UTEP Falls to WKU 66-65 in Down-to-the-Wire Heartbreaker

BOWLING GREEN, Kentucky (KVIA) -- UTEP women’s basketball (6-11, 1-3 CUSA) fell 66-65 to WKU (13-7, 3-2 CUSA) on Saturday afternoon in a game that had nine lead changes and four ties.  

The Miners led by as many as nine, but late turnovers proved costly as the Lady Toppers pulled off the one-point win.  

The contest came down to the final seconds as Luisa Vydrova gave UTEP a 65-64 lead on a made jump shot with 21 seconds remaining. However Destiny Salary, behind a game-high 25 points, made a driving layup with eight seconds remaining for the go-ahead lead. The Miners didn’t get a shot up after turning the ball over on their final possession.  

Jane Asinde put up a team-high 19 points and 14 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the year. Erin Wilson tacked on 13 points and Vydrova added 10. 

Wilson was second on the team in rebounds with eight. Delma Zita dished out four assists, and Ivane Tensaie snagged two steals. 

UTEP finished shooting 52.1 percent (25-48) from the floor, 30.8 percent (4-13) from beyond the arc, and 64.7 percent (11/17) from the charity stripe. The team pulled down 39 rebounds, had 15 assists, and three steals. 

The Miners were hot out of the gate, hitting 3-5 from beyond the arc in the first period. They led 18-15 at the end of the quarter. Asinde paced the team with seven points and six rebounds in the first.  

UTEP stretched its lead to eight at the halftime break, leading 33-25 as the teams went to the locker rooms. The Miners shared the wealth, with eight players scoring in the first half. Asinde had a first-half double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. 

The Orange and Blue shot 48.0 percent (12-25) from the field, 37.5 percent (3-8) from three, and 60.0 percent (6-10) from the foul line. The Miners had 23 rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and one block in the first half. 

WKU went on an 11-0 run to start the second half, but UTEP didn’t let that last for long and led 50-45 with one quarter remaining. Asinde had 12 points to lead the Miners, followed by Wilson with eight, and Vydrova and Tensaie with eight apiece. 

The Lady Toppers locked down on defense in the fourth and a last-second turnover from the Miners gave WKU the 66-65 win.  

WKU shot 32.3 percent (21-65) from the floor, 28.2 percent (11-49) from deep, and 65.0 percent (13-20) from the line. It finished with 33 rebounds, 13 assists, and 11 steals. Salary paved the way for the Lady Toppers with 25 points, followed by Acacia Hayes with 19. Aaliyah Pitts grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. 

UP NEXT 

UTEP returns to the Don Haskins Center for a pair of games next week. First up, the Miners welcome LA Tech Thursday (1/25) at 7:00 pm MT. Then, on Saturday (1/27) UTEP takes on new CUSA foe Sam Houston at 2:00 pm MT.