Game Notes In PDF Format
THE OPENING TIP
The UTEP women's basketball team (12-6, 5-2 C-USA) will open up a demanding stretch of playing five of the next seven games on the road when it competes at perennial league power Middle Tennessee (13-7, 5-3 C-USA) at 5:30 p.m. MT/6:30 p.m. CT Thursday. The Miners will face UAB (13-7, 5-3 C-USA) on the second contest of the trip Saturday. UTEP is alone in third place in the C-USA standings at 5-2 while the Lady Raiders and Blazers share fourth with a mark of 5-3 in league action. MT and UAB are a combined 17-4 at home on the year. UTEP is 2-2 on the road. The Miners enter Thursday's contest following a come-from-behind 67-63 vanquishing of North Texas on Jan. 25. MT also is coming off a victory, having downed Southern Miss, 77-69, on the road on Jan. 25. The game will be streamed on ESPN3, with Jake Rose (PXP) and Madison Blevins (Analyst) describing the action. It will also be streamed through the 600 ESPN El Paso website (https://krod.com/radio/espn2-el-paso/) with Brandon Cohn on the call.
HE SAID IT (COACH BAKER ON MT)
"Middle Tennessee is a solid team again this season in our conference, and they are led by some very strong guard play. They are good at what they do, extremely well coached, and we know that it will be a challenge playing at their place. But we are excited about how we are playing, and we feel like it will be a great game."
REVISITING THE C-USA PRESEASON POLL
UTEP still has 11 games remaining in the regular season, but thus far the Miners have greatly exceeded the expectations based upon the Conference USA Coaches' Preseason Poll. UTEP enters Thursday's contest at 5-2 in the league and alone in third place. It was tabbed to finish 12th according to a vote by the league's head coaches in the preseason.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES
In 2018-19 the Miners were decimated by injuries and finished the year at 9-22. It is a much different story this year, with UTEP (12-6) having surpassed its overall win total from a season ago. The Miners are 5-2 in league play, which places them alone in third place and also matches their C-USA victory count from last year.
BIG WINS
Nine of UTEP's victories have been by double figures, including six of at least 20 points. It is the most wins by 20+ points since 2013-14 (nine). The Miners had their largest differential (+45) under head coach Kevin Baker in a 92-47 drubbing of Alcorn State (11/16/19), which tied as the 10th-biggest margin of victory in program history. They've also taken down UTSA (1/18/20) by 40 (94-54), Florida Atlantic (1/4/20) by 31 (96-65), FIU (1/2/20) by 30 (64-34), Western Michigan (11/29) by 30 (76-46) and NM State (11/23/19) by 20 (64-45). Overall UTEP's scoring margin (+11.4) is second in C-USA and 46th in the country.
TALKING 30+ POINT WINS IN CONFERENCE
UTEP has three wins by at least 30 points in league play, which is the most such victories in a single season in program history. In fact the Miners had achieved the feat seven times total prior to this year, with the 2003-04 team (twice) previously holding the standard for a single season.
FINDING ANOTHER WAY TO WIN
The Miners' first four league wins were by an average of 29.5 points, but UTEP showed it has the ability to take care of business in close contests last time out. The Miners rallied from a 10-point deficit on the way to holding off North Texas, 67-63, on Jan. 25. It also marked the first time this season that the Orange and Blue overcame deficits at the half (down five) and through three quarters (down three) to win a game.
