The quest for the final four in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament ended abruptly for the Miners as they fell to the Oregon Ducks 71-67.
UTEP losing to the Ducks marks the first time the Miners lost at home this year. They had gone 19-0 all season leading up to this game.
“I’m really proud of our team, I’m proud of El Paso and we are disappointed, but you know these guys have been amazing this year,” head coach Keitha Adams said.
Despite the loss, the Miners got off to an electrifying start. They jumped to a quick 6-0 run in the first quarter to keep the packed crowd of 9,055 intrigued.
The Miners’ defense held the Ducks to 14.3 percent shooting from the field in the first quarter, and forced 13 points off turnovers. They held a 20-9 lead in the first quarter.
The Miners carried their success from the first quarter to the second as they got off to another quick offensive start by gaining the biggest lead of the game (18). Oregon, however, kept chipping at the UTEP lead after the Miners began turning the ball over. Oregon went on a 19-5 run to close out the half.
The Ducks closed the half shooting 32 percent from the floor and, 83 percent from the free throw line and 50 percent from the 3-point mark. They cut the Miners’ lead to six points, trailing 30-24 at the half.
“They (Oregon) read the game really well,” Adams said. “They shoot it really well.”
The Ducks quickly came out firing in the second half as they drastically ate away at the lead that UTEP had built. They converted 4 of 8 from 3-point range. Although the Ducks still were trailing at the start of the fourth quarter, all momentum shifted their way.
The fourth quarter was as contested as it could be, but unfortunately for the Miners, Oregon took control of the game. Though the Miners were able to fight back an eight-point deficit to tie the game in the final moments, the Miners were not able to complete the comeback.
In attempt at coming back in the game, the Miners stole the ball when they were down by three points with under 20 seconds to play, when Lulu Mckinney missed a layup attempt that was rebounded by Jenzel Nash, who also missed her shot. Then the Ducks regained possession and killed the remainder of the clock to take the win.
The Miners may have lost in the elite eight of the WNIT, but according to Adams, they were able to complete their payback tour after going a disappointing 12-16 last year. Also of note, the Miners outright won the regular season title of Conference USA.
“I said that in the locker room, we said ‘payback tour and we did it,’” Adams said. “Sometimes you come up with slogans and you don’t really become the slogan. We did the slogan—to be 12-16 last year and struggle like we did, and this year to win the conference championship and to not lose at home until the end of March and April is phenomenal. We have great crowd support and the kids have played with a lot of heart, which is why they have been so successful.”
Now that the season is over, Adams reflected on the year’s success and how much of an impact the team made to the organization.
“It’s a credit to them and our kids played hard,” Adams said. “When you play hard, good things happen. We have not lost much this season. It has been an amazing year and I’m extremely proud of them.”
Juan Carlos Navarette may be reached at [email protected].
