Miners Edged Out by Jax State in Overtime Battle, 72-71

JACKSONVILLE, Alabama (KVIA) -- The UTEP women’s basketball team (9-8, 2-4 CUSA) fell to Jacksonville State (8-9, 2-4 CUSA) 72-71 in an overtime nailbiter Thursday afternoon. Turnovers once again cost the Miners, as the Gamecocks put up 31 points off of UTEP’s 24 giveaways.

The Miners shot 47.6 (30-63) from the field, 20.0 percent (2-10) from three, and 75.0 percent (9-12) from the charity stripe. All three of UTEP’s missed tries from the line came in the overtime period.

The Orange and Blue commanded the glass, pulling down 48 rebounds, including 15 on the offensive end. The Miners also tallied 11 assists, seven steals and two blocks.

Portia Adams led all players with 23 points, 14 coming in the second half. Luisa Vydrova (17) and Delma Zita (10) also posted double figures. Vydrova had a perfect shooting night, going 7-7 from the floor and 2-2 at the line.

Ndack Mbengue led the field with 11 rebounds while also tacking on eight points, two steals, and two blocks. Irene Asensio led the game with a career-high six assists. Adams added on five rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

“I thought we played hard today, but it was the little things that cost us,” Head Coach Keitha Adams said. “It was about second-chance points for them, turnovers for us, and missed layups and opportunities down the stretch. Credit to Jax State, they shot the ball well and made some big shots. But when we don’t capitalize on breakaway layups, it’s going to come back to haunt us.”

It was a close contest to start, but Jax State went on a 9-2 run to end the first leading 19-12. Mbengue led UTEP with six points.

The Miners went on a 12-3 run of their own to start the second period, and the game was level at 31 at the half time whistle. Adams had nine points and Mbengue grabbed six rebounds.

UTEP shot 58.3 percent (14-24) from the floor, 33.3 percent (1-3) from beyond the arc, and 100.0 percent (2-2) from the foul line in the first half. The team tallied 18 rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and one block.

The Gamecocks hit five threes in the third period, leading by as many as nine. The Miners clawed back again, down just three, 50-47 at the end of the quarter. Vydrova paced the Miners with 13 points.

Adams had nine points in the fourth, including the bucket to send the game to overtime at 66-66.

Overtime was a defensive battle, which brought the game down to the wire. Zita sunk a jump shot with 14 seconds left to put the Miners up one.

The Gamecocks missed a shot but got an offensive rebound, followed by a timeout to draw up a play. Clara Gonzalez Planella pulled up a jumper with four seconds left, and the ball fell in as time expired, securing the one-point victory for Jax State.

The Gamecocks shot 35.3 percent (24-68) from the field, 28.9 percent (13-45) from distance, and 78.6 percent (11-14) from the line in the game. They tallied 30 rebounds, 16 assists, eight steals, and two blocks in the contest. Asia Barclay led Jax State with 16 points and six rebounds. Planella (14) and Valentina Saric (12) were also in double figures for the Gamecocks. All of Saric’s points came from beyond the arc (4-13). Samiya Steele dished out five assists while both Barclay and Mya Barnes snagged two steals. Barclay and Eden Sample each recorded a block in the game.

FAST FORWARD

UTEP wraps up its two-game away spell at new Conference USA foe Kennesaw State (1/25). Then, the Miners return home to host WKU (1/30), Middle Tennessee (2/1), and NM State (2/8).

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