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 MIDDLE TENNESSEE (9-10, 3-4; 7-4 HOME; 2-4 ROAD; 0-2 NEUTRAL)
Middle Tennessee is 13-7 on the year, including 5-3 in league action. The effort thus far puts the Lady Raiders on track to secure their 16th 20+ win season in the past 17 years. They are also poised for their 17th consecutive season of postseason basketball. The Lady Raiders have been especially strong at home, sporting a mark of 8-2. The effort has moved MT to 181-35 in Murfreesboro under Hall of Fame coach Rick Insell, including 113-13 in conference contests. The Lady Raiders have a balanced attack, with Anastasia Hayes (17.2 ppg), Taylor Sutton (14.0 ppg), Aislynn Hayes (12.6 ppg) and Charity Savage (10.8 ppg) all in double figures for scoring. Courtney Whitson (7.1 ppg) and Alexis Whittington (5.3 ppg) are the only other players on the roster putting up more than 2.0 ppg. MT makes a living from beyond-the-arc, with 8.0 3-pointers per game (second C-USA/38th NCAA). It also gets to the free-throw line often with its 395 attempts placing third in the league and 36th nationally. MT split its first four league contests before winning three of four since, including a 77-69 road triumph against Southern Miss last time out on Jan. 25. Overall MT has competed in 18 NCAA Tournaments (5-18 record) and seven WNITs (7-7 record). It has claimed 18 regular-season conference championships and 15 league tourney titles. The school was founded in 1911. Notable alumni include Kelly Holcomb (NFL QB from 1995-2007) and James McGill Buchanan (Nobel Prize Winner).
THE SERIES (OVERALL: MT LEADS, 6-1; IN MURFREESBORO: MT LEADS, 3-0)
Middle Tennessee holds a 6-1 advantage in the series with the Miners, with all of the match-ups coming since the Lady Raiders joined C-USA. MT is 3-0 against UTEP at home, and has won four straight in the series. The Lady Raiders ousted the Miners from the 2019 C-USA Championships, 66-44, in the quarterfinals on March 14, 2019, in the most-recent meeting between the programs.
LAST MEETING WITH MT: #3 MT 66, #11 UTEP 44, 3/14/19
Senior Jordan Alexander (13 points), Katarina Zec (12 points) and Ariona Gill (10 points) all hit double figures in scoring but 11th-seed UTEP was knocked off by third-seed Middle Tennessee, 66-44, in the quarterfinals of the 2019 Air Force Reserve Conference USA Basketball Championships presented by Baylor Scott & White Sports Performance Center at The Star on March 14, 2019. Coming off the thrilling double-overtime victory against Marshall, UTEP was unable to conjure up that magic for a second straight day. MT scored the first seven points in the game on the way to leading by 11 (21-10) through 10 minutes of action. UTEP tried to hang tough, trailing by 10 (31-21) with 3:22 to play in the half. MT, however, got hot and scored the final 12 points in the frame to put the Orange and Blue down by 22 (43-21) heading into the locker room. MT tallied the first seven points after the break, and UTEP was never able to get back into the contest. The Miners continued to play hard, though, outscoring the Lady Raiders (16-9) in the final frame. The Miners, who had seven players dressed for the 12th consecutive contest, still somehow played hard despite being on the court for 50 minutes in the exhilarating upset of the Thundering Herd (64-56, 2OT, March 13). The effort, though, didn't translate into shots falling. UTEP finished at 26.8 percent (11-41) from the floor, which was hindered by a 20.0 readout (3-15) from 3-point range. The Miners did a solid job at the charity stripe, connecting on 70.4 percent (19-27). Fittingly the senior Alexander paced the squad in her final game with the Orange and Blue. Zec, who tallied her 12th consecutive double-digit scoring effort, got it going on offense in addition to Gill. Freshman Ariana Taylor chipped in five points and five boards. The Lady Raiders drilled 42.9 percent (24-56), including 34.8 percent (8-23) from beyond-the-arc. Included in that was hitting 3-4 from distance in the critical first quarter. Another factor in the contest was MT outrebounding UTEP, 43-23. Alex Johnson (17 points) paced a trio of MT players in double figures with scoring.
