UTEP Athletics

Miners Start Final Homestand of Season Thursday vs. FIU

2/22/2023 11:03:00 AM

UTEP GAME NOTES

EL PASO, Texas – UTEP women's basketball welcomes in FIU on Thursday for the Equality and Inclusion Night for the program as part of Black History Month.

Opening tip is slated for 7 p.m. MT inside the Don Haskins Center.

The Miners (17-8, 10-6 C-USA) still sit in third in the conference standings with just four games to play and are a full game ahead of Rice and LA Tech in fourth.

FIU (12-13, 7-9 C-USA) has taken the last two games in the head-to-head series, however the Panthers are currently on the outside looking in for a bye into the quarterfinals of the C-USA Championships.

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

SCOUTING FIU
Saint Joseph's transfer Kaliah Henderson has made a tremendous impact for the program this season, leading the way with 15.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while accumulating 46 steals. Rebounding is a strength for the team, ranking second in conference with 39.4 per game, including 15.2 offensive boards per contest, a total that ranks 16th nationally and tops in C-USA. An aggressive defensive approach is one of the most noticeable characteristics for the Panthers, who swipe 9.8 steals per game to rank second in the league. Tanajah Hayes and Sifa Joyeuse each average 9.8 points per game and are other talented pieces to watch for the squad. Hayes leads the team with 86 assists and 58 steals from her point guard position.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. FIU
The head-to-head series has been largely dominated by the Miners, who had taken seven straight prior to dropping the last two in Miami. Overall, UTEP leads 11-4 all-time against the Panthers.

MONTROSE EARNS C-USA FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK HONORS
UTEP women's basketball guard Soleil Montrose was named the Conference USA Freshman of the Week presented by Blenders Eyewear on Monday by the league office. This is the second time that Montrose has earned the recognition this season. As the lone first-year collegiate player on the roster for the Miners, Montrose picked up her fourth double-digit scoring game of the year with 10 points and a pair of 3-pointers in a 27-point blowout win at UAB on Friday. She also added two assists with a rebound and a steal. In a tight loss at North Texas on Saturday, she added another 3-pointer off the bench. Montrose is the first UTEP freshman since Lulu McKinney during the 2014-15 campaign to receive Freshman of the Week honors multiple times.

CAMPAIGNING FOR ELINA
Elina Arike has made her presence known in conference play as a dominant post option for the Miners. Over the last seven games, Arike has reached double figures each time, raising her scoring average for the season from 9.5 per game to 11.6 over the stretch. During that time, Arike is averaging 16.2 per game with 6.1 rebounds per contest. The native of Finland should be squarely on the radar of those around the league for All-Conference recognition.

CLOSING IN ON 1,000
Jazion Jackson has now scored 930 collegiate points between her time with the Miners and North Texas, including a career-high 302 already this season while leading UTEP with 12.1 points per game.

DOUBLE-DIGIT CONFERENCE WINS
UTEP women's basketball has now won 10 or more conference games 10 times in program history. This is the second time that the team has reached double-digit wins in league play in the last three seasons.

WINNING 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 9-3 to this point in the campaign.

CLOSE CALLS IN CONFERENCE
To this point, 12 of the 16 conference games that the Miners have played have been decided by single digits. In such contests, UTEP is 7-5, with four of those losses coming by a combined nine points. Two of the last three games have seen the Miners win by 27 points though thanks to lopsided wins over UTSA and UAB.

CONSISTENT STARTERS
Jazion Jackson and Avery Crouse are the lone two Miners who have started all 25 games this season. The duo has been a staple of durability throughout the season. Crouse has now started 106 career games with UTEP.

WHAT MAKES THIS TEAM SPECIAL
UTEP has had 15 games this year in which four different scorers reached double figures.

HANDLING BUSINESS IN THE CLASSROOM
Adhel Tac, Avery Crouse and Sabine Lipe were all named to the Academic All-District Team presented by College Sports Communicators on Tuesday. To be nominated, a student-athlete must be a starter or key reserve with at least a 3.50 GPA. The three Miners comprise 20 percent of the 15 Conference USA honorees, with UTEP tying LA Tech and Middle Tennessee for the most selections in the league. These are the first Academic All-District selections for the UTEP women's basketball program since Cameasha Turner in the 2015-16 season.

JAZION IN HOT STRETCH
Jazion Jackson has piled up nine straight double-figure scoring games, raising her scoring average from 10.4 per game to 12.1 on average. During the nine games, Jackson is averaging 15.1 points per contest. The stretch was highlighted by back-to-back big games in Florida, netting 22 at FIU and a career-high 26 at Florida Atlantic.

GLASS CLEANERS
Jazion Jackson has continued to be active on the glass during the conference games to this point, averaging 6.4 per contest to rank fourth in the league in C-USA tilts. Adhel Tac is tied for fifth in C-USA play with 6.3 rebounds per game.

PLAYING FOR A BYE
UTEP continues to remain positioned well for a bye in the first round of the C-USA Championships. The Miners lead sixth-place Charlotte and FIU by three games each in the standings. The top-five teams automatically advance in the tournament.

CROUSE CLIMBING 3-POINT LIST
In her collegiate career, Avery Crouse has made 93 triples, ranking her 12th in UTEP program history. This season, she has connected on 31 from downtown, surpassing her previous season best of 23 set during both the 2019-20 and 2021-22 campaigns.

LIVING AT THE LINE
UTEP averages 14.4 free throws made per game, ranking 42nd nationally and third in C-USA. The Miners are averaging 20.5 attempts per game, ranking 39th nationally and fourth in the conference.

BIG SEASON FOR ADHEL
Adhel Tac has had her best college season to date this year, posting eight 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 7.4 points and 6.4 rebounds in 25.9 minutes per game this time around.

CROUSE CAREER CAPSULE
Four-year starter Avery Crouse has scored 878 points with 354 rebounds, 197 assists and 111 steals in 107 games.

JACKSON STEALS UPDATE
Jazion Jackson is fourth in C-USA this season with 50 steals, averaging 2.0 per game.

NO REBOUNDS FOR YOU
UTEP has allowed opponents to only grab 32.5 rebounds per game since the beginning of C-USA play, the lowest mark in the conference over that stretch.

LIMITING TURNOVERS AT HISTORIC RATE
With just 13.9 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.

WHAT'S NEXT
UTEP will recognize fans for a great season on Saturday at 1 p.m. MT when Florida Atlantic comes to town for Fan Appreciation Day. Seniors Avery Crouse, Erin Wilson, Sabine Lipe and Mahri Petree will all be honored prior to the game for Senior Day.

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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