UTEP WBB Gears Up for Battle of I-10 Saturday
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The UTEP women’s basketball team (8-5, 1-1 CUSA) travels 45 minutes up Interstate-10 to Las Cruces, N.M., Saturday afternoon when they take on NM State (8-7, 1-1 CUSA) in the 97th edition of the “Battle of I-10.” The two sides are slated for a 2 p.m. MT tip.
GAME COVERAGE
Saturday vs NM State — Live Stats or Watch Here
LAST WEEK ON…
UTEP came back from as many as 13 down to defeat Sam Houston 64-62 on Jan. 4. Though the Miners trailed much of the game, they outscored the Bearkats 18-9 in the fourth quarter to bring the game down to the wire. Down one, Delma Zita kicked the ball out to Ivane Tensaie, who drained a three to put UTEP up two with 6.2 seconds to go. Sam Houston got a shot off as time-expired, but it missed the mark, and the Miners improved to 1-1 in conference play. UTEP shot 48.1 percent (26-54) from the floor, 50.0 percent (6-12) from distance, and 50.0 percent (6-12) from the foul line in the contest. The Miners pulled down 41 rebounds while tallying 13 assists, five steals, and one block. Tensaie led the team with 17 points, 14 of which came in the second half. She also drained four shots from beyond the arc, leading all players. Portia Adams also scored in double figures for the Miners (11) Ndack Mbengue (eight), Luisa Vydrova (eight), and Heaven Samayoa-Mathis (seven) round out the top five scorers. Mbengue grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds, followed by Osadebamwen Igbinedion Omoruyi (seven) and Vydrova (five). Zita and Samayoa-Mathis shared the team-lead in assists (four apiece) and Vydrova led in steals (three). Igbinedion Omoruyi swatted UTEP’s lone block.
CLUTCH.
Ivane Tensaie sank the game-winning three at Sam Houston, completing the 13-point comeback for the Miners.
MINUTES IN THE TANK
Osadebamwen Igbinedion Omoruyi racked up a career-high 17 minutes against the Bearkats. Additionally, Heaven Samayoa-Mathis played a season-best 28 minutes.
CRASHING THE BOARDS
Ndack Mbengue grabbed 12 rebounds for the second straight game at Sam Houston. It marks her fourth time recording at least 10 rebounds in a game and her fifth time leading the Miners on the glass.
JEWEL THIEF
Luisa Vydrova matched her career best with three steals against the Bearkats.
ATTACKING THE GLASS
Osadebamwen Igbinedion Omoruyi tallied a career-high seven rebounds at Sam Houston. It was the second game this season that the freshman has registered five or more boards.
DELMA’S DISHES
Delma Zita recorded four assists against the Bearkats, marking her seventh game this season tallying four or more dishes. Moreover, it was the eighth time that Zita has led the Miners in assists this season.
TENSAIE FOR THREEEEE!
Ivane Tensaie is averaging 3.23 three pointers per game, ranking her seventh in the NCAA in the category. She also sits 23rd in three-point percentage (43.8) and 25th in the nation in made three pointers (42)
DOUBLE IT
Ivane Tensaie (17) and Portia Adams (11) both scored in double figures at Sam Houston. It marked their 10th and seventh games, respectively, scoring 10 or more points.
HEAVEN'S HELPERS
Heaven Samayoa-Mathis recorded a season-high four assists against the Bearkats.
POINTS AT A PREMIUM
The Miners have held opponents under 70 points in four straight contests, its longest streak this season.
GUARDING THE PERIMETER
Sam Houston went 0-17 from beyond the arc against UTEP, marking the first time since the 2020-21 season that an opponent has not made a three (Southern Miss, 0-2, 1/2/21).
MINERS NEVER SAY DIE
The Miners came back from 13 down against the Bearkats, marking its largest comeback victory since the 2023-24 season when UTEP overcame a 16-point deficit to defeat WKU 73-68 on 2/15/24.
SHARP SHOOTING
Four Miners are shooting over 50.0 percent from the field this season (minimum 10 attempts. Osadebamwen Igbinedion Omoruyi leads all players at 62.5, followed by Mary Moses Amaniyo (54.3), Ndack Mbengue (53.6) Luisa Vydrova (52.8).
HOW MAY WE ASSIST YOU?
UTEP has earned 172 assists on 308 made shot attempts in 2024-25 (55.8 percent). Delma Zita is responsible for 58 of those assists (33.7 percent of all assists).
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: NM STATE
The Aggies are 8-7 overall and 1-1 in league play this season. Similarly to UTEP, NM State defeated Sam Houston but was bested by LA Tech on CUSA opening weekend. The Aggies are posting 65.3 points, 29.9 rebounds, and 12.4 assists per game. They are shooting 43.8 percent from the field, 32.1 percent from beyond the arc, and 70.8 percent from the charity stripe. Graduate guard Molly Kaiser paces NM State with 20.4 points per game, followed by Fanta Gassama at 10.8. Gassama is nearly averaging a double-double, pulling down a team-best 9.7 rebounds per game. Kaiser sits second on the boards at 3.6. The pair also lead the team in assists (Gassama-2.9, Kaiser-2.7) and steals (2.0 apiece). Madi Gewirtz and Imani Warren share the team-lead in blocks (0.5 each). Nationally, NM State ranks 81st in FG percentage (43.8), 59th in steals per game (10.3), and 57th in turnovers forced per game (20.0), among others. Individually, Kaiser is ranked in multiple categories, including FG percentage (50.8-72nd), free throw attempts (105-16th), made free throws (86-ninth), and points per game (20.4-18th). Gassama is in the top 50 in both defensive rebounds per game (7.8-12th) and total rebounds per game (9.7-37th).
SERIES HISTORY WITH THE AGGIES
UTEP IS 46-51 all-time against NM State. Last season, the two sides split the matchups, each winning its respective home contest.
FAST FORWARD
The Miners are back at the Don Haskins Center for a pair of games next week. They host Liberty Thursday (1/16) at 7 p.m. MT followed by FIU Saturday (1/18) at 12:30 p.m. MT.
TICKETS
For tickets, fans can call 915-747-UTEP or visit UTEPMiners.com/Tickets for more information.
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