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The UTEP women’s basketball team tipped off the 2016-17 season with a 72-54 victory over St. Mary’s on Friday, Nov. 4.
Senior Sparkle Taylor along with sophomore transfer Najala Howell were the only two Miners in double figures for the game. Taylor lead the Miners in with 18 points, shooting 8-of-14 from the field, and Howell finished with 11 points.
With only a few veterans and eight new members added to the team, the ladies used this exhibition game as a way to see what players play well with each other.
The lady Miners came out a little shaky in the first quarter of the match up only making 3 shots out of the first 10 attempts from the field. Taylor gave the Miners a much-needed boast with quick 4 points in the first five minutes of the quarter, which gave the edge to the Miners.
Howell gave the bench a boost with her aggressive play. Howell only had 11 points, but her effort for second chance points gave her the edge against the St. Mary’s defense.
Shooting for both teams in the opening minutes of the game was rough. St Mary’s was only 4-of-9 from the field. The miners shot 30 percent from the field. The only thing that separated the two teams was the three-pointer hit by Lulu McKinney to keep the momentum going for the Miners.
Second quarter was still tough for St. Mary’s. The Rattlers only scored a total of seven points in the quarter. The Miners defense was so intense, it caused the Rattlers to be 11 percent from the field in the quarter. Compared to UTEP who shot 47 percent from the field.
Redshirt junior Tamara Seda found her groove in the third quarter. Giving the Miners the advantage on the boards. Seda racked up back-to-back offensive rebounds in a crucial possession to keep momentum in favor of the Miners. Seda lead the Miners in rebounds with 10 along eight points, just two point shy of a double-double in 14 minutes.
The surprise was senior Jenzel Nash with only five points for the game. She shot 2-of-5 from the field when she is notorious for leading the team in points. The Rattlers had strong defensive pressure when it came to guarding Nash.
The Miners dominated through the rest of the remaining quarters in the game. Escalating their 12-point halftime lead to 15 by the end, including a Taylor buzzer beater to end the third. With chemistry amongst the team being a concern for head coach Keitha Adams, the Miners held their own.
The UTEP women are back in action again on Nov. 11 at the Dona Haskins to take on the Northern Arizona Lady Jacks in another exhibition game.
