UTEP women’s basketball (8-7, 1-3 Conference USA) faced off against Liberty University Flames (11-5, 4-1 CUSA) for their CUSA home opener on Jan. 16.
The Miners fell to Liberty 75-64, facing a tough first half, trailing behind by 14 points at halftime. UTEP was able to push back in the second half, outscoring Liberty 35-32 but it was not enough to recover.
In the first quarter, Liberty opened a five-point lead, 21-16. Junior forward Ndack Mbengue led UTEP with six points. The Flames were able to dominate outside the arc in the second quarter furthering this point advantage leaving the game 43-29 by the break.
In the second and third quarters the Miners managed to outscore the Flames, but even with Mbengue and senior guard Ivane Tensaie scoring 10 points each, the comeback was not enough to close the gap.
Although the Miners led in several statistical categories, including rebounds (44-40) and second-chance points (16-6), they struggled with their shooting. UTEP shot 34.4% from the field and 26.3% from beyond the arc, compared to Liberty’s 43.1% from the field and 30% beyond the arc.
Liberty also dominated with 17 assists and six blocks compared to UTEP’s 13 assists and two blocks.
Mbengue led the Miners with 15 points, Tensaie followed with 13, senior guard Delma Zita contributed 11 and sophomore forward Luisa Vydrova added 10. Freshman Irene Asensio had a career-high six rebounds.
The Miners will have another chance for a comeback as they face off against the Florida International University Panthers on Jan. 18 at the Don Haskins Center.
Ximena Cordero is the audience and engagement editor and may be reached at [email protected]
