UTEP Athletics

UTEP and UAB Meet Thursday in Matchup of 8-2 Teams

12/28/2022 10:53:00 AM

UTEP GAME NOTES

EL PASO, Texas – Following an extended holiday break and a nearly one-month hiatus from the Don Haskins Center, UTEP women's basketball will host UAB on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Both teams enter the contest 8-2, with the Miners knocking off LA Tech 62-54 to begin Conference USA play and UAB falling 85-79 at Charlotte in its league opener.

Thursday will be the Tradition Game for UTEP, with a focus leading up to and during the game on some of the history of the program to this point.

GAME COVERAGE
Fans can watch the game on Thursday on CUSA.tv with Mando Medina calling the action courtside. Live stats will be available on the UTEP SIDEARM Stats Portal.

SCOUTING UAB
Perimeter offense is the name of the game for the Blazers, who lead C-USA and are seventh in the nation with 10 made 3-pointers per contest. As a team, UAB is shooting 38.2 percent from downtown, which ranks 16th nationally and is also the best mark in the league. The strong outside attack has led the Blazers to score 79.2 points per game, a number which is also the best in the conference. Individually, freshman Denim DeShields has made an immediate impact at the collegiate level, averaging 12.7 points, 3.9 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game in her initial season with the program. DeShields has already twice been named the C-USA Freshman of the Week. Margaret Whitley is a key returner for the squad and also averages 12.7 points with 3.6 rebounds per game while burying 27-of-55 (49.1 percent) of her attempts from beyond the 3-point line. That percentage clip is 14th in NCAA Division I women's basketball. The Blazers were picked seventh in the C-USA Preseason Coaches' Poll.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. UAB
Last season, UAB handed the Miners their tightest home loss of the year in a 76-74 overtime contest to start conference play. Four players reached double figures in that one for the Miners, including Elina Arike with 12 points and nine rebounds. In the all-time series, the Blazers hold a 15-11 advantage after claiming both games last season.

JACK OF ALL TRADES
Jazion Jackson stuffed the stat sheet in the win at LA Tech, setting a career high with five 3-pointers on the way to a team-high 17 points with eight rebounds, four steals and four assists.

ANOTHER WIN TO BEGIN C-USA PLAY
UTEP topped LA Tech 62-54 to start league play on Dec. 18. The Miners have won 12 of their last 14 conference openers and five of the last six. Since joining C-USA prior to the 2005-06 season, UTEP is 15-3 in games to begin conference.

FINALLY BACK IN THE FRIENDLY CONFINES
UTEP went 2-1 on a three-game road trip that spanned the course of two weeks. The team played at Air Force (Dec. 4), at NM State (Dec. 13) and at LA Tech (Dec. 18). The Miners had only one home game from Nov. 20-Dec. 28, a stretch of 38 days.

PERFECT IN C-USA OPENERS ON ROAD
In an impressive stat, the Miners have never lost when starting C-USA action on the road, boasting a 7-0 mark after the 62-54 defeat of LA Tech on Dec. 18.

BACK TO HOME COOKING
UTEP has recorded three consecutive winning seasons at home, including a 10-4 mark last season. Including this season, the Miners are 36-12 inside the Don Haskins Center since the beginning of the 2019-20 campaign. Dating back to last season, UTEP has won five straight at home and is a perfect 4-0 in 2022-23.

TAC SETS MULTIPLE CAREER BESTS
In the win at LA Tech, Adhel Tac played a career-high 36 minutes, scored a career-high 12 points and brought down a personal-best 12 boards for her second double-double of the season. The six made field goals also marked a career high. Tac has started nine of 10 games for the Miners this year and is averaging 6.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.

ADHEL ON THE BOARDS
In what has been a breakout season, Adhel Tac has hauled down 10 or more rebounds in three games and has 71 on the season for an average of 7.1 per game, ranking sixth in the conference.

BIRMINGHAM CONNECTION
UTEP forward Thaniya Marks is from Birmingham, Ala. and will be playing against her hometown team for the first time in her collegiate career after transferring to UTEP this season from Georgia Southern.

CRUISING WITH CROUSE
Avery Crouse has reached double figures in four straight games and five of the last six overall to see her points per game total climb to 10.1 per contest.

FINISHING STRONG
UTEP capped the win at LA Tech off with a 13-4 run to seal the victory.

BACK IN THE 915
This is the third straight season that the Miners have had a long stretch away from the Sun City. Last season, UTEP had no home games from Nov. 21-Dec. 20 due to a COVID cancelation of a home game scheduled against Utah State. In 2020-21, UTEP did not have a home game for the entire month of December. This season, the stretch of no home games ran from Dec. 1-28.

SURPLUS OF FREE THROWS
UTEP is averaging 16.0 free throws made per game, ranking 21st nationally and third in Conference USA. The Miners are also averaging 22.5 free throw attempts per game, ranking 20th nationally and third in the conference.

WINNING THE TURNOVER MARGIN
One key area for UTEP this season has been a +5.2 turnover margin that leads the conference and is 33rd nationally. The Miners are forcing opponents into 18.9 turnovers per game while committing just 13.7 of their own.

JACKSON STEALING THE SHOW
Junior guard Jazion Jackson leads C-USA and ranks 82nd nationally with 27 steals in her first season with the Miners. Jackson averages 2.7 steals per game, ranking first in C-USA and 34th nationally.

C-USA FARES WELL IN NON-CONFERENCE
This season in non-conference action, seven of the 10 C-USA teams posted .500 or better records on the way to a 62-39 overall mark.

SCHEDULE CHANGE
The home game on Jan. 14 against Rice has been moved up an hour to a noon MT tip to allow the visiting team the ability to make a flight out of town the same day.

BALANCED ATTACK
Three regular starters are averaging double figures for the Miners, led by N'Yah Boyd at 12.1 points per game. Avery Crouse and Jazion Jackson are each scoring 10.1 points per game with Elina Arike just slightly behind at 9.7 per contest.

LIMITING OPPORTUNITIES
LA Tech took just 39 shots in the UTEP win in the conference opener, the lowest number the opposition has recorded in the Kevin Baker era.

FIVE FOR JAZION
The five triples for Jazion Jackson at LA Tech marked a season high for an individual on the UTEP roster. She hit all five in the first half to spark the Miners to a halftime advantage.

FINDING A ROTATION
The starting lineup of N'Yah Boyd, Jazion Jackson, Avery Crouse, Adhel Tac and Elina Arike has taken the floor to begin three straight games. In the win at LA Tech, Boyd, Jackson, Crouse and Tac each played 36 minutes or more.

SEE YOU SOON
After taking a road win at LA Tech on Dec. 18, the Miners will play the Lady Techsters once again on Jan. 7 in El Paso. In another schedule quirk, UTEP will play two games against Rice in the span of 14 days upcoming on Dec. 31 and Jan. 14.

WHAT'S NEXT
UTEP has a quick turnaround, departing on Friday for a Saturday afternoon tilt at Rice. Game time is slated for 1 p.m. MT/2 p.m. CT in Houston. The Owls picked up numerous impressive wins in out of league play, including victories against Texas A&M, TCU, Houston, Saint Mary's and Stephen F. Austin.

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 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.).

Help support UTEP student-athletes by making a gift to the Miner Athletic Club.

Visit givingto.utep.edu/mac today!

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.

Print Friendly Version