UTEP Women’s Basketball Faces Off Against Kennesaw State Saturday
KENNESAW, Georgia (KVIA) -- The UTEP women’s basketball team (9-8, 2-4 CUSA) competes at new CUSA member Kennesaw State (7-10, 2-4 CUSA) Saturday afternoon. Tipoff is set for 12 p.m. MT/ 2 p.m. ET.
GAME COVERAGE
Saturday at Kennesaw State — Live Stats or Watch Here
AND THAT”S WHAT YOU MISSED…
UTEP fell to 9-8 on the season, 2-4 in conference play following a heartbreaking 72-71 overtime loss at Jax State on Jan. 23. In a game that featured 14 lead changes and nine ties, everything came down to the final seconds. After the Miners went up by one with 14 seconds remaining, JSU had control of the last shot of the game and sunk it as time expired to pull off the narrow victory. 24 turnovers from UTEP kept Jax State in the game, as the hosts converted that into 31 points. The Miners shot 47.6 percent (30-63) from the floor, 20.0 percent (2-10) from three, and 75.0 percent (9-12) from the foul line. All three of UTEP’s missed free throws came in the overtime period. The Miners won the rebounding battle 48-30, including 15-11 on the offensive glass. Despite that, the Gamecocks out did UTEP 15-8 in second chance points. Portia Adams led all players with 23 points while adding five rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Luisa Vydrova (17) and Delma Zita (10) also registered double digit scoring efforts. Ndack Mbengue led the game with 11 rebounds and swatted both of UTEP’s blocks in the game. Irene Asensio dished out a game-best six assists. Mbengue and Adams each tallied two steals to lead the Miners.
SWISHHH
Portia Adams dropped a season-high 23 points against Jax State. It marked the fifth time this season that she led the Miners in scoring.
BULLSEYE
Luisa Vydrova did not miss a shot against the Gamecocks. She went 7-7 from the floor (including 1-1 from beyond the arc) and 2-2 from the charity stripe.
DROPPIN’ DIMES
Irene Asensio handed out a career-high six assists against JSU, leading all players in the category.
ATTACKING THE GLASS
Ndack Mbengue grabbed a game-best 11 rebounds against Jax State, marking her eighth time leading the Miners on the glass.
QUALITY TIME
Luisa Vydrova and Irene Asensio both earned career-highs in minutes played against the Gamecocks. Vydrova racked up 41 and Asensio posted 39.
GET THAT OUTTA HERE!
Ndack Mbengue swatted both of UTEP’s blocks against JSU, her fourth multi-block game of the season.
CRASHING THE BOARDS
The Miners out rebounded the Gamecocks 48-30, including 15-11 on the offensive end. The +18 rebounding margin is tied for second most this season.
SHOTS ARE FALLING
UTEP registered 30 made field goals against Jax State, marking a season high.
SHARP SHOOTING
The Miners shot over 47,0 percent from the field in back-to-back contests for the first time this season (48.1 against FIU, 47.6 at JSU). It was also the third time in five games that UTEP hit that mark or better in FG%.
COUNT ‘EM UP
UTEP scored at least 70 points against both FIU and Jax State, marking the second time this year that the team has registered 70 points or better in consecutive games.
GUARDING THE PERIMETER
The Miners held the Gamecocks to 28.9 percent shooting from beyond the arc, marking the 11th game this season that an opponent has shot 30.0 percent or less from three
HOW MAY WE ASSIST YOU?
UTEP has earned 219 assists on 403 made shot attempts in 2024-25 (54.3 percent). Delma Zita is responsible for 6Y7 of those assists (31.7 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: JAX STATE
The Owls are 7-10 in 2024-25, including 2-4 in league play. They are tallying 63.7 points, 38.2 rebounds, and 12.4 assists per game. Kennesaw State is also registering 8.9 steals, 3.4 blocks, and 18.4 turnovers per game. The team is shooting 39.0 percent from the field, 22.7 percent from three, and 72.2 percent from the foul line on the year. Three Owls are averaging double figures in points, Prencis Harden (16.6), Keyarah Berry (12.0), and Keiara Griffin (10.3). The trio also tops the team in rebounding with Harden pulling down 11.4 per game, Berry at 6.4, and Griffin at 3.8. Carly Hooks is dishing out a team-best 3.4 assists per game, followed by Kailyn Fields (2.5). Hooks also leads the Owls in steals (1.7) while Harden leads in blocks (1.0). As a team, KSU is ranked 11th in three-point percentage defense (24.7, 56th in free throws made per game (13.59), and 69th in free throw attempts per game (18.82). Individually, Harden is in the top 100 in multiple categories. She sits fourth in the nation in double doubles (11), sixth in defensive rebounds per game (8.4), seventh in rebounds per game (11.4), 16th in total rebounds (193), 72nd in free throw attempts (95), 81st in made free throws (70), and 100th in points per game (16.6).
SERIES HISTORY WITH THE OWLS
This will be the first ever meeting between the Miners and the Owls.
FAST FORWARD
UTEP 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.
Give a gift to UTEP Women's Basketball by donating to the Fast Break Club.
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For complete coverage of UTEP women's basketball, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at @UTEPWBB (Twitter), @utepwbb (Instagram) and on Facebook or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics at UTEPMiners.com.
