UTEP Women’s Basketball Travels to Sam Houston Saturday

1/3/2025 4:07:00 PM

Game Notes (PDF)
Season Statistics (PDF)

HUNTSVILLE, Texas. – The UTEP women's basketball team (7-5, 0-1 CUSA)) is set to take on Sam Houston (7-4, 0-1 CUSA) Saturday. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. MT / 2 p.m. CT. The Miners will look to shake off their Conference USA-opening loss to LA Tech.

GAME COVERAGE
Saturday vs Sam Houston — Live Stats or Watch Here

LAST WEEK ON…
The Miners dropped their first conference game of the season 63-50 to LA Tech on Jan. 2. Despite an even matchup over the initial three periods, poor shooting from the Miners in the fourth quarter (11.8 percent, 2-17) allowed the Lady Techsters to take the win. The Orange and Blue shot 36.4 percent from the floor, 16.7 percent (2-12) from three, and 80.0 percent (8-10) from the foul line in the contest. UTEP grabbed 34 rebounds and had eight assists and two steals. Ndack Mbengue and Delma Zita shared the team lead in points with 12 apiece. Mbengue also led all players in rebounds (12) while Zita led the Miners is assists (six). Mary Moses Amaniyo had a solid game, dropping nine points and seven rebounds.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE THE EFFORT
Ndack Mbengue recorded her third double-double of the season, dropping 12 points and 12 rebounds against LA Tech.

COMING ON STRONG
Delma Zita scored in double-figures (12 points) for the third straight game and fifth time this season against the Lady Techsters.

CRASHING THE BOARDS
Ndack Mbengue was a force on the glass against LA Tech, leading all players with a career-high 12 rebounds, including nine on the defensive end.

DELMA'S DISHES
Delma Zita recorded six assists against the Lady Techsters. It marks her fifth game this season with six or more assists. Moreover, Zita has tallied at least three assists in all but two games in the 2024-25 campaign.

TENSAIE FOR THREEEEE!
Ivane Tensaie is averaging 3.17 three pointers per game, ranking her eighth in the NCAA in the category. She also sits 21st in the nation in made three pointers (38), and 28th in three-point percentage (43.7).

MAKE ROOM FOR THE ROOK
Mary Moses Amaniyo earned her first career start against LA Tech. She posted nine points and seven rebounds in a career-high 28 minutes of action.

POINTS AT A PREMIUM
UTEP has held opponents under 70 points in three straight contests, its longest streak this season.

FEELIN' FINE AT THE FOUL LINE
UTEP shot 80.0 percent (8-10) from the free throw line against the Lady Techsters, marking the third game this season that the Miners have shot shot 80.0 percent or more from the charity stripe.

SHARP SHOOTING
Four Miners are shooting over 50.0 percent from the field this season (minimum 10 attempts. Mary Moses Amaniyo leads all players at 55.9, followed by Luisa Vydrova (54.2), Osadebamwen Igbinedion Omoruyi (53.8), and Ndack Mbengue (51.9)

HOW MAY WE ASSIST YOU?
UTEP has earned 159 assists on 282 made shot attempts in 2024-25 (56.4 percent). Delma Zita is responsible for 54 of those assists (33.9 percent of all assists).

GUARDING THE PERIMETER
The Miners held the Lady Techsters to just 19.2 percent shooting (5-26) from beyond the arc. It marks the third lowest 3FG% by an opponent this season, and seventh game in which the opposition has shot under 30.0 percent from three.

INTERNATIONAL LOVE
UTEP has 10 international players on their 2024-25 roster. That is the second most in Division I, behind South Florida with 11.

SCOUTING REPORT: SAM HOUSTON
The Bearkats are 7-4 overall and 0-1 in league play. They fell to NM State 79-61 in their CUSA opener on January 2. Sam Houston is averaging 68.5 points. 40.9 rebounds, and 14.7 assists per game. The team is also tallying 12.2 steals, 2.5 blocks, and 19.2 turnovers per contest. Kaila Kelley paces the Bearkats with 14.1 points per game, followed by Deborah Ogayemi with 10.8. Ogayemi leads the team in rebounding, pulling down 7.9 per game. Fanta Kone tops the team in assists (5.8), steals (3.0) and blocks (0.7). Nationally, the Bearkats are ranked in the top 100 in multiple categories. They sit third in the nation in free throw attempts per game (25.36), 21st in free throws made per game (15.45), fifth in offensive rebounds per game (17.9), 51st in total rebounds per game (40.91), fifth in turnovers forced per game (26.18) and 23rd in steals per game (12.2) They also rank 24th in both three-point percentage defense (25.3) and turnover margin (7.09). Individually, Kone sits 17th in assists per game (5.8) and 15th in steals per game (3.00). Ogayemi is ranked 22 in offensive rebounds per game (4.2) and 63rd in steals per game (2.44). Finally, Aysia Ward-Strong is tied with Kone at 15th in steals per game (3.00).

SERIES HISTORY WITH THE BEARKATS
UTEP 5-0 all-time against Sam Houston. Last season, the Miners went 3-0 over the Bearkats, winning both games in the regular season as well as the first-round matchup in the CUSA Championship.

FAST FORWARD
The Miners return to the Borderland next Saturday (1/11) at 2 p.m. MT when they compete at rival NM State in the first Battle of I-10 matchup of the season. Then, UTEP is back in the Don Haskins Center Thursday (1/16) to face off against Liberty.

TICKETS
For tickets, fans can call 915-747-UTEP or visit UTEPMiners.com/Tickets for more information.

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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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