In a triumphant mix of skill, determination and perseverance, UTEP Women’s basketball defeated Western Kentucky University 73-68. Down 16 points at the half, UTEP rose from the ashes, earning head coach Keitha Adams her 500th win. The Miners broke a five-game losing streak against WKU, with the first loss against them back in March 2018.
After a post-game celebration in the locker room, a soaked Adams spoke about her respect for her team in facing challenging in-game adversity.
“Every stitch of me is soaking wet,” Adams said. “Just proud of our team and how we faced adversity after being down 16 points. We overcame such a big deficit and finished strong down the stretch, and we needed this game.”
UTEP had many highlights, including senior forward Jane Asinde getting over 1,000 points in her collegiate career the moment she made a layup in the second quarter. She also completed her 10th double-double and a game-high of 14 boards.
Another highlight was senior guard Erin Wilson, who registered her eighth double-double of the season with a game-high of 24 points, 10 rebounds and six career steals. Wilson spoke about her pride in her team and what led to their win.
“First and foremost, all glory to God. I feel like our team stepped up regarding free throws,” Wilson said. “We were telling each other not to give up, and we remembered the past game where we lost one, and we didn’t want to feel that feeling again. So, I’m proud of how my team performed tonight.”
Junior guard Delma Zita had an impressive 29 minutes of playtime, scoring seven points and seven dimes. Junior guard Ivane Tensaie scored 15 of her 18 points in the second half. The Miners had a poor first half as they turned the ball over 15 times and were outscored by 16 points with a score of 41-25. Soon after a pep talk from the locker room, Tensaie made a three-pointer to open the last half of the game, sparking the beginning of the comeback for the Miners.
Toward the end of the third quarter, down 47-31, the Miners went on a 9-0 run. The run started with a field goal in the paint by Wilson, and a connecting shot was made soon after. Soon, Asinde made a steal and dished a dime to Zita for a quick layup, scoring 47-40. However, after Asinde made her second technical four from elbowing a WKU player after a rebound, she was ejected with 25 seconds left of the third quarter.
With Wilson hitting on-point free throws and layups, senior guard Mahri Petree making her second 3-pointer of the game and missed shots in critical moments of the fourth quarter from WKU gave UTEP the win. The Miners head back soon to the Don Haskins Center to host Middle Tennessee Saturday at 1 p.m.
All statistics are provided by Miner Statistics.
Catching Marginot is a contributor and can be reached at [email protected]
