HATTIESBURG, MISS.- The UTEP women’s basketball team dug itself an early hole and could never quite recover in an 74-63 setback to Southern Miss inside Reed Green Coliseum Saturday afternoon.
The Miners (12-9, 3-4 C-USA) trailed by 15 at the break (37-22) and were down by 22 (59-37) with 13:26 to play in regulation. The Lady Eagles (5-15, 1-6 C-USA) appeared to be on cruise control, but UTEP regrouped and used a 16-3 run over the next four minutes to whittle the deficit down to just nine (62-53) with 8:42 remaining in regulation.
USM regained its composure-along with the control of the contest- over a gut-wrenching sequence four-plus minute sequence in which the Miners misfired on eight straight shots from the field. The Lady Eagles rattled off eight successive points, and held a decisive 71-54 advantage with only 4:03 left as result. UTEP continued to battle down the stretch, but it could get no closer than 11.
“We dug ourselves into a deep hole in the first half,” UTEP head coach Keitha Adams said. “We didn’t come out ready to play today. We lacked energy in the beginning, and Southern Miss just outplayed us. We have to get home, get in the gym and get to work on improving.”
The loss spoils the first career double-double for freshman Anete Steinberga (11 points, 12 rebounds), who was joined in double figures for scoring by Dietra Caldwell (14 points), Briana Green (13 points) and Jareica Hughes (10).
While Steinberga was certainly solid, it was the play of Southern Miss’ Pauline Love which proved to be the biggest factor in the game. She registered a monstrous double-double (22 points and 15 boards), and seemed to make plays when her squad needed her most.
Love had help, however, with Geneshia Dunbar also recording a double-double (12 points/12 rebounds). Danielle Johnson gave balance to USM’s offense, with 15 of her 22 points coming via three-point shots.
Johnson and Dunbar were