GOING BACK IN TIME (AT UTEP 67, NORTH TEXAS 63 1/25/20)
From the 6-minute mark in the first quarter until 11 seconds were left in the fourth, North Texas had a firm grip on the lead over UTEP, but the Miners rallied in the final moments to steal a 67-63 victory from the Mean Green on Jan. 25 at the Don Haskins Center. Ninety seconds into Saturday's game, UTEP had a 4-3 lead over North Texas. From that point until 11 seconds remaining in the game, the Miners trailed the Mean Green until Ariona Gill's tip-in gave UTEP a 65-63 advantage and its first lead since early in the first quarter. Gill also sunk the And-1 to give the Miners a 66-63 lead with 11 seconds left in the game. Katarina Zec, who went off for 18 points in the second half after being silenced in the first, also added a free throw with three seconds remaining to clinch the 67-63 victory for UTEP. The Miners shot just 14 percent (2-14) in the opening frame, but never shot below 40 percent the rest of the way, finishing the game 23-of-47 from the field in the final three quarters.
North Texas led UTEP for more than 30 minutes in the game, including a 27-22 lead for the Mean Green at the halfway point, but the Miners fought back to outscore UNT 45-36 in the final two frames. Defensively, UTEP entered the game ranked first in C-USA in turnovers forced and lived up to that ranking after forcing 23 Mean Green turnovers, including 15 in the first half.
D-UP
UTEP is getting after it on defense in 2019-20, ranking among the league and national leaders for several defensive categories. The Miners are second in C-USA and fifth nationally in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (24.7). They are also making waves with turnovers forced per game (20.9-first/22nd), scoring defense (59.6-third/72nd) and field-goal percentage defense (37.2-fifth/74th). All of those figures were aided when UTEP set the program record for fewest points allowed in a conference contest by holding FIU to 34 points on Jan. 2.
YOUTH+EXPERIENCE IN STARTING LINEUP
UTEP has turned to its underclassmen to comprise 60 percent of the starting lineup. Freshmen Katia Gallegos and Avery Crouse and sophomore Ariana Taylor joined seniors Ariona Gill and Katarina Zec in the starting lineup for eight straight games. The four contests before the current stretch freshman Arina Khlopkova joined her fellow classmates in the starting line-up in lieu of Taylor.
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 (13.3 ppg) and minutes played (29.9 mpg). Zec also paces the unit for 3-pointers made (30) and attempted (77). Dating back to the end of last season, she has hit double figures in scoring in 26 of the past 30 contests.
BALANCED SCORING
Katarina Zec tops the team in scoring (13.3 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 (9.6 ppg), Ariona Gill (9.2 ppg), Ariana Taylor (7.4), Avery Crouse (6.2 ppg), Michelle Pruitt (6.1 ppg) and Arina Khlopkova (5.4). The balanced effort has played a big role in UTEP accounting for 71.1 points per game, which is third in C-USA and 72nd in the country.
SHARING THE ROCK
Freshman Katia Gallegos has settled into the role as starting point guard, and is playing beyond her years. She has dished out 90 assists while committing 51 turnovers in 29.9 minutes per game. The El Paso native leads C-USA and is 42nd nationally for assists per game (5.0). She is also fourth in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.8). Overall, UTEP's 15.4 assists per game places second in the league and 54th nationally.
GILL KEYING EFFORT ON THE BOARDS
UTEP has a +4.9 rebounding margin (third C-USA/67th NCAA), with Ariona Gill (8.4 rpg-sixth C-USA/108th NCAA) setting the tone. She has grabbed at least 10 boards in seven games, including a career-high 14 in the win vs. Weber State (12/5/19). The top two scorers on the squad have also been helping out on the glass, in the form of Katarina Zec (5.1 rpg) and Katia Gallegos (4.9 rpg).
GIVE ME THAT BALL
UTEP's full-court pressure defense has given the opposition fits, with foes making 20.9 turnovers per contest (first C-USA/22nd NCAA). Katia Gallegos (28 steals), Katarina Zec (25 steals) and Ariona Gill (24 steals) lead the way with each tallying more steals than total games played.
