UTEP WBB Upended by Middle Tennessee, 64-42 Saturday
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The UTEP women’s basketball team (9-11, 2-7 CUSA) fell to Middle Tennessee (16-6, 8-1 CUSA) 64-42 Saturday afternoon. Though they outscored the Blue Raiders 17-11 in the opening frame, the Miners could not hold the momentum, and the visitors ran away with the contest
UTEP shot 30.4 percent (14-46) from the floor, 38.5 percent (5-13) from distance, and 69.2 percent (9-13) from the foul line in the contest. The Miners pulled down 36 rebounds and tallied 10 assists and four steals.
Ivane Tensaie led all players with 23 points. She was responsible for all five UTEP threes, shooting 55.6 percent from beyond the arc in the game.
Luisa Vydrova had another strong night on the glass, tying for the game-lead with nine boards. Dunja Zecevic also chipped in five rebounds.
Delma Zita, Irene Asensio, and Heaven Samayoa-Mathis dished out two assists apiece while Tensaie tied for the game-high in steals with two.
“Middle Tennessee’s defense is good, and that made it challenging for our team today,” Head Coach Keitha Adams said. “Ivane (Tensaie) hit some big shots and played well, but we really struggled and never got in much of a rhythm.”
The Miners came out firing in the first, leading the Blue Raiders by six, 17-11, at the end of the quarter. Tensaie accounted for nine of the 17 to lead UTEP.
UTEP went cold in the second quarter, allowing Middle Tennessee to pull ahead, 31-24 as the teams headed to the locker rooms. Vydrova led the Miners with four rebounds in the half.
The Orange and Blue shot 40.9 percent (9-22) from the floor, 50.0 percent (2-4) from three, and 80.0 percent (4-5) from the foul line over the first two periods. The Miners pulled down 18 rebounds and tallied five assists.
The visitors stretched their lead to 15, 46-31, at the end of the third quarter. Tensaie continued to pace the team with 17 points.
UTEP could not close the gap in the fourth, and the Blue Raiders took home the 64-42 victory.
Middle Tennessee shot 41.3 percent (26-63) from the field, 25.0 percent (8-31) from three, and 66.7 percent (4-6) from the foul line in the contest. The Blue Raiders registered 37 rebounds, 15 assists, nine steals, and five blocks. Jalynn Gregory and Ta’Mia Scott paced the team with 20 points apiece. Anastasiia Boldyreva contributed nine points while she and Scott also tied for the game lead with nine rebounds each. Courtney Blakely handed out a game-best seven assists while four different Blue Raiders snagged two steals each. Scott also led the team in blocks with two.
FAST FORWARD
The Miners are back in the Don on Feb. 8 when they take on NM State in the second Battle of I-10 of the season.
TICKETS
For tickets, fans can call 915-747-UTEP or visit UTEPMiners.com/Tickets for more information.
