UTEP Athletics

Miners and Aggies Set For Round Two of Battle of I-10

12/12/2022 1:58:00 PM

UTEP GAME NOTES

EL PASO, Texas – After knocking off NM State 65-61 in El Paso to cap off November, UTEP travels to Las Cruces on Tuesday at 6 p.m. for the second meeting of the season between the two sides.

The Miners (6-2) and Aggies (3-6) will be squaring off for the 95th time in the series history.

GAME COVERAGE
The Battle of I-10 will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Adam Young and Patrick Knapp calling the action from the Pan American Center. Live stats will be available on the NM State StatBroadcast Portal.

SCOUTING NM STATE
NM State is coming off a 65-64 setback at New Mexico on Dec. 11. The Aggies fell to 3-6 as a result and have lost two straight. NM State also dropped a 68-62 game against Idaho on Dec. 4 at the San Diego Classic. Earlier this season, the Aggies opened head coach Jody Adams' first game at the helm with an 85-55 loss at Colorado but bounced back with an 80-39 thrashing at New Mexico Highlands on Nov. 9 and a 73-64 victory in OT against New Mexico on Nov. 15. NM State also won 57-52 at San Diego. Molly Kaiser, after tallying 16 points at UNM, leads the team at 11.0 points per game while Sylena Peterson also averages double figures (10.6 ppg) after putting up 13 against the Lobos. Fama Thaim paces the squad with 4.4 rebounds per game while Peterson leads the Aggies with 17 assists. NM State averages 63.1 points per game and yields 63.4 points per contest. The Aggies are only shooting 60.7 percent from the stripe while their opponents are shooting 42.0 percent from the floor. NM State has played in seven straight games decided by seven points or less.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. NM STATE
UTEP has played NM State more than any other school in program history, with the Aggies holding a 50-44 edge in the all-time series. As of late, the Miners have dominated head-to-head, besting NM State in seven consecutive contests dating back to a 69-65 win for the Aggies on Nov. 17, 2018 in El Paso. The Miners won the first meeting of the season, 65-61, in the Don Haskins Center on Nov. 30. Avery Crouse led the way with 17 points while N'Yah Boyd added 15 points. Adhel Tac netted her first career 3-pointer to give UTEP the go-ahead basket at 61-59 with 1:18 remaining in the contest.

SEVEN STRAIGHT WINS OVER THE AGGIES
With its 65-61 victory on Nov. 30, UTEP has now defeated NM State seven straight times dating back to a 63-57 win on Nov. 13, 2019 in Las Cruces. It marks the longest winning streak by either side in the history of the rivalry.

FINAL NON-CONFERENCE TUNE-UP
Tuesday will mark the final out of conference game of the regular season for the Miners, who have secured a winning record in non-conference play for the fourth straight season. Over that stretch that dates back to the beginning of the 2019-20 campaign, UTEP is 24-10 in such contests.

ROAD TRIO
UTEP is in the midst of a three-game road trip that takes the team to play at Air Force (Dec. 4), at NM State (Dec. 13) and at LA Tech (Dec. 18). The next home game for the Miners is Dec. 29 versus UAB. The Miners will only one home game from Nov. 20-Dec. 28, a stretch of 38 days.

CROUSE'S LAST TWO GAMES
Junior guard Avery Crouse matched her season high with 17 points at Air Force. Crouse has averaged 17.0 points the last two contests, including a 17-point effort against NM State on Nov. 30. Crouse's 34 points in a two-game span is the most since she tallied 34 points over back-to-back games on Jan. 22 and 23, 2021 at LA Tech.

AVERY DISHING DIMES
Avery Crouse tied a career high with five assists against the Aggies in the first meeting. She also tallied five assists at Kansas City on Nov. 13, five at FIU on Feb. 12, 2021 and five against FIU on Jan. 2, 2020.

WILSON NETS SEASON HIGH
Erin Wilson had her best game of the campaign at Air Force with a season-high 12 points to pair with three rebounds and a steal. Over 24 minutes of action, Wilson went 4-of-7 from the field and 2-of-3 from downtown.

