UTEP Athletics

Miners Host UTSA on Saturday Afternoon in Pink Out Game

2/10/2023 3:11:00 PM

UTEP GAME NOTES

EL PASO, Texas – Following a cross-country trek to Charlotte earlier in the week, UTEP women's basketball returns home to welcome in UTSA on Saturday at 1 p.m. MT.

The Miners (15-7, 8-5 C-USA) upended Charlotte 70-64 on Wednesday after a round trip expedition that spanned over 3,200 miles.

On the other side of the floor, the Roadrunners (6-16, 4-9 C-USA) are playing for the first time since an impressive 58-53 upset of No. 21 Middle Tennessee last Saturday at home.

Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game, which is also serving as Military Appreciation Day.

GAME COVERAGE
Fans can watch the game on Saturday on Stadium Plus and CUSA.tv with Mando Medina and Rachel Phillips on the call courtside from the Don Haskins Center. Live stats will be available on the UTEP SIDEARM Stats Portal.

SCOUTING UTSA
The Roadrunners are riding a high from the third ranked win in program history the last time out against No. 21 Middle Tennessee, a 58-53 triumph inside the Convocation Center. In that game, the Lady Raiders took 54 3-point attempts, hitting just 10 of them. UTSA is the first team to hold an opponent to 10 or fewer 3-pointers on 50 or more attempts since UConn against St. Francis in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. UTEP will focus in on Jordyn Jenkins defensively, as the USC transfer scored a career-high 37 points the last time she squared off with the Miners in San Antonio. On the season, Jenkins leads C-USA with 19.7 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Three of the five starters for the Roadrunners are Power 5 transfers. In addition to Jenkins, Kyra White is also a USC transfer and has posted 6.9 points, 5.5 boards and 4.6 assists per contest. She is third in C-USA in assists per game. On the interior, second-year UTSA player and Texas transfer Elyssa Coleman contributes 9.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. She is second in C-USA with a team-high 39 blocks.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. UTSA
In recent history the Miners have dominated UTSA, winning nine of the last 10 meetings, including eight straight prior to a heartbreaking 58-57 overtime loss in the C-USA Championships last season. In the all-time series, the Roadrunners lead 23-20. UTEP took care of UTSA with a 74-67 win earlier this year in San Antonio, where the Miners have claimed six straight contests.

ARIKE LEADING THE SCORING PUNCH
Elina Arike has led UTEP in scoring in four straight contests, averaging 17.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game over the stretch. Since Jan. 28, Arike has seen her scoring average increase from 9.5 per game to 11.3 for the season. She set multiple career bests in a win over No. 21 Middle Tennessee, scoring a career-high 20 points and swatting a personal-best four blocks. She followed that game up with 16 points and 11 rebounds for her first double-double of the season against WKU.

ISN'T THIS CONFERENCE FUN?
UTEP has had seven straight games and 10 of the last 11 decided by single digits.

EVERYONE GETTING INVOLVED
UTEP has had 12 games this year in which four different scorers reached double figures.

N'YAH DROPPING DIMES
Off the bench on Wednesday, point guard N'Yah Boyd distributed a career-high eight assists. She had reached her previous career high of seven three times before that, including in the win over Texas Southern earlier this season.

STRONG SHOOTING PERFORMANCE
UTEP went 29-of-55 (52.7 percent) from the floor in the win at Charlotte, the best clip of the season for the team. It marked the best shooting percentage in a game for the Miners since hitting 53.7 percent of their shots on Feb. 5, 2021 in a 74-53 handling of UAB.

DOMINATING THE MIDDLE OF GAMES
The Miners have outscored opponents by a combined 87 points in the second and third quarters this season. Against Charlotte, UTEP outscored the 49ers 45-26 over the middle two quarters. In the prior game vs. WKU, that tally was 50-27.

CONTINUING TO PLAY WELL ON THE ROAD
UTEP is 6-3 away from home this season. The six wins is tied with the 2020-21 team for the most wins away from El Paso since the 2015-16 squad went 8-3. Two teams have won 10 or more games on the road in a single season, as the 2007-08 team went 10-3 and the 2011-12 group was 11-1. Following the game against UTSA, the Miners will play four of their final six games away from the friendly confines, hitting the road for contests at UAB, North Texas, WKU and Middle Tennessee.

FANS SHOWING UP TO THE DON
UTEP had great crowd support over the last three games at home, averaging 1,229 fans, including a season-high 1,403 against WKU. The crowd against the Lady Toppers marked the largest of the Kevin Baker era and the most since 1,532 saw the Miners play FIU on Feb. 25, 2017.

ANOTHER WINNING SEASON AT HOME
This season marks the 17th time in the past 19 seasons that UTEP has posted a winning record at home, with the Miners 8-3 to this point in the campaign.

CROUSE HAVING BEST 3-POINT SEASON
In her collegiate career, Avery Crouse has made 87 triples, ranking her in a tie for 14th in UTEP program history. This season, she has connected on 25 from downtown, surpassing her previous season best of 23 set during both the 2019-20 and 2021-22 campaigns.

DOUBLE-DIGIT E DUB
Erin Wilson has taken full advantage of the opportunity to step into the starting lineup over the last five games, reaching double figures each time out. She is averaging 13.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per contest over the stretch in which she has played 28.8 minutes per night.

RELIABLE STARTERS
Jazion Jackson and Avery Crouse are the lone two Miners who have started all 22 games this season.

TAC DISPLAYING TREMENDOUS GROWTH
Adhel Tac has had her best college season to date this year, posting seven double-figure scoring games, five 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 7.7 points and 6.5 rebounds in 26.7 minutes per game this time around. Tac has worked heavily with Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach Chisan Jones to work her way towards the gains.

CROUSE CAREER CAPSULE
Four-year starter Avery Crouse has scored 850 points with 341 rebounds, 195 assists and 110 steals in 104 games.

STEALING THE SHOW
Jazion Jackson is fifth in C-USA this season with 43 steals, averaging 2.0 per game.

BEST IN CONFERENCE
UTEP has allowed opponents to only grab 31.2 rebounds per game since the beginning of C-USA play, the lowest mark in the conference over that stretch.

ARIKE CAREER NUMBERS
In her third season in El Paso, Elina Arike has scored 542 points and grabbed 325 rebounds in 69 games with 65 starts.

LIMITING TURNOVERS AT HISTORIC RATE
With just 14.5 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.

LIVING AT THE LINE
UTEP averages 14.6 free throws made per game, ranking 33rd nationally and third in C-USA. The Miners are averaging 21.0 attempts per game, ranking 26th nationally and third in the conference.

CRASHING THE BOARDS IN C-USA
Jazion Jackson has continued to be active on the glass during the conference games to this point, averaging 6.8 per contest to rank tied for fourth in the league in C-USA tilts.

WHAT'S NEXT
UTEP departs for a two-game road swing at UAB and North Texas next Thursday and Saturday.

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.

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