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The 2022-23 women’s basketball season proved to be an eventful one as the Miners beat a ranked opponent for the first time in 25 years and only the second time in program history. The women began their season with a five-game winning streak, only getting stumped by Sacramento State (14-18, Big Sky 7-11) just two weeks into the season.
The Miners also took on New Mexico State (18-17, WAC 10-8) twice on Nov. 30 and Dec. 13, 2022 two weeks apart and came out on top for both games. In between these two games, the team did take a loss to the Air Force Academy in a three-point affair.
Although the Miners ended 2022 with a New Year’s Eve loss to Rice (23-9, C-USA 13-7), the Miners entered the New Year with a win against Louisiana Tech (19-13, C-USA 12-8). The Miners would then go on to defeat the Charlotte 49ers (12-19, C-USA 7-13) by an eight-point margin. One of the tighter games of the season was against the Florida International University (FIU) Panthers (14-19, C-USA 7-13), as the Miners only lost by two points.
Following a one-point win against Florida Atlantic (12-18, C-USA 5-15) and a two-point loss against Western Kentucky (19-14, C-USA 14-6), UTEP faced off against Middle Tennessee (28-5, C-USA 18-2). The UTEP women pulled off an upset against the 21-ranked Blue Raiders, winning by a razor sharp margin of three points.
Following the historic win, the Miners took another two-point loss against Western Kentucky but pulled off wins against both Charlotte and the University of Texas at San Antonio (13-19, C-USA 9-11). Middle Tennessee dealt the Miners a difficult four-point loss in their final game of the regular season.
The C-USA Tournament provided a strong start for the Miners, with a ten-point win against LA Tech, but ended with a heart wrenching six-point loss against Middle Tennessee. The National Invitation Tournament stint was cut short when the Miners took a 13-point loss against the Texas Tech Raiders (20-15, C-USA 6-12).
The women proved to be a strong team during the 2022-23 season. With a 12-8 standing in C-USA, the Miners gained more than they lost. The win against 21-ranked Middle Tennessee was huge not only for the program but for the players as well.
“I felt like we had a pretty good group of girls this season,” said senior guard Erin Wilson. “We got pretty far this season, there were a couple of games that we lost, but it wasn’t by much. We never had a game that we got blew out by a lot of points, so overall I felt like this was a pretty good season, and we accomplished a lot together.”
Wilson has spent most of her life playing basketball, starting at the age of four, and began playing competitively at age six. Coming to UTEP off an Achilles injury, the then-sophomore played a key role in UTEP’s rise, playing an average of 16.5 minutes per game.
Erin was particularly proud of the team’s historic win against Middle Tennessee, as she wanted to relive that moment from the season.
“I think the feeling and the energy that we got from the Middle Tennessee game when we won,” Wilson said. “That energy was in the moment, and I would definitely redo that again, with the same results of course.”
With the new coaching staff in for the 2023-24 season, Wilson acknowledges the new coaching and training staff and her own goals for the season.
“Next season, I want a ring. That’s the bottom line,” Wilson said. “I think with this new coaching staff that is coming in, they are very critical on their players, and I think that they’re going to bring some good energy, some great people, and I think overall that’s the goal, especially before I leave out of this place, I wanted one so bad, last year we were so close, and I think I just want it even more now, so that is the goal.”
Nicholas Maes may be reached at [email protected]
