UTEP Athletics

Miners to Host No. 21 Middle Tennessee in Thursday Tilt

2/1/2023 12:26:00 PM

UTEP GAME NOTES

EL PASO, Texas – UTEP women's basketball welcomes in No. 21 Middle Tennessee on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the first meeting against a ranked opponent for the program since a 54-43 home defeat against No. 20 Arizona on Dec. 7, 2019.

The Lady Raiders (18-2, 11-0 C-USA) sit atop the league standings and have the third-longest winning streak in the nation at 16 games. The Miners (13-6, 6-4 C-USA) are currently third in the conference with two big opportunities at home this week against the top two teams in the standings on the docket.

A Groundhog Day ticket special will allow fans entry on Thursday for either $4 if Punxsutawney Phil does not see his shadow or $6 if he does. Additional information will be announced on the morning of the game. The game against Middle Tennessee is also serving as Noche Latina.

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

SCOUTING MIDDLE TENNESSEE
One of the hottest teams in the nation, Middle Tennessee is riding a 16-game winning streak into El Paso. The hot stretch is tied for the fifth-longest streak in program history. Over the last eight games since the calendar flipped to 2023, the Lady Raiders have won every contest by 15 or more points, including five by more than 20. Middle Tennessee is led by two of the top-five leading scorers in C-USA, including Kseniya Malashka with 16.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.8 steals per game and Savannah Wheeler with 16.2 points, 3.4 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals per contest. Malashka is the leading shot blocker in the conference with 40 on the campaign. Wheeler is a Marshall transfer who was a two-time All-Conference selection with the Thundering Herd. Malashka, Wheeler and Courtney Whitson were each C-USA Preseason All-Conference picks prior to this season. Whitson is a regular double-double threat, posting 9.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Jalynn Gregory is a dangerous perimeter option for the Lady Raiders and leads the conference with 51 made 3-pointers on the way to 12.3 points per game. She hit a season-high seven triples in a 69-53 win over Memphis earlier this season. The team has dominated the opposition regularly, ranking eighth in the nation with a +19.8 scoring margin.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. MIDDLE TENNESSEE
Both UTEP wins in the head-to-head series have come inside the Don Haskins Center, including a 56-55 handling of the Lady Raiders on New Year's Day last season. Overall, Middle Tennessee has a 9-2 record against the Miners as a result of winning seven straight prior to last year.

CROUSE STARTS 100TH GAME
Avery Crouse started the 100th game of her career as a Miner against North Texas. She is just the eighth player in program history to accomplish the feat. Kelli Willingham has the all-time record with 117 starts from 2010-14.

OPPORTUNITY AGAINST A RANKED FOE
UTEP has one win in program history against a nationally-ranked team, defeating No. 11 Utah 50-46 at home on Jan. 31, 1998. The Miners have also played top-25 teams to four games decided within 10 points in their history.

FANS SHOWING SUPPORT
UTEP played in front of a season-high 1,286 fans last time out against North Texas. The crowd was the largest for the program in the Don since 1,352 showed up on Nov. 19, 2019 against New Mexico.

OUTSTANDING FREE THROW SHOOTING
The Miners went an impressive 15-of-16 (93.8 percent) at the stripe against North Texas to keep UTEP in the game until the end.

CAREER DAY FOR ARIKE
Elina Arike tied a career high with 19 points on a 7-of-9 effort from the floor last Saturday against North Texas. She also made an impact on the defensive end of the floor with two steals and a block. It marked the first game playing in front of her parents in the United States, who ventured all the way to El Paso from Finland to watch the current three-game homestand.

ERIN EARNING EXPANDED ROLE
Erin Wilson has posted double-digit scoring outputs in back-to-back games since joining the starting lineup on Jan. 21 at Florida Atlantic. Wilson netted a season-high 15 at FAU in 33 minutes of action and followed that up with 12 points in 35 minutes last week vs. North Texas. The 35 minutes played against the Mean Green marked the most in her Miner career to this point.

KEEPING IT BALANCED
UTEP has had nine games this year in which four different scorers reached double figures.

IN EVERY GAME
UTEP has competed well with every opponent on its schedule this season, posting 13 wins and four single-digit losses, including three by three points or less.

NIGHT OWLS ARE BACK
The Miners are 7-1 this season in night games. Four of the last five contests have been day games.

IN THE DON
UTEP has been successful at home once again this season, posting a 7-2 record. With one more win in the friendly confines, the Miners will secure a winning record at home for the 17th time in the past 19 seasons.

THE TWO CONSTANTS
Jazion Jackson and Avery Crouse are the lone two Miners who have started all 19 games this season.

SABINE ON A TRIPLE RUN
Sabine Lipe has made at least one triple in eight of the last nine games off the bench.

TWO-WAY STAR
Jazion Jackson is fourth in C-USA this season with 40 steals, averaging 2.1 per game. She is part of a UTEP backcourt that has regularly created difficulties for opposing guards this season.

CRASHING THE BOARDS IN C-USA
Jazion Jackson has continued to be active on the glass during the seven conference games to this point, averaging 6.7 per contest to rank fourth in the league in C-USA tilts.

TAC HAVING STANDOUT SEASON
Adhel Tac has had her best college season to date this year, posting seven double-figure scoring games, four contests with 10 or more rebounds and two double-doubles. Tac has taken full advantage of her opportunities, increasing her averages from 1.4 points and 1.3 rebounds in seven minutes per game last season to 7.9 points and 6.6 rebounds in 26.2 minutes per game this time around. Tac was a three-star prospect coming out of high school where she originally went to TCU.

CROUSE CAREER TO THIS POINT
Four-year starter Avery Crouse has scored 827 points with 380 rebounds, 184 assists and 107 steals in 101 games.

KEEPING OPPONENTS OFF THE GLASS
UTEP has allowed opponents to only grab 31.8 rebounds per game since the beginning of C-USA play, the lowest mark in the conference over that stretch.

ARIKE CAREER TALLIES
In her third season in El Paso, Elina Arike has scored 490 points and grabbed 302 rebounds in 66 games with 62 starts.

POSSESSION BASKETBALL
With just 14.3 turnovers per game this season, the Miners are keeping possession of the basketball at one of the best clips in program history. The only UTEP team to average less turnovers per contest was the 2008-09 team at an average of 13.0 per game.

FREE THROW UPDATE
UTEP averages 15.1 free throws made per game, ranking 27th nationally and third in C-USA. The Miners are averaging 21.4 attempts per game, ranking 26th nationally and third in the conference.

AVERY FROM DOWNTOWN
In her collegiate career, Avery Crouse has made 84 triples, ranking her 15th in UTEP program history. This season, she has connected on 23 from downtown, equaling her previous season best of 23 set in 2019-20 and 2021-22.

WHAT'S NEXT
UTEP tangles up with WKU on Saturday at 1 p.m. on National Girls and Women in Sports Day. The Lady Toppers are currently second in the C-USA standings.

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.).

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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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