As leaves begin to fall and the air becomes colder, many fans of sports will be pleased for return of the season of basketball.
The energy was vigorous on and off the court, with fans and players full of spirit for the start of Miners basketball.
UTEP Women’s Basketball headed to the Don Haskins Center to battle New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU) with the return of Head Coach Keitha Adams. Adams starts her second tenure as coach with UTEP, with 10 new players on the roster out of 15.
The Miners beat the Cowgirls in the exhibition game 73-55.
In the first period, it took the Miners time to showcase the team’s chemistry with the other teammates. The next three periods, the Miners began to pick up steam. The Miners ran with a 10-2 run to finish the half, entering the locker room on high. After a pep talk from Adams, the Miners were up in energy, utilizing the team’s potential in chemistry to the fullest. Stanton soon would highlight her skills defensively, getting three of her recorded four steals during this half.
In the second period the team scored 19-8. In the third period 20-18. And in the fourth period the Miners ended the game with 17-11.
UTEP had a 46.7 percent shooting from the field, with 42.9 percent from beyond the arc. UTEP forced 22 turnovers that led to 30 points as well rebounding the Cowgirls 37-26. This altogether had UTEP with a 40-20 advantage overall.
There were close to double digits scoring attempts with eight and nine respectively, from guards Mahri Petree and Delma Zita. Guard Aaliyah Stanton helped the Miners with four steals, supplying four points, one assist and one rebound.
Further in the game Guard Veonce Powell was added to the mix, draining a team-high three 3-pointers. Forward Adhel Tac was heavy in offense, with a game best of six offensive rebounds. Along with the assistance from Tac, Forward Danja Zecevic were both four of five from the Charity Strip, resulting with a helping boost to get the team to a 73.3 percentage.
NMHU’s Guard Devani Harris helped keep the pace for the Cowgirls with 17 points, along with Forward Aja Scotts’ 12 points. Guard Juliana Aragon also helped put in seven points to go with four defensive boards. Fellow El Pasoan and WNBA player for New York Liberty Kayla Thorton displayed her affection for the program as she was in attendance during the Miners’ win.
“It was a good game and with Keitha back at the Don (Haskins), it was a special moment,” Thorton said. “They have a good group; they’re just starting so I’m excited to see what’s gonna happen. Keep pushing and be leaders, but I think they’re gonna be in good hands with Coach Adams and have no doubt in my mind they won’t succeed.”
Head Coach Keitha Adams spoke after the game during the press conference.
“I thought today was a really good experience for our team. We have 15 players, and only one player on the team has played for me, Jane Asinde, and everyone else is new,” Adams said. “We are a work in progress. We are going to have to be a lot better defensively, and our rebounding has to be way better.”
Guard Erin Wilson spoke about her thoughts of the game and improvement moving forward.
“I feel like we still have some work to do, getting to know each other, getting our chemistry together,” Wilson said. “As soon as she (Adams) got here, she brought the energy. But overall, I feel like everyone stepped up and played their part well.”
H. Catching Marginot is a staff reporter and can be reached at [email protected]
