Aggies Close Out Road Trip With Loss to Jax State

KENNESAW, Georgia (KVIA) -- The UTEP women’s basketball team (9-9, 2-5 CUSA) fell to Kennesaw State (8-10, 3-4 CUSA) 84-70 Saturday afternoon. Five Miners scored in double figures in the contest.

UTEP shot 43.5 percent (27-62) from the field, 33.3 percent (4-12) from beyond the arc, and 80.0 percent (12-15) from the foul line. The Miners tallied 31 rebounds, 16 assists, and five steals in the game.

The Owls outearned the Miners 42-26 in the paint, 22-8 on fast breaks, and 17-6 in second-chance points.

Portia Adams led UTEP with 19 points while Ivane Tensaie (15), Ndack Mbengue (12), Luisa Vydrova (12), and Delma Zita (10) round out the top five scorers.

Mbengue posted 11 rebounds to lead the Miners, followed by Vydrova with five and Zita with four. Zita also dished out a team-high four assists and Vydrova snagged a team-best two steals.

“I thought we handled their press well in the first half. It was a two-possession game at the end of the third,” Head Coach Keitha Adams said. “The wheels fell off in the fourth. We had too many missed opportunities.”

The Owls got going quickly in the first quarter, including going on a 13-2 run at one point. The Miners trailed by six, 19-13, at the end of the period. Vydrova had four points to pace the team.

UTEP was able to cut the lead to three, 35-32, in the second period, thanks in part to two made threes from Tensaie. She and Vydrova led the Miners with eight points at the break.

The Orange and Blue shot 45.2 percent (14-31) from the floor, 28.6 percent (2-7) from distance, and 66.7 percent (2-3) from the foul line in the first half. UTEP grabbed 14 rebounds while also tallying eight assists and two steals.

Kennesaw State stretched their lead back to six by the end of the third. Mbengue led the Miners on the glass with nine rebounds.  

UTEP couldn’t get much going offensively in the fourth, and the Owls ran away with the ball game.

Kennesaw State shot 46.3 percent (31-67) from the fielf, 38.1 percent (8-21) from three, and 73.7 percent (14-19) from the foul line. The Owls registered 39 rebounds, 19 assists, eight steals, and one block in the game. Keyarah Berry led all players with 20 points, followed by Keiara Griffin (16), Prencis Harden (15), and Carly Hooks (14). Berry and Harden both posted double-doubles, pulling down 10 and 15 rebounds, respectively. Hooks led the game with eight assists and shared the team high three-steals with Berry. Harden swatted the lone block of the game.

FAST FORWARD

UTEP now returns home for a three-game home stand, hosting 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.