SHUTTING DOWN THE 3-BALL
UTEP has kept opponents 24.7 percent (78-316) on 3-point percentage, which leads the league and is third in the nation. Twelve of 18 foes have been held to less than 28 percent from distance, including five 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: 382-173, COLLEGE: 160-72, UTEP: 38-42)
Kevin Baker is 38-42 in his third year at the helm of the UTEP women's basketball team, including 12-6 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 (382-173) as a head coach, including his eighth season (160-72) 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 20-3 (7-2 this year) when scoring 70+ points under Kevin Baker. Other notable records in the Baker era include being 21-8 (8-2 this season) when allowing less than 60 points, 15-6 (3-2 this season) when drilling better than 40 percent from 3-point range (min. four makes), 15-4 (4-0 this year) when shooting at least 50 percent from the floor, 28-11 (9-3 this year) when holding the opponent to below 40.0 percent from the floor, 29-8 (11-0 this year) when leading after three quarters and 29-11 (11-1 this season) when up at the half.
BASIC FACTS ON UTEP
UTEP is 585-690 in its 46th season as a women's basketball program, including standing 12-6 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 167-108 since the start of the 2011-12 season, including 12-6 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 20 separate winning streaks of at least three games (10 such skids), and posted 96 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 (10-4 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 were slated for home.
HOME SWEET HOME
UTEP has an all-time home record of 374-234, including standing 10-4 in the Don Haskins Center this year. The Miners have amassed a record of 176-60 at home since 2006-07, including 107-43 since 2011-12. UTEP has been particularly strong in nonconference play, standing 88-20 in the Sun City in such contests since 2006-07.
TRAVEL TIME
UTEP is 150-374 all time on the road, including standing 2-2 in road tilts 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 67-81 on the road, including 43-50 since 2011-12.
ZEC IN THE CAREER RANKINGS
UTEP senior Katarina Zec has placed her name throughout the UTEP career records. Zec is sixth for 3-pointers made (122), seventh in 3-pointers attempted (348) and for games started (98), tied 10th in minutes played (2,957), 14th for field goals made (355) and points (980), tied 15th in games played (105), 16th for assists (189) and 17th in points for field goals attempted (842) and 32nd for rebounds (389).
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
UTEP will wrap up its week on the road with a tilt at UAB at 1 p.m. MT/2 p.m. CT Saturday.
CLIFF NOTES ON THE '19-20 SEASON
RICE 69, AT UTEP 61 1/23/20)
Ariana Taylor, Avery Crouse and Ariona Gill all tallied 11 points, but UTEP fell to league-leading Rice, 69-61, at the Don Haskins Center on Jan. 23. It is the first C-USA setback at home for the Miners, who battled but ultimately saw the Owls post their 26th straight win against Conference USA competition. Gill added a team-high eight rebounds to nearly finish with a double-double despite playing only 16 minutes due to being plagued with fouls. Katia Gallegos stuffed the stat sheet with five points, seven rebounds and five assists. Katarina Zec pitched in nine points and five rebounds. The Miners forced 21 turnovers and won the boards, 42-39, but it wasn't enough to compensate for finishing at 33.3 percent (23-69) from the floor. Rice's 13 blocked shots, including nine alone from 6-9 Nancy Mulkey, impacted UTEP's shooting percentage. Another factor was UTEP finishing 10-18 at the charity stripe (55.6 percent) compared to the Owls going 20-28 (71.4 percent) at the line. It was a game of runs, with UTEP using a 7-0 push early in the fourth quarter to get within four (52-48). Rice countered with nine straight points, and the Miners were unable to get closer than six the rest of the contest.
