Editor’s Note: This is not the most recent UTEP men’s basketball game.
About 1,664 fans attended the Don Haskins for the second Battle of I-10 of the season, where UTEP women’s basketball (9-12, 2-8 Conference USA) fell to the New Mexico State University (NMSU) Aggies (12-11, 5-5 CUSA).
NMSU struck first with a shot in the paint, but soon after junior forward Ndack Mbengue answered back with her own shot in the post. The first quarter continued to be a back-and-forth battle for the lead. NMSU utilized a series of screens and cuts to create ball movement on offense resulting in a 3-point lead coming into the second quarter, 18-15.
Although UTEP had no turnovers during the second quarter, NMSU kept up their momentum with a field goal percentage of 78.9%, the Aggies stretched their lead even further.
UTEP struggled to connect the shots in the third quarter, having a 26.7% field goal percentage. NMSU continued to engage in a full court press causing UTEP turnovers. Under pressure, the Miners missed all five of their 3-point attempts, leaving the Aggies to take the third quarter with a 24-point lead, 64-40.
The fourth quarter saw the Miners switch up their defensive strategy from man defense to zone defense with varying success. NMSU kept up its hustle on both sides of the court going 8-14 on their field goals along with 8 rebounds. UTEP junior guard Aaliyah Davis began a late game scoring hustle resulting in 9 points of her own, although the Miners were not able to recover and lost, 85-60. However, several highlights include Tensaie scoring 16 points, junior guard Portia Adams having 11 points and Mbengue earning 11 rebounds total.
UTEP’s next matchup is on the road against CUSA opponent Florida Interantional University on Feb. 13.
Kristian Hernandez is a contributing photographer and may be reached at [email protected] and Instagram @northeastvideography.
