Miners Host Western New Mexico in 2023-24 Season Opener

11/3/2023 1:35:00 PM

EL PASO, Texas – The UTEP women's basketball program opens the regular season at home against Division II Western New Mexico on Monday, Nov. 6. The game is set to tipoff at 4 p.m. MT.

GAME COVERAGE
Monday vs Western New Mexico – Live Stats or Watch Here

TICKETS
Season tickets are on sale now for $65 or sit courtside for $150. Tickets can be purchased through the Eisenberg Family Ticket Office by calling (915) 747-UTEP, emailing tickets@utep.edu, visiting www.UTEPMiners.com/Tickets, or in person at 201 Glory Road (Brumbelow Building, UTEP Campus), Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

PREVIOUSLY ON…
The Miners geared up for the season with an exhibition game against New Mexico Highlands on 10/28/23. UTEP won 73-55, led by Adhel Tac's double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds). Jane Asinde (13) and Veonce Powell (12) also scored in double figures for the home side, while Delma Zita (nine) and Mahri Petree (eight) rounded out the top five scorers. Every Miner that was available to play featured in the contest.

ADAMS ERA 2.0
The winningest coach in UTEP women's basketball history, Keitha Adams, returned to the Borderland following the conclusion of the 2022-23 season. In her first stint in El Paso, Adams amassed 284 wins and led the Miners to four CUSA Championships (three regular season, one tournament) and four postseason bids (NCAA: 2008 and 2012, WNIT: 2014 and 2016).

GANG'S ALL HERE
Along with Adams, three other Miner legends have returned to coach alongside her in round two. First, Ewa Laskowska, who has served on Adams's staff for 24 years, has returned as Associate Head Coach. Additionally, two former Miner players under Adams, Jareica Hughes and Lulu McKinney, have joined the staff as assistant coaches.

A LOOK AT LAST YEAR
The Miners are coming off a 20-win season under former Head Coach Kevin Baker. Highlights from the year include a last-second buzzer beater to defeat #21 Middle Tennessee and a WNIT postseason appearance.

LETTER WINNING RETURNERS
UTEP is returning three letter winners from the 2022-23 roster in Adhel Tac, Erin Wilson, and Mahri Petree. Tac started 31 of 32 appearances last season, posting 7.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. She is one of five Miners to appear in every contest.
The Garland, Texas, native also snagged 15 steals and had five blocks on the year. The junior played 850 minutes, averaging 26.6 minutes per game. She scored in double digits on 11 occasions and had double-digit rebounds in five. Wilson is another of the five to appear in every contest last season. The Auburndale, Fla., native made six starts and tallied 6.6 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. She also tacked on 14 steals and played a total of 514 minutes, averaging 16.1 per game. Petree played in two contests with one start for the Miners last season before being out the remainder of the year due to injury. She set a career high in points against New Orleans with 24 points in 24 minutes.

REDSHIRT RETURNERS
The Orange and Blue also brought back Veonce Powell and Zhane Thompson from last season's squad, both of whom were sidelined with injuries.

NEWSWORTHY NEWCOMERS
Coach Adams has bolstered the roster with 10 newcomers this year. The list includes five transfers: D'Arrah Allen (Seward County CC), Jane Asinde (Wichita State), Mariama Sow (New Mexico JC), Ivane Tensaie (Penn State), and Delma Zita (New Mexico JC). Furthermore, there will be five freshmen joining the team: Thelma Barbitch, Aspen Salazar, Aaliyah Stanton, Luisa Vydrova, and Dunja Zecevic.

GLOBAL CONNECTION
Coach Laskowska has a history of strong overseas recruiting, and this year is no different. The Miners will have six international student-athletes on the 2023-24 roster. Jane Asinde (Kampala, Uganda), Thelma Barbitch (Perols, France), Mariama Sow (Thies, Senegal), Luisa Vydrova (Prague, Czech Republic), Dunja Zecevic (Belgrade, Serbia) and Delma Zita (Maputo, Mozambique). The summer saw four Miners face off at the national team level. Asinde and Zita played against each other in the 2023 FIBA Women's Afrobasket. Vydrova and Zecevic competed against each other at the U20 Women's European Championship.

SCOUTING WESTERN NEW MEXICO
The Mustangs went 10-16 overall and 8-14 in conference play last season, finishing fourth in the West Division of the Lone Star Conference. WNMU was picked to finish 12th overall in the LSC preseason poll. Senior guard Sydney Wright was voted to the LSC Preseason Players to Watch list after leading the team in scoring during the 2022-23 campaign (11.1 ppg). Wright also ranked first in assists with 60. The Mustangs are bringing back eight student-athletes from last year's squad, including four starters (Wright, Brooke Rodgers, Diamond Moore, and Delaney Cook). Moore and Rodgers ranked first and second on the team in total rebounds (184, 153) and rebounds per game (7.1, 5.9). Rodgers also led the team in steals (35) and was second in assists (52). Cook finished third on the team in steals with 19.

SERIES HISTORY WITH THE MUSTANGS
UTEP is 11-1 all time against WNMU, with the last matchup being an exhibition at the start of the 2022-23 season. The Miners earned the win 72-59 at the Don Haskins Center on 11/5/22.

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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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