EL PASO, Texas – UTEP women's basketball faces cross-border rival New Mexico State to open its 2020-21 season Wednesday at 1 p.m., following an abrupt end to its run in the 2019-20 C-USA Tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
UTEP
Head Coach Kevin Baker said the tipoff itself marks a victory for both the Miners and Aggies in a year of such unpredictability.
"Our team is just hungry to play an opponent," Baker said. "In most years, UTEP and New Mexico State are rivals. But, this year, we are in this fight with COVID together and we worked hard to set this game up and play. There were 1,000 challenges along the way, but we will play. In some ways, we both win.
"This has been a very strange and awkward 2020 thus far. So, I would imagine the season will be the same way. However, our team has always proven resilient and we will keep that trend alive this year."
Baker enters his 18
th season as a collegiate head coach and his fourth season at UTEP after a 16-14 (8-10 C-USA) campaign in 2019-20 which improved the Miners by seven wins from the previous season. Returning alongside Baker are seniors
Tia Bradshaw, Dejanae Roebuck and
Michelle Pruitt, junior
Ariana Taylor, and sophomores
Arina Khlopkova,
Katia Gallegos,
Avery Crouse and
Tatyana Modawar. Joining Baker and the returners in the Sun City are three freshmen from abroad,
Dagne Apsite (Latvia),
Elina Arike (Finland) and
Brenda Fontana (Argentina) as well as two junior transfers in
Destiny Thurman (Collin County Community College) and
Isis Lopes (Clemson). The Miners now have six players originating outside of the United States (Lopes from Australia, Khlopkova from Russia).
The UTEP backcourt is led by 2020-21 Conference USA Preseason Team selection
Katia Gallegos and
Avery Crouse. Gallegos was also tabbed as one of the 20 candidates for the Nancy Lieberman Award given to the top point guard in NCAA Division I college basketball. Gallegos led C-USA in assists (154) as a freshman, averaging 5.1 per contest, while she was the Miners' third best scorer with 9.6 points per game. Crouse, the other half to UTEP's scoring tandem of freshman guards a year ago, started alongside Gallegos in 29 games and cracked the top-10 UTEP freshman season rankings for 3-point percentage (33.3-sixth), field-goal percentage (42.2-seventh), 3-pointers made (23-tied ninth) and points (241). Crouse went on a tear in the Miners' final six games of the regular season, scoring in double-figures five times and 21 points twice for an average of 14.5 points per game.
The Miners and Aggies are regular foes having met 89 times. UTEP holds the upper hand lately, winning seven of the last ten matchups. In their most recent meeting, then-senior
Ariona Gill posted a double-double (13 points, 11 rebounds) in the Miners' 65-45 rout of the Aggies to sweep the season series.
New Mexico State finished last year's shortened season with a 12-18 (8-8 WAC) record and a first-round upset over four-seed UT Rio Grande in its conference tournament. The Aggies lost their top scorer and rebounder Gia Pack (18.0 points per game, 9.7 rebounds per game) to graduation.
TICKETING INFORMATION
Due to social distancing guidelines and COVID-19 protocols, the Don Haskins Center has a very limited capacity this year for fans and is currently sold out. At this time, single game tickets will not be made available for sale. It is recommended that fans who are still interested in potentially attending games sign up on the men's basketball season ticket waitlist. Should seats become available, individuals on the waitlist will be contacted and provided with more information at that time. Additionally, fans are encouraged to participate in the virtual "Defend The Don" campaign where they can receive exclusive Miners merchandise, gifts and virtual experiences while supporting the UTEP men's basketball program. For questions and more information, fans should call (915) 747-UTEP.