SEASON HIGH IN BLOCKS
UTEP blocked a season-high five shots at Air Force on Dec. 4. It's the most since tallying five blocked shots against Northern Arizona on Nov. 20, 2021. Elina Arike and Soleil Montrose each tallied two blocks while Avery Crouse added one.

GETTING TO THE LINE
UTEP is averaging 17.0 free throws made per game, ranking 13th nationally and third in Conference USA. The Miners are also averaging 23.4 free throw attempts per game, ranking 19th nationally and fourth in the conference. UTEP's 72.7 free throw percentage ranks third in the league.

A-TAC-ING THE BOARDS
Adhel Tac leads UTEP at 6.9 rebounds per game after grabbing eight at Air Force on Dec. 4. Tac has averaged 8.0 rebounds the last two games after tallying eight against NM State on Nov. 30. She ranks eighth in Conference USA this season. It's a big jump from last season's average (1.3). Tac's career high was an 11-board effort at Texas State on Nov. 19 while she also posted 10 rebounds at Kansas City on Nov. 13.

FIRST CAREER SWATS
Freshman guard Soleil Montrose recorded the first blocked shots of her young career at Air Force. Montrose tallied two swats against the Falcons on Dec. 4.

ARIKE BLOCKS A PAIR
Sophomore forward Elina Arike tallied two blocked shots at Air Force, tying her career high. Arike also blocked two shots at NM State on Dec. 15, 2021, two at FIU on Feb. 12, 2021 and two at UTSA on Jan. 30, 2021.

STEALING THE SHOW
Junior guard Jazion Jackson is tied for the lead in Conference USA and ranks 100th nationally with 21 steals in her first season with the Miners. Jackson averages 2.6 steals per game, ranking third in C-USA and 51st nationally. Jackson, a transfer from North Texas, has 117 steals in her collegiate career.

BALANCED SCORING
Eight different Miners are averaging at least 6.0 points per game in the first seven games of the campaign. Mahri Petree leads the way (14.5 ppg) while N'Yah Boyd (13.1) and Avery Crouse (10.0) are the other two Miners to average double figures. Jazion Jackson (9.6), Elina Arike (9.5), Eliana Cabral (6.5), Adhel Tac (6.5) and Soleil Montrose (6.0) round out the list.

GLASS CLEANERS
UTEP is averaging 14.3 offensive rebounds per game, ranking third in Conference USA and 63rd nationally. Jazion Jackson has tallied 21 offensive rebounds and Adhel Tac has added 17.

NIGHT OWLS
The Miners are 4-0 when playing night games this season.

LONG LINEUP
In the game at Air Force on Dec. 4, UTEP started three players standing at least 6-feet tall, including Elina Arike (6'2"), Adhel Tac (6'0") and Avery Crouse (6'0").

FUTURE CONFERENCE MEETING
When the Miners and Aggies play each other next season, the two will do so as members of C-USA. NM State is one of four schools set to join the league on July 1, 2023. The other schools include Jacksonville State, Liberty and Sam Houston.

DEFENSIVE NUMBERS
UTEP has yet to allow an opponent to score 70 points this season, including holding three teams below 60 points. Foes are averaging 61.0 points per game and have been forced into 18.6 turnovers per contest.

RACKING UP THE MINUTES
The trio of Avery Crouse, N'Yah Boyd and Jazion Jackson has been relied on heavily in the early portion of the schedule, with each of the three ranking in the top-11 in C-USA in minutes played per game. Crouse averages 34.5, Boyd 33.4 and Jackson 29.8 per contest. Crouse and Jackson are the only two players on the roster who have started all eight games to this point.

WHAT'S NEXT
UTEP will open Conference USA action early when it takes the road to LA Tech on Sunday, Dec. 18. The Miners and Lady Techsters will tip off at 1 p.m. MT/2 p.m. CT in Ruston, La., with the game set to be streamed on CUSA.tv. LA Tech came out on top in both meetings a season ago, winning 68-65 on Feb. 7 in Ruston and 77-60 on Feb. 17 in El Paso.

HOME TICKET INFO
Tickets start at $8 for regular season games 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 UTEPMiners.com/tickets, by emailing tickets@utep.edu, or by stopping by in person at 500 W. University Ave., 79968 (Monday thru Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.).

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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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