One-on-one with UTEP’s Keitha Adams; Miners host Liberty Thursday

EL PASO, Texas - The UTEP women’s basketball team (8-6, 1-2 CUSA) welcomes Liberty (10-5, 3-1 CUSA) to the Don Haskins Thursday evening  in its CUSA home opener. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MT. Following the game, the Miners will be holding a poster-signing for fans.

UTEP fell to NM State 65-49 in the Battle of I-10 on Jan. 11.

Turnovers were the difference maker in the contest as the Miners committed a season-high 27 compared to just 11 by the Aggies.

NM State converted those turnovers into 27 points. A slow second quarter also hurt the Orange and Blue, putting them in a 16-point hole that the team could not recover from. UTEP shot 40.9 percent (18-44) from the floor, 18.2 percent (2-11) from three, and 64.7 percent (11-17) from the foul line.

The team registered 31 rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and one block . 

Portia Adams led the Miners in both points (10) and rebounds (nine). Ndack Mbengue and Ivane Tensaie both tallied nine points and Irene Asensio posted eight. Mbengue also grabbed eight rebounds and swatted the lone block of the game while Asensio drained both of UTEP’s made three’s in the game. 

Delma Zita once again led the team in assists with three, followed by Adams with two. Four different Miners each recorded one steal, Mbengue, Adams, Luisa Vydrova, and Aaliyah Davis.

ACTIVE ADAMS

Portia Adams was one rebound shy of recording a double-double against NM State. The nine rebounds matched her career-best and marked a season-high. It was also Adams’ fourth time leading the Miners in scoring this campaign.

ACROSS THE BOARD

Ndack Mbengue was all over the stat sheet against the Aggies. She tallied nine points, eight rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block. Her block was the lone one for either side in the game.

DELMA’S DISHES

Delma Zita recorded three assists against NM State, marking the ninth time that Zita has led the Miners in assists this season. Moreover, she has recorded at least three assists in all but two games.

SPLASH!

Irene Asensio matched her career high with two made threes against the Aggies.

ON TARGET

Ndack Mbengue shot 80.0 percent (4-5) from the floor against NM State, a season best.

ORANGE AND BLUE DEBUT

Aaliyah Davis earned her first appearance for the Miners against the Aggies. She got on the stat sheet in her first Division I game, recording one rebound and one steal.

tensaie for threeeee!

Ivane Tensaie is averaging 3.00 three pointers per game, ranking her 11th in the NCAA in the category. She also sits 29th in three-point percentage (43.3).

CRASHING THE BOARDS

Eight different Miners recorded at least one rebound against NM State, with five tallying two or more.

POINTS AT A PREMIUM

The Miners have held opponents under 70 points in five straight contests, continuing its longest streak of the season.

SHARP SHOOTING

Four Miners are shooting over 50.0 percent from the field this season (minimum 10 attempts). Osadebamwen Igbinedion Omoruyi leads all player at 62.5, followed by Ndack Mbengue (55.7), Mary Moses Amaniyo (54.3), and Luisa Vydrova (50.9).

HOW MAY WE ASSIST YOU?

UTEP has earned 179 assists on 326 made shot attempts in 2024-25 (54.9 percent). Delma Zita is responsible for 61 of those assists (34.0 percent of all assists).

INTERNATIONAL LOVE

UTEP has 10 international players on their 2024-25 roster. That is the second most in Division I, behind South Florida with 11.

SCOUTING REPORT: LIBERTY

The Lady Flames are 10-5 on the season, including 3-1 in league play. Liberty is putting up 72.9 points, 39.6 rebounds, and 15.9 assists per game. The team is shooting 45.8 percent from the floor, 37.7 percent from three, and 73.6 percent from the charity stripe. Bella Smuda paces the Lady Flames in points (11.9), rebounds (6.5), and blocks (2.0). Asia Boone (10.3), Emma Hess (10.0), Emily Howard (7.4), and Jordan Hodges (6.5) round out the top five scorers. Hodges leads the team in assists (2.8), followed by Hess (2.6).  Elisabeth Aegisdottir snags a team-high 1.3 steals per game while sitting second in rebounding (6.0) and third in assists (2.1). Howard is second on the team in blocks with 1.1 per game. Nationally, the Lady Flames are ranked inside the top 100 in multiple categories. They rank 11th in three-point percentage (37.7), 20th in bench points per game (28.0), 26th in blocks per game (4.7), and 40th in rebound margin (7.1). Liberty also sits 43rd in field goal percentage defense (37.0), 45th in field goal percentage (45.8), 58th in three pointers per game (7.7), 75th in defensive rebounds per game (27.1), and 78th in rebounds per game (39.6). Individually, Smuda is ranked 29th in the country in blocks per game (2.0), 38th in total blocks (30), and 54th in field goal percentage (52.9).

SERIES HISTORY WITH THE LADY FLAMES

UTEP is 0-2 against Liberty, falling in both contests during the 2023-24 season, which marked the Lady Flames’ first year in Conference USA

FAST FORWARD

The Miners are back in the Don Haskins Center Saturday (1/18) when they host FIU. Tipoff is set for 12:30 p.m. MT.

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