AT UTEP 94, UTSA 54, 1/18/20)
UTEP flexed its muscle at both ends of the court by drilling UTSA, 94-54, at home on Jan. 18. The 40-point win is the third biggest in a conference game in program history. The Miners came out firing, outpacing the Roadrunners by 27 (55-28) at the half. It marked the largest halftime lead in a league contest at the school. The 55 points over the first 20 minutes tied as the second most in first-half action in program annals. Aiding in the romp was a 32-point second quarter, which marked the most in a frame against a league foe in school history. Katarina Zec scored 15 points, Michelle Pruitt posted her first career double-double (12 points, career-high 11 rebounds) and Katia Gallegos dished out a career-best 10 assists to help lead the onslaught. Ariona Gill (11 points) also reached double figures in scoring for the Miners. For the second time in two weeks, the Miners scored 90+ points without having an individual player tally more than 15 points. UTEP also did so in the 96-65 romp of Florida Atlantic (1/4/20). Prior to this season, the feat had never been achieved at the school. UTEP shot 50.7 percent (37-73) from the floor and piled up its most assists (25) against a DI opponent in six years. Gallegos (10) and Tia Bradshaw (four) both set career highs for helpers. The Miners also got 48 points from their bench to nearly match UTSA's overall output. At the other end of the court the Orange and Blue held the Roadrunners to 32.3 percent (21-65) shooting, in addition to forcing 21 turnovers that were converted into 24 points. UTEP crushed UTSA on the boards (53-34), while also having a huge advantage for points in the paint (53-32). All 12 Miners who played scored at least three points.
AT LA TECH 87, UTEP 80, 1/11/20
UTEP shot 47.9 percent (23-48) from the floor and nailed a season-high 10 triples, but it sustained its first Conference USA loss of the year in an 87-80 setback at LA Tech on Jan. 11. The Miners were hurt by committing 28 turnovers and allowing the Lady Techsters to drill 53.8 percent (28-52) from the floor, including 50.0 percent (11-22) from 3-point range. Freshman Katia Gallegos flirted with a double-double (15 points, seven assists) to pace a trio of players in double figures. Katarina Zec (13 points) and Ariana Taylor (11 points) buoyed her, while Sabine Lipe (nine points, three assists) and Jade Rochelle (eight points, two assists) led the efforts off the pine. It was a seesaw battle with 11 ties and 14 lead changes. The game was knotted at 71 with 9:34 to play before LA Tech took control with an 8-0 surge. The Miners battled back, trimming the margin to three (81-78) after a Zec free throw with 3:19 remaining. That was as close as they would get, with the Lady Techsters staving off every remaining push from the Orange and Blue to improve to 8-2 on the year at home.
UTEP 89, AT SOUTHERN MISS 72, 1/9/20
Fueled by the highest scoring first half on the road in program history, UTEP surged to an 89-72 win at Southern Miss on Jan. 9. The Miners' 89 points tie as the most in league road contest in school history. They also did so in an 89-74 win at UCF on Feb. 24, 2008. UTEP piled up 51 points to lead the Lady Eagles by 20 at the break on the way to their third victory in as many league games. It marked just the second home loss of the campaign for USM, which slipped to 8-2 inside Reed Green Coliseum this year. Freshman Katia Gallegos set career highs in scoring (23) and assists (eight) to lead the way. She was joined in double figures by fellow starters Katarina Zec (21 points), Ariana Taylor (14 points) and Ariona Gill (13 points). Avery Crouse pitched in six points, five rebounds and four assists. All five starters logged at least 30 minutes of action. UTEP drilled 52.5 percent (32-61) from the floor, the fourth-highest percentage in a road conference contest in program annals. Furthermore, the Miners have scored at least 89 points in consecutive league games for the first time in program history. They piled up 96 points in the home win against Florida Atlantic (1/4/20) before erupting for 89 points against USM on Jan. 9. The Orange and Blue forced 16 turnovers that were converted into 28 points. UTEP also controlled the boards (39-28), with Taylor's career-high nine rebounds setting the tone in the area.
