UTEP Athletics

Miners Conclude Homestand vs. WKU on Saturday Afternoon

2/3/2023 4:25:00 PM

UTEP GAME NOTES

EL PASO, Texas – UTEP women's basketball looks to ride the momentum from a huge 65-62 win over No. 21 Middle Tennessee last time out into a Saturday contest against WKU.

Opening tip is slated for 1 p.m. in the Don Haskins Center. The Lady Toppers (12-9, 9-3 C-USA) currently reside in second in the league, with the Miners (14-6, 7-4 C-USA) right behind them in third.

This is the first meeting between the two sides since 2020.

UTEP will be hosting a National Girls and Women in Sports Day celebration featuring athletes from all female sports in attendance to sign autographs in the concourse following the game. At halftime, all of the Flo Hyman Award winners presented by Raising Cane's will be recognized on the floor.

GAME COVERAGE
Fans can watch the game against WKU on ESPN+ with Mando Medina and Rachel Phillips calling all the action courtside. Live stats will be available on the UTEP SIDEARM Stats Portal.

SCOUTING WKU
After going 3-6 against a challenging non-conference slate, the Lady Toppers have turned it around to start C-USA action 9-3, with the team sitting in second in the standings entering Saturday. WKU has won three straight and eight of the last nine, including a tight 73-67 victory at UTSA on Thursday. Six players average 6.0 points or more per game, led by the double-digit duo of Acacia Hayes at 10.2 points and Jaylin Foster at 10.0 per contest. Foster has a team-high 50 steals, while Hayes has been selected the C-USA Freshman of the Week twice in the past three weeks. Sophomore Alexis Mead is the primary distributor for the Lady Toppers, dishing out 3.0 assists per game. The fairly young roster that features seven underclassmen has exceeded preseason expectations after being picked sixth in the C-USA Preseason Coaches' Poll. WKU is an aggressive team on the defensive side of the floor, leading the conference and ranking sixth nationally with 12.5 steals per game. The team is heavily reliant on perimeter play, taking 28.9 triples per game, a total which is third in NCAA Division I women's basketball. WKU has posted 20-win or greater seasons nine times in the past 10 years.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. WKU
This is the first meeting between the Lady Toppers and Miners since Feb. 13, 2020 when WKU won 78-65 in Bowling Green. Overall, WKU leads the all-time series 4-3 and is 3-1 in El Paso.

KNOCKING OFF A RANKED OPPONENT
After knocking off No. 21 Middle Tennessee on Thursday, UTEP picked up the second win in program history against a nationally-ranked team. The other victory was a 50-46 decision against No. 11 Utah at home on Jan. 31, 1998.

AUTOMATIC AVERY
In her collegiate career, Avery Crouse has made 86 triples, ranking her in a tie for 14th in UTEP program history. This season, she has connected on 24 from downtown, surpassing her previous season best of 23 set during both the 2019-20 and 2021-22 campaigns.

WINNING IN STYLE
The 3-pointer to send UTEP to victory over No. 21 Middle Tennessee by Jazion Jackson marked the first game-winning shot of her career. Inbounding the basketball from in front of their own bench with 4.8 seconds left in a tie game, the Miners ran a perfectly executed play to deliver the dagger, initially getting the ball to Sabine Lipe, who drew three defenders in on a shot fake before dishing it out to an open Jackson beyond the arc. Despite a hand in her face, there was never any doubt that the Jackson left-wing attempt would fall, threading the nylon and sending the home crowd into pandemonium.

SNAPPING A STREAK
Middle Tennessee had won 16 games in a row prior to being handed the loss by the Miners on Thursday.

YOU'VE BEEN SWATTED
Elina Arike blocked a career-high four shots in the win over Middle Tennessee.

MORE ON ARIKE
In addition to her defensive efforts Thursday, Elina Arike set a career high with 20 points to go along with eight rebounds. In the game prior against North Texas, Arike had equaled her then-career high with 19 points.

DOUBLE-DIGIT E DUB
Erin Wilson has taken full advantage of the opportunity to step into the starting lineup over the last three games, reaching double figures each time out, including 13 points vs. Middle Tennessee. She is averaging 13.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest over the stretch in which she has played 32.3 minutes per night.

TRIPLE-DOUBLE THREAT
Avery Crouse stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals against Middle Tennessee. The effort follows a performance on Jan. 21 at Florida Atlantic in which she scored 10 points with 10 rebounds and eight assists for the first double-double of her career.

SHOTS FALL, WINS FOLLOW
Thursday marked a continuation of success for UTEP when shooting better than the opposition, with the Miners improving to 6-0 when shooting at a higher percentage clip than their opponents.

SCORING FROM ALL SOURCES
UTEP has had 10 games this year in which four different scorers reached double figures.

UTEP AT HOME
The Miners have been successful at home once again this season, posting an 8-2 record. UTEP has secured a winning record at home 17 times in the past 19 seasons.

STARTING FOR THE MINERS
Jazion Jackson and Avery Crouse are the lone two Miners who have started all 20 games this season.

SABINE KEEPS SHOOTING
Sabine Lipe has made at least one triple in nine of the last 10 games off the bench.

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 8.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in 26.4 minutes per game this time around.

CROUSE CAREER COMPILATION
Four-year starter Avery Crouse has scored 837 points with 387 rebounds, 190 assists and 109 steals in 102 games.

TWO-WAY IMPACT
Jazion Jackson is fifth in C-USA this season with 40 steals, averaging 2.0 per game.

KEEPING OPPONENTS OFF THE BOARDS
UTEP has allowed opponents to only grab 31.6 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 510 points and grabbed 310 rebounds in 67 games with 63 starts.

ALWAYS INTERESTING
UTEP has had five straight games and eight of the last nine decided by single digits.

POSSESSION BASKETBALL
With just 14.4 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 15.0 free throws made per game, ranking 28th nationally and third in C-USA. The Miners are averaging 21.3 attempts per game, ranking 26th nationally and second 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 6.5 per contest to rank tied for sixth in the league in C-USA tilts.

WHAT'S NEXT
UTEP departs for a Wednesday game at Charlotte next week before returning home to host UTSA on Saturday afternoon.

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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