UTEP Women’s Basketball Comes Up Short in Overtime Battle at LA Tech, 91–87
RUSTON, Louisiana – The UTEP women's basketball team battled to the final horn in its regular-season finale, but LA Tech escaped with a 91-87 overtime victory on Saturday at the Thomas Assembly Center.
UTEP closed the regular season at 13-16 overall and 5-13 in Conference USA after pushing the Lady Techsters through a back-and-forth contest that featured 22 lead changes and five extra minutes.
The Miners shot 46.5 percent from the floor (33-of-71), knocked down 14 three-pointers on 41.2 percent shooting from beyond the arc (14-of-34) and tied the program single-game record for made threes in a contest. UTEP also finished with 38 rebounds, 18 assists and forced 13 turnovers.
Ivane Tensaie led the way with a season-high 26 points and seven made three-pointers, tying for the second-most threes by a Miner in a game. Portia Adams also tied a season high with 23 points while adding six rebounds and six assists. Heaven Samayoa-Mathis scored 13 points with five rebounds, three assists and two steals, while Ndack Mbengue contributed 10 points and eight rebounds. Delma Zita added six assists.
"Tough loss," head coach Keitha Adams said. "We competed and played LA Tech tough but didn't execute on a few key plays to get the win."
UTEP came out firing in the opening quarter, using a balanced attack and timely shooting to build an early edge. Samayoa-Mathis knocked down a three on the Miners' first field goal of the day, while Mbengue scored six points in the frame. Tensaie added three triples in the quarter, including one in transition off a turnover, as UTEP built its largest lead of the day at seven, 18-11, with 2:49 remaining in the period. LA Tech responded with a pair of baskets and a three-pointer to trim the margin late, but Adams scored on a layup and assisted another Tensaie three as the Miners carried a 23-19 lead into the second.
The second quarter stayed close as both teams traded baskets. LA Tech briefly took the lead after turning turnovers into transition points, but UTEP answered with timely scoring from Adams, Zita and Mary Moses Amaniyo. Adams connected from three with 2:59 left, and Samayoa-Mathis added a transition jumper to make it 35-33. LA Tech moved back in front at the free-throw line late, but Adams drilled a buzzer-beating three to send the Miners into halftime ahead, 38-37.
The Miners continued to trade momentum in the third quarter. Samayoa-Mathis opened the scoring with a second-chance basket to give UTEP the lead before Tensaie knocked down another three to spark the offense. Mbengue followed with an interior finish as the Miners maintained a narrow edge. Samayoa-Mathis later drilled a three-pointer to begin an 8-0 UTEP run, Tensaie followed with another triple, and Adams capped the surge with a layup to push the lead to 53-46 with 3:20 remaining. LA Tech answered with eight straight points, including a late three-pointer, before tying the game at the free-throw line in the closing seconds to send the contest into the fourth quarter even at 53.
Neither team could create lasting separation in the final period. Adams and Samayoa-Mathis each connected from three, and Tensaie drilled another go-ahead triple with 6:57 remaining. LA Tech later built its largest lead of regulation at nine, 75-66, with 4:12 to play, but the Miners answered again. A trip to the free-throw line by Tensaie, another three from the graduate guard and a pull-up jumper by Adams with seven seconds left gave UTEP a 79-78 lead. LA Tech tied the game at the line with three seconds remaining, and UTEP's final attempt before the horn was off target, sending the game to overtime tied at 79.
In the extra session, the teams continued to trade baskets. Amaniyo scored twice inside to even the score at 81 and 83, and Adams tied it again at 85-85 with 1:30 remaining. LA Tech regained the lead on a three-pointer with 1:19 left, but UTEP answered with a pair of free throws to cut it to 88-87 with 23 seconds remaining. The Lady Techsters converted at the line in the closing seconds and sealed the game after a late turnover to secure the 91-87 result.
LA Tech was led by Paris Bradley's 26 points and nine rebounds. Alexia Weaver added 22 points, while Averi Aaron chipped in 13 points and five assists.
UP NEXT
The Miners will head to Huntsville, Ala., for the 2026 Air National Guard Conference USA Women's Basketball Championship. UTEP, the No. 10 seed, will face No. 7 Jax State in the first round on Tuesday, March 10, at Propst Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. MT / 2 p.m. CT.
