UTEP senior Katarina Zec has sprinkled her name throughout the UTEP career records. Zec is tied eighth in games started (87) and for 3-pointers made (107), ninth for 3-pointers attempted (303) 14th in minutes played (2,640), tied 19th for assists (177), 24th in points (837), 26th for field goals made (300) and 30th in games played (94).
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 play host to No. 20/19 Arizona at 1 p.m. MT Saturday. The first 600 fans in attendance will receive a special UTEP T-shirt. 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
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.
