One-on-one with UTEP’s Keitha Adams; UTEP looks to protect perfect home record against UC Irvine
EL PASO, Texas - The UTEP women’s basketball team (7–2) returns to the Don Haskins Center on Thursday looking to protect its perfect home record as the Miners host UC Irvine at 7 p.m. MT.
UTEP enters the matchup 6–0 at home and seeks to reset after a challenging two-game road stretch at No. 8 TCU and BYU, reestablishing its identity on its home floor.
SCOUTING UC IRVINE
UC Irvine enters Thursday’s matchup at 10–2 overall and 3-2 on the road, riding a nine-game winning streak following an 83-66 win over New Mexico State on Dec. 16. The Anteaters are led by head coach Tamara Inoue, who is in her tenth season guiding the program. UC Irvine is coming off a 2023–24 Big West Conference championship season, reinforcing its status as one of the league’s top programs.
The Anteaters are averaging 71.6 points, 39.0 rebounds, and 13.8 assists per game, while shooting 40.0 percent from the field, 34.1 percent from three (79 nationally), and 82.6 percent at the free-throw line (4th nationally). Defensively, UC Irvine is holding opponents to just 34.8 percent shooting (27th nationally) and 26.6 percent from beyond the arc (59th nationally), while outscoring teams by 15.0 points per game (55th nationally). The Anteaters also rank among the nation’s top 50 in scoring defense, limiting opponents to under 60 points a game (56.6).
UC Irvine is led by Hunter Hernandez, who paces the Anteaters with 16.4 points per game (91st nationally) and adds 5.6 rebounds per contest. Jada Wynn provides a strong all-around presence, averaging 14.8 points, a team-best 8.9 rebounds (54th nationally), and a team-leading 3.4 assists per game. Wynn ranks 11th nationally with five double-doubles this season. Both Wynn and Hernandez rank among the nation’s top 75 in free-throw percentage, with Hernandez sitting 28th nationally at 88.6 percent and Wynn 56th nationally at 86.2 percent. Lauryn Masden adds 8.9 points per game, rounding out UC Irvine’s primary contributors.
MINER NOTABLES
Two Miners reached double figures as UTEP closed its road trip with an 86–41 loss at BYU on Dec. 13. Sirviva Legions led the Miners with 13 points and four rebounds, marking her fourth straight game in double figures. Ndack Mbengue added six points and seven rebounds, continuing her presence on the glass against a strong Cougars frontcourt.
SERIES HISTORY
Thursday’s matchup marks the fifth all-time meeting between UTEP and UC Irvine, with the series tied at 2–2. The teams last met on Nov. 13, 2010, at the Don Haskins Center, where the Miners earned a 72–57 victory.
MINERS FALL AT BYU TO CLOSE ROAD TRIP
UTEP fell to 7–2 on the season with an 81–46 loss at BYU on Dec. 13, closing a challenging road trip against Power Four competition. The Miners competed defensively in stretches but struggled to establish offensive rhythm against the Cougars’ size and pressure, finishing at 30 percent from the field while committing 19 turnovers.
UTEP battled early in a defensive-minded opening quarter, trailing 13–6 after one, but BYU used a strong second-quarter surge to build a 42–14 lead going into halftime. The Miners showed improved pace coming out of the locker room and continued to attack the paint, yet BYU answered with timely perimeter shooting and second-chance points to maintain control. Despite continued effort and forcing turnovers, UTEP was unable to close the gap as the Cougars sealed the result in the fourth.
UTEP hung tough early, trailing 21–11 after the first quarter, but an 11–0 TCU run to close the half created a 43–18 deficit at the break. The Miners opened the third quarter with active possessions, yet the Horned Frogs continued to pull away behind perimeter shooting and transition play. Despite competing on the glass and forcing 15 turnovers, UTEP was unable to generate consistent offense as TCU sealed the result in the fourth.
LEGIONS LOCKED IN
Sirviva Legions continued her steady early-season production with 13 points and four rebounds at BYU, marking her fourth consecutive game in double figures. The senior guard has now scored in double figures while adding 5+ rebounds in six of UTEP’s first eight games, showcasing her reliability on both ends of the floor as one of the Miners’ most dependable two-way performers.
Legions previously tallied 10 points and six rebounds at No. 8 TCU (Dec. 6), while also posting a season-best 17 points and seven boards against Denver (Nov. 29). Through nine games, she is averaging 10.9 points and 5.7 rebounds while shooting 40 percent from the field.
MBENGUE’S CONSISTENCY IN THE PAINT
Ndack Mbengue continued her strong interior presence with 10 points and 10 rebounds at No. 8 TCU, securing her third double-double of the season, all of which have come over the last five games. She followed that effort with seven rebounds at BYU and has now recorded 10 or more boards in five of her last seven contests.
Her recent stretch includes a career-high 18 points and 10 rebounds at Kansas City (Nov. 25), part of back-to-back double-doubles against the Roos and Denver in which she totaled 30 points and 20 rebounds. Mbengue enters the week ranked among the top 75 nationally in rebounds per game, and her consistency around the rim continues to solidify her role as one of UTEP’s most impactful interior contributors.
AMANIYO’S BOARD WORK REMAINS ELITE
Mary Moses Amaniyo continued her strong rebounding presence with nine boards at No. 8 TCU, extending her stretch of consistency on the interior. The sophomore forward has now recorded eight or more rebounds in six of UTEP’s eight games and enters the week averaging a double-double with 11.8 rebounds and 10.9 points per contest.
