UTEP Women suffer 83-62 loss to FIU
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- UTEP women’s basketball (6-9, 1-1 CUSA) fell to FIU (12-5, 3-0 CUSA) 83-62 Saturday afternoon. Mahri Petree and Erin Wilson both scored in double digits for the Miners.
The game was back-and-forth through three quarters before the Panthers were able to put the game away in the fourth, outscoring UTEP 25-11 in the final period.
Petree led all players with 19 points, including hitting 5-5 from the foul line. Wilson followed closely behind with 16. Dunja Zecevic and Jane Asinde both put up seven points in the game.
Wilson paced the team on the glass, pulling down 11 rebounds, five of which came on the offensive side. Petree also topped the team in assists (four) and steals (four). Zecevic and Delma Zita both registered a block.
The Miners finished the night shooting 39.6 percent (21-53) from the floor and 77.3 percent (17-22) from the line. They grabbed 27 rebounds, dished out nine assists, had 12 steals, and two blocks.
“You have to really be hungry and have a sense of urgency,” Head Coach Keitha Adams said. “We didn’t have that sense of urgency this week in practice, and we didn’t have it on defense today.”
The two teams were locked in from the jump, and the game was knotted at 17 to end the first period. Wilson paced the Miners with seven points and three rebounds, followed by Petree with six points. Asinde also pulled down three boards in the quarter.
The Panthers led by as many as eight in the second frame, but UTEP cut the gap to four and was down 32-28 going into the locker rooms. Wilson and Petree set the tone for the Miners with nine points apiece. Wilson topped the team in rebounding with five.
UTEP shot 31.0 percent (9-29) from the field and 88.9 percent (8-9) from the charity stripe in the first half. The Miners pulled down 18 rebounds, had three assists, and six steals.
FIU got hot to start the second half, going 5-7 from three-point range in the third quarter. The Panthers led 58-51 at the end of the period. Wilson continued to power the Miners with 14 points and nine rebounds, followed by Petree with 13 points.
The Panthers pulled away in the fourth, and the game finished 83-62 in favor of FIU. Petree finished with 19 points to lead the Miners.
FIU shot 53.4 percent (31-58) from the field, 52.4 percent (11-21) from beyond the arc, and 71.4 percent (10-14) from the foul line. The Panthers had 38 rebounds, 19 assists, six steals, and one block in the contest. Olivia Trice led the charge, draining five of six from deep on her way to a team-high 17 points. Kaliah Henderson (16) and Mya Kone (13) also scored in double figures for FIU. Kone led the team on the boards, pulling down nine rebounds, while Tanajah Hayes posted eight assists. Hayes and Courtney Prenger had two steals apiece and Kone tallied the Panthers lone block of the game.
UP NEXT
The Miners hit the road next week for a pair of games. First, they travel to Murfreesboro, Tenn. to take on Middle Tennessee Thursday (1/18) at 5:30 pm MT/ 6:30 pm CT. Then, the team heads to Bowling Green, Ky. Saturday (1/20) for a contest against WKU at 11:00 am MT/ 12:00 pm CT.
