UTEP WBB Defeated by Middle Tennessee, 57-35, Saturday
MURFREESBORO, Tennessee (KVIA) -- The UTEP women’s basketball team (10-17 3-13 CUSA) fell to Middle Tennessee (23-6, 15-1 CUSA) 57-35 Saturday afternoon.
The Miners shot 25.9 percent (15-58) from the field, 18.2 percent (2-11) from beyond the arc, and 50.0 percent (3-6) from the foul line in the contest. They recorded 42 rebounds, six assists, seven steals, and two blocks.
Ndack Mbengue led the team in both points (13) and rebounds (10), posting her eighth double-double of the campaign. Delma Zita was second on the team both categories, dropping six points and six rebounds.
Dunja Zecevic paced UTEP in both assists (two) and blocks (two) while Zita and Luisa Vydrova topped the team with two steals apiece.
“I thought we played them tough in the first half, and I thought our defense was pretty good today,” Head Coach Keitha Adams said. “Holding them to 57 points is pretty good, but the problem was our offense couldn’t get anything going today, we need to finish more shots.”
The Miners jumped out to a seven-point lead early in the first, but the Lady Raiders were able to close the gap and led 14-13 at the end of the period. Mbengue paced the team on the glass with four rebounds.
UTEP struggled offensively at the start of the second, allowing Middle Tennessee to open up a six-point lead, 26-20, by the halftime whistle. Mbengue and Vydrova led the Miners with four points apiece.
The Orange and Blue shot 29.6 percent (8-27) from the floor, 33.3 percent (2-6) from three, and 66.7 percent (2-3) from the charity stripe in the first half. UTEP tallied 22 rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
Both teams went cold in the third, with the Lady Raiders leading 34-25 at the end of the period. Mbengue continued to pace the Miners with nine rebounds.
Middle Tennessee turned it on in the final period and finished the game with the 22-point win.
The Lady Raiders shot 40.4 percent (19-47) from the field, 40.0 percent (8-20) from distance, and 78.6 percent (11-14) from the line in the game. They tallied 33 rebounds, nine assists, six steals, and 12 blocks. Ta’Mia Scott led the game with 25 points, followed by Jalynn Gregory with 16. Anastasiia Boldyreva pulled down a team-best nine rebounds, with Courtney Blakely finishing second at eight. Blakely also led the game in both assists (five) and steals (five) while Boldyreva swatted a game-high eight blocks.
FAST FORWARD
The Miners return to the Don Haskins Center for the final two games of the regular season. Up first, they host Sam Houston (3/6) before welcoming LA Tech (3/8) for “Senior Day.”
TICKETS
For tickets, fans can call 915-747-UTEP or visit UTEPMiners.com/Tickets for more information.
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