Amaniyo ranks 20th nationally and second in Conference USA in rebounds per game, while ranking top 5 in the nation in offensive rebounds per game (5.0). She also sits 27th nationally and second in Conference USA with four double-doubles, reinforcing her status as one of the country’s most productive rebounders and a key anchor in UTEP’s frontcourt.
HEAVEN ON THE HEIST
Heaven Samayoa-Mathis turned in a standout defensive performance against TAMU-CC (Dec. 3), recording a career-high six steals to help fuel UTEP’s dominant effort on that end of the floor.
Samayoa-Mathis has continued to impact games with her defensive instincts and energy, helping the Miners hold their first seven opponents to fewer than 65 points before conceding 90 at No. 8 TCU.
BACK-TO-BACK POWER 4 TESTS
UTEP’s game at BYU (Dec. 13) marked its second straight contest against a Power 4 opponent, following its Dec. 6 road game at No. 8 TCU. It was the Miners’ first stretch of consecutive Power 4 opponents in eight seasons.
The last occurrence came during the 2016–17 campaign, when UTEP faced LSU (Nov. 24, 2016) and NC State (Nov. 25, 2016) on back-to-back days at the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
TENSAIE SCORING SURGE CONTINUES
Ivane Tensaie continued her strong offensive rhythm with 15 points and four rebounds in the win over TAMU-CC (Nov. 29), building on the momentum that earned her Conference USA Player of the Week honors on Dec. 2.
Tensaie delivered one of the best weeks of her UTEP career to claim the award, highlighted by a season-high 26 points on 8 for 12 shooting from three against Denver on Nov. 29. Her eight made three-pointers set a UTEP single-game record, surpassing her previous mark of seven. Earlier in the week, she added 19 points on 5 for 8 from beyond the arc in the road win at Kansas City (Nov. 25).
The graduate guard’s efficient perimeter scoring continues to provide a major spark for UTEP’s offense as the Miners remain unbeaten.
GOING BACK-TO-BACK
UTEP recently secured Conference USA Player of the Week recognition in consecutive weeks, marking the program’s first back-to-back honors since the 2013–14 season. Mary Moses Amaniyo earned the award first, followed the next week by Ivane Tensaie after her record-setting performance from beyond the arc. The Miners’ last pair of consecutive honorees prior to this season came in 2014, when Kayla Thornton earned the award on Jan. 27 and Feb. 3.
DEFENSE DEFINES THE MINERS
UTEP opened the year with an impressive defensive run, holding its first seven opponents under 65 points. The streak marked the longest by any Conference USA program to begin a season since Southern Miss accomplished the feat in 2003–04, holding its first 10 opponents below the threshold.
It was also the first time in 29 years that UTEP started a season with seven straight opponents under 65 points. The last occurrence came during the 1996–97 campaign, when the Miners limited 11 consecutive opponents below the mark to open the year.
EXTRA EFFORT, EXTRA POINTS
UTEP converted its rebounding strength into reliable scoring, dominating opponents 135–57 in second-chance points through nine games. The Miners recorded double-digit second-chance production in each of their first seven outings, highlighted by a 17–0 margin in the overtime win over UT Martin and a season-best 26 against WNMU. They had nine such points at No. 8 TCU.
So far this season, UTEP is averaging 16.8 second-chance points per contest while limiting opponents to just 7.1, turning effort and offensive rebounding into a consistent scoring advantage.
NATIONALLY ELITE ON THE GLASS
UTEP has established itself as one of the top rebounding teams in the country, entering Thursday’s game averaging 44.8 rebounds per game (14th nationally). The Miners also rank 12th in the nation in offensive rebounds per game at 17.0, consistently generating extra possessions that fuel their scoring.
UTEP’s rebounding prowess was on full display against Western New Mexico, where the Miners grabbed a program-record 33 offensive rebounds and finished with 64 total boards, their highest single-game total since collecting 66 against the Mustangs in 2016. The sustained dominance on the glass continues to be a defining strength of UTEP’s early-season success.
QUARTER FRENZY
Ivane Tensaie has joined one of the rarest scoring lists in program history. With her previous 14-point third quarter at Kansas City (Nov. 25) and 13-point fourth quarter vs. FIU last season (Jan. 18, 2025), she is now one of only four players in UTEP history to record multiple quarters with 13+ points.
The exclusive list includes:
Sparkle Taylor - Four times (‘16-17)
Najala Howell - Three times (‘17-18)
Katarina Zec - Two times (‘17-18) (‘19-20)
AMANIYO JOINS ELITE COMPANY
Mary Moses Amaniyo continued to establish herself as one of the nation’s elite rebounders, posting two of the top performances in program history within the first month of the season. She opened the year with a UTEP-record 22 rebounds against PVAMU (Nov. 3) and later grabbed 18 boards in the win over UT Martin (Nov.22).
Amaniyo is the first Miner since Kayla Thornton in 2013-14 to record multiple games with 18 or more rebounds in the same season. Her presence on the glass continues to anchor UTEP’s interior play and generate critical extra-possession opportunities.
SENIOR 5
For the first time since UTEP began tracking lineup records in 1983, the Miners are starting an all-senior lineup. The veteran group provides experience, leadership, and stability, anchoring UTEP’s strong start to the season.
UP NEXT
UTEP will continue its homestand by hosting NAIA opponent University of the Southwest (Dec. 29) before opening Conference USA play at home against Delaware (Jan. 2).