AT UTEP 96, FLORIDA ATLANTIC 65, 1/4/20
UTEP bolted out to the largest halftime lead in a conference game in program history on the way to drilling Florida Atlantic, 96-65, at the Don Haskins Center on Jan. 4. The Miners led by 22 (47-25) at the break and never let the Owls back into the game as they improved to 2-0 in league play for the first time since 2016. Furthermore, UTEP has won consecutive league contests by at least 30 points for the first occasion in program history. The Miners blasted FIU, 64-34, on Jan. 2, and followed that up with the 31-point vanquishing of the Owls. Freshman Katia Gallegos posted her first career double-double (11 points, career-high 11 rebounds) while also dishing out a game-best six assists to set the tone for the home side. Junior DeJaNae Roebuck (career-high 14 points) provided a spark off the bench while senior Ariona Gill nearly recorded a double-double after finishing with 14 points and nine boards. All 12 players who dressed scored in the game. The 96 points are the most by the Miners under head coach Kevin Baker and rate as the fourth-highest total in a conference game in program annals. UTEP scored at least 22 points in each quarter and shot better than 47 percent in all four frames as well.
RARE OFFENSIVE FEAT
For the first time since the 1982-83 season (prior records incomplete), the Miners scored at least 90 points in a contest without having an individual player tally at least 15 points. UTEP exploded for 96 points in the win against Florida Atlantic (1/4/20), with DeJaNae Roebuck and Ariona Gill sharing the team lead with 14 points each.
AT UTEP 64, FIU 34, 1/2/20
UTEP vaulted out to a 16-point cushion (26-10) after the first quarter and never looked back on the way to blasting FIU, 64-34, in the Conference USA opener for both schools at the Don Haskins Center on Jan. 2. The Miners allowed the fewest points in a conference game in program history on the way to toppling the Panthers by 30. Furthermore UTEP moved to 3-0 in league lidlifters under head coach Kevin Baker. The Orange and Blue kept FIU to 24.5 percent (12-49), including a combined 4-29 in a dominating second half. UTEP also controlled the boards (47-36), thanks in part to Ariona Gill's double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds). Katarina Zec posted a game-high 16 points on 6-9 shooting, including 3-6 from distance. Ariana Taylor (nine points), Michelle Pruitt (eight points) and Katia Gallegos (seven points, five assists) also got after it. But the night belonged to the defense, with FIU being held to 13 total points in the second half. UTEP's pressure defense gave the visitors fits as they committed 23 turnovers. UTEP also dominated in the paint, outscoring the Panthers, 30-12.
GETTING IT DONE IN LEAGUE OPENERS
UTEP bested FIU, 64-34, on Jan. 2 to move to 12-3 in Conference USA openers since joining the league (2005-06), including a perfect 3-0 under Kevin Baker in the situation. Overall UTEP now stands 17-22 all time in conference lid lifters.
TULSA 58, AT UTEP 51, 12/29/19
UTEP forced 19 turnovers and held Tulsa to 31.6 percent (18-57) from the floor but it had some struggles of its own in a 58-51 home setback to Tulsa at the Don Haskins Center on Dec. 29. The Miners committed 16 of their 22 turnovers in the first half and finished 13-25 at the charity stripe. UTEP connected on 34.0 percent (18-53) from the floor, which was hindered by going 2-11 (18.2 percent) in the final frame. Yet in spite of those challenges, the Orange and Blue went toe-to-toe with former WAC and Conference USA foe Tulsa. There were seven ties and 11 lead changes, and UTEP led by three (46-43) with seven minutes to go. It wasn't to be, though, with the Golden Hurricane peeling off an 8-0 run over the next five minutes. The Miners stopped the surge with a pair of Katia Gallegos free throws, but couldn't get any closer than three points down the stretch. Katarina Zec tallied 13 points to pace the squad while Gallegos netted 10 points and a game-high five assists. Ariona Gill flirted with a double-double (nine points, eight rebounds) while also tallying a trio of steals. Ariana Taylor put up seven points in her first start of the season.
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.
#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 theKevin 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 Gillpitched 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.
