The Miners struggled to get a rhythm going on Feb. 13 when the UTEP women’s basketball team (13-10, 5-8 Conference USA) traveled to take on Marshall (12-10, 7-6 C-USA) at the Cam Henderson Center in Huntington, West Virginia where they suffered a 60-48 loss.
There were big second and fourth quarters that resulted in Marshall taking the win over UTEP.
To start off the game scoring was low, and the game was tied at 15 with 4:18 to go in the second quarter.
In the second quarter, the Thundering Herd turned a close game into a 9-point lead after a 7-point run in the final 55 seconds of the half.
Marshall led UTEP 26-17 at the half.
UTEP kept the game within single digits for most of the third quarter thanks to sophomore point guard Avery Crouse, who managed to hit three straight baskets in the middle of the quarter.
Marshall also managed a hot streak in the fourth quarter to extend their lead from 45-39 to 57-41 with a little more than two minutes remaining. They held UTEP without a basket for nearly five minutes.
“Every time we would make a run at them they would hit a timely three, and that’s not really what they do. But you have got to give them credit. they hit the shots that we could not hit,” said Head Coach Kevin Baker. “For whatever reason we just were not shooting the ball well today. It’s a shot makers game. If you want to win in Conference USA, especially on the road, you have to hit some perimeter shots.”
The Miners struggled throughout the game as they went 19-of-55 overall and 2-of-14 from distance.
UTEP did win the rebounding battle 44-36 and had 23 bench points compared to eight from Marshall.
Crouse led the Miners with 12 points, six rebounds, and two assists. Freshman forward Elina Arike followed with eight points and six rebounds. Sophomore guard Eliana Cabral and freshman forward Brenda Fontana contributed to the team’s effort when called in from the bench.
For Marshall, senior Aaliyah Dunham and sophomore Savannah Wheeler point guards both had 16 points as they helped lead their team to a victory with Lorelei Roper adding a team-high 12 rebounds.
The women’s basketball team can be seen back in action as they host Louisiana Tech Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. at the Don Haskins Center. This will be the women’s second to last time hosting a regular season game at home.
Emily Autumn Velasquez is the sports editor and can be reached at [email protected]; @emilyautumn20 on Twitter.
