Ruben R. Ramirez

Miners to Clash with Panthers on Saturday

1/28/2022 4:00:00 PM

UTEP Game Notes

EL PASO, Texas – UTEP (12-6, 4-4 Conference USA) concludes a stretch of four of five games on the road with a contest at FIU (10-7, 2-4 Conference USA) on Saturday at 10 a.m. MT/12 p.m. ET. The Miners have won seven straight over the Panthers, including taking a pair last season in Miami. UTEP currently sits in second in the C-USA West Division standings behind UAB.

WHERE TO WATCH & LISTEN
The Miners and Panthers can be heard on 600 ESPN El Paso and the UTEP Miners app with Mando Medina calling the action. The contest will also be streamed on C-USA TV.

SERIES VS. FIU
UTEP has won seven consecutive in the head-to-head series with the Panthers, including 76-64 and 73-57 wins in Miami last season. FIU last won against the Miners on Jan. 12, 2017, coming out on top 88-87 in triple-overtime. Since that game, UTEP has won four in a row on the road against the Panthers.

SCOUTING FIU
The Panthers handled UTSA convincingly in an 81-53 win on Thursday in which FIU drilled 11 triples while shooting 48 percent from beyond the arc. FIU forced 23 turnovers on the night that led to 26 points. In the win, Maria Torres had five blocks, the second time this season that she has done that. Torres has 26 blocks for the campaign, good for fourth in C-USA. Kyla Nelson is a dangerous perimeter weapon for FIU, as she is shooting 37.9 percent from 3-point range, the best mark in the conference and 74th in Division I. Nelson is the leading scorer for the Panthers, averaging 12.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. Ariel Colón joins her in double figures with 12.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

ANOTHER CLOSE ONE
With the 54-52 loss at Florida Atlantic on Thursday, the Miners played in their ninth contest decided by 10 points or less this season. UTEP is 6-3 for the campaign in such games. The Miners went 10-6 a year ago in games within the same margin.

DUO RACKING UP STEALS
Over the course of the last nine games that she has played in, Destiny Thurman has had at least one steal in each one. In total, 14 of her 18 steals for the season have come over the course of that stretch, led by a season-high three steals last week against UTSA. Katia Gallegos has had at least one steal in 10 straight games, including two or more six times during that stretch. Her 34 steals for the season leads the Miners and is 10th in the conference.

STAYING TOUGH ON DEFENSE
The Miners have held six of the last seven opponents below 60 points, including limiting Old Dominion to just 48 on Jan. 15. Southern Miss and Old Dominion were both held to 20 percent or lower shooting from beyond the 3-point line, with the Golden Eagles also being forced into 20 turnovers.

DESTINY ON THE BOARDS
Destiny Thurman came within one rebound of equaling a career high on Thursday with six rebounds in the loss at FAU. Thurman crashed the boards early and often, compiling the total in just over three quarters of play before fouling out early in the fourth quarter.

ANDERSON BACK IN MIAMI
Anthony Anderson, a third-year assistant at UTEP, is a former player at FIU who graduated from the school in 2011.

SETTING THE STARTERS
UTEP has started the five of Elina Arike, Teal Battle, Katia Gallegos, Destiny Thurman and Avery Crouse 12 times this season, the most of any starting lineup combination for the Miners. UTEP is 9-3 when that lineup combination takes the floor, including wins over Middle Tennessee, Air Force, Texas State and New Mexico State at home.

UPCOMING HOMESTAND INFORMATION
Following the game at FIU, UTEP returns home for games against North Texas and Rice next Thursday and Saturday. On Saturday, the Miners will be celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD). Fans can receive free women in sports posters and free bag giveaways prior to the game. NGWSD celebrates the 50th year of Title IX this year, with UTEP welcoming back Ginger Kerrick to campus as the keynote speaker. Kerrick, a native of El Paso who was a walk-on with the women's basketball program, is a physicist at NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. Tickets start at $8 while groups of 10 can purchase tickets for $5 a piece. Fans can buy single-game tickets through 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.).

WILSON MAKING MOST OF MINUTES
With seven points and three rebounds on Thursday at FAU, Erin Wilson made a positive impact off the bench. Her 19 minutes played were her most since the calendar flipped to the New Year. The seven points scored were her most since Dec. 30 against UAB.

OPPORTUNITY ON THE BOARDS
FIU is last in C-USA averaging 34.2 rebounds per game. On the flip side, UTEP has a +3.1 rebound margin which ranks fifth in the league.

ARIKE AROUND THE RIM
Elina Arike has been active on the boards this season, leading the team with 7.5 per game. The native of Helsinki, Finland has posted five or more rebounds in eight of her last nine games played, including 14 in a double-overtime win over Air Force on Dec. 21.

SUCCESS OVER 70
The Miners are 7-1 this season when scoring 70 or more points in a game.

LOUISIANA TECH GAME RESCHEDULED
C-USA announced last week that the UTEP at Louisiana Tech game that was previously postponed on Jan. 8 due to COVID-19 has been rescheduled for Feb. 7 at 5:30 p.m. MT/6:30 p.m. CT in Ruston. The rescheduled contest will be aired live on 600 ESPN El Paso and the UTEP Miners app, with the live video broadcast covered on C-USA TV.

TRIPLES FOR THURMAN
Destiny Thurman ranks eighth in C-USA with 29 made 3-pointers on the season. She has connected on at least one triple in all but two games for the campaign. Thurman is six made 3-pointers away from reaching the top-10 of the UTEP single-season record book.

40 PERCENT EQUALS WINS
UTEP is 9-0 this season when hitting at a greater than 40 percent clip from the field. The 40 percent rule has applied to the 3-point field goal percentage as well, with the Miners 4-0 when shooting 40 percent or better from outside.

MINERS ON THE BOARDS
The Miners are 7-3 on the campaign when outrebounding the opposition.

BEST IN C-USA AT GETTING TO THE LINE
With 391 free throws attempted this season, UTEP ranks first in C-USA and 14th in Division I. The Miners have made 71.9 percent of their attempts at the line, knocking down 281 at the stripe.

KATIA FROM THE PERIMETER
Katia Gallegos has hit 85 3-pointers in 71 career games. Gallegos ranks 14th on the school's all-time list, and needs 12 to crack the program's top-10 list.

GALLEGOS ASSISTS UPDATE
Katia Gallegos has dished out 63 assists this season (3.5 apg). The El Paso product sits in third on the school's all-time list with 342 assists. Kellie Willingham (2010-14) ranks second with 373, and Jareica Hughes (2006-10) leads the list with 599.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
UTEP plays six of the final 10 games of the season on the road this year, including three straight to cap off the regular season.

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