Ruben R. Ramirez

UTEP WBB Hosts UAB to Open C-USA Action Thursday Night

12/29/2021 12:44:00 PM

EL PASO – The UTEP women's basketball team will open Conference USA play against UAB on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Haskins Center. The Miners will also host Middle Tennessee on New Year's Day (1 p.m.).

UTEP is coming off a 93-85 double-overtime victory over Air Force on Dec. 21 to finish 8-2 in nonconference play, while UAB is 7-4 after crushing Grambling State 77-43 on Dec. 21.

WHERE TO WATCH & LISTEN
The Miners and Blazers can be heard on a the UTEP Miners app and online with Mando Medina calling the action. The contest will also be streamed on CUSA.tv.

TICKET INFO
Tickets start at $8 while groups of 10 can purchase tickets for $5 a piece. Fans can buy single-game tickets and season tickets (starting as low as $65) for the new campaign at the Eisenberg Family Ticket Office by calling (915) 747-UTEP, visiting www.UTEPMiners.com/tickets, emailing tickets@utep.edu, or in person at 500 W. University Ave., 79968-0579 (Monday thru Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.).

TICKET SPECIAL VS. MT ON JAN. 1
UTEP will ring in 2022 with a contest against Middle Tennessee on New Year's Day (Sat., Jan. 1). The Miners and Blue Raiders will tip off at 1 p.m. in the Haskins Center. Fans can purchase four tickets for $22. Visit www.UTEPMiners.com/NewYear and use the promo code: NEWYEAR.

UTEP TO THIS POINT
The Miners (8-2) are off to their best start since the 2015-16 campaign when they were 9-1 heading into league action. UTEP is ranks second in C-USA in scoring offense (74.5 ppg) and field goal percentage (43.4). UTEP's is shooting 33.7 percent from 3-point range, which ranks third in C-USA. The Miners' 164 made free throws rank third in the league. Katia Gallegos leads the team in scoring (14.6 ppg), ranking ninth in C-USA. Gallegos's 3.8 assists per contest leads the team and ranks sixth in C-USA. Destiny Thurman (14.4 ppg) ranks second on the team and 11^th in the league. Thurman leads C-USA in 3-point shooting percentage (42.2). She's hit 19-of-45 from downtown. Elina Arike leads the Miners in rebounding (8.4 rpg), ranking sixth in C-USA.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. UAB
UAB has edged out UTEP 12-11 in the all-time series. The Miners swept the Blazers last season in El Paso, winning game one 74-53 on Feb. 5, and 68-64 in overtime the next day. Gallegos led the Miners with 16 points and dished out five assists in game one, while Arike (14) and Avery Crouse (11) each hit double figures in points. In the second contest, Gallegos led the way with 18 points, five assists, and tallied seven rebounds. Prior to last season's sweep, UAB had won the previous six meetings.

SCOUTING UAB
The Blazers opened the season with a 3-0 start, defeating Shorter (76-45), Chicago State (81-50) and Mississippi Valley State (76-62). UAB then fell to a pair of California programs, losing at San Diego State (55-51) and Pepperdine (66-50). Zakyia Weathersby leads C-USA in blocked shots (22) and blocked shots per game (2.0), and is the lone player in the league to average a double-double. The 6-2 senior center leads the conference and ranks 10^th nationally in rebounding (11.4), and rates fifth in the league in scoring (17.0). Sophomore guard Maria Roters leads the team in assists per game (3.5) and is averaging 6.5 rebounds per game. Freshman guard Emily Klaczek ranks second on the team in scoring (9.0), while junior guard Margaret Whitley ranks third in scoring (8.9). The Blazers' 486 rebounds lead C-USA, while their rebounding margin (+10.0) also ranks no. 1. UAB's 44.2 rebounds per game ranks second in C-USA. UAB averages 69.9 points per game (fifth in C-USA), and yields 57.9 points per contest (fourth in C-USA). UAB ranks no. 1 in C-USA free-throw shooting (76.5 percent). The Blazers ranks third in C-USA in multiple categories – assist-to-turnover ratio (.89), assists (156), assists per game (14.2), blocked shots (44), blocked shots per game (4.0), 3-point FG attempts (248) and 3-point FG makes (67).

MINER NOTABLES

MOST POINTS SINCE 2017
UTEP scored 93 points in its double-overtime win against Air Force on Dec. 21. It was the most points since matching that number in a victory over ECU (93-79) in overtime on Dec. 17, 2017 in Myrtle Beach, S.C. It's the most points scored in the Haskins Center since hitting 93 points in a win over WNMU on Nov. 17, 2016.

MORE ON 93
UTEP scored 93 points for the fifth time in program history on Dec. 21 versus Air Force. The Miners are 5-0 when scoring 93 points in a contest. UTEP poured in 93 points vs. ECU (Dec. 17, 2017), vs. WNMU (Nov. 17, 2016), vs. Hardin-Simmons (Nov. 29, 1996) and vs. ACU (Dec. 7, 1979).

FIRST 2OT GAME SINCE 2019
UTEP played in its first double-overtime game since a 64-58 win against Marshall in the 2019 Conference USA Tournament.

DISHING DIMES
Katia Gallegos has dished out 38 assists this season (3.8 apg). The El Paso product ranks fifth on the school's all-time list with 317 assists. Ana Valtierra (2002-07) ranks fourth with 324. Jareica Hughes (2006-10) leads the list with 599.

STEALING THE SHOW
Katia Gallegos leads UTEP with 20 steals (2.0 spg) this season. For her career, Gallegos has tallied 114 steals in her three years at UTEP. She needs 27 steals to crack the program's top-10 list. Jareica Hughes (2006-10) leads the list with 277.

CAREER-HIGH DIMES FOR ARIKE
Elina Arike dished out a career-high six assists in UTEP's double overtime win over Air Force on Dec. 21. Here previous high was four, which she did on a trio of occasions – at Charlotte (last season), vs. North Dakota (Nov. 13), at New Mexico (Dec. 19).

CLEANING GLASS
Elina Arike is averaging a team-high 8.4 rebounds per game. Arike ranks sixth in C-USA and 99^th nationally. Arike, earlier in the season, pulled down a career-high 15 boards against North Dakota on Nov. 13. She registered 14 rebounds most recently against Air Force, and tallied 13 rebounds against NAU on Nov. 20.

ARIKE'S DRAMATIC IMPROVEMENT
Elina Arike is averaging 9.6 points per game and 8.4 rebounds per contest. She's added 19 assists, four blocks and 10 steals in 10 games played this season. Last season, Arike averaged 4.3 points and 2.3 rebounds per game to go along with 23 assists, six blocked shots and eight steals in 25 games.

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For complete coverage of UTEP women's basketball, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at @UTEPWBB (Twitter), @utepwbb (Instagram) and on Facebook or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics at UTEPMiners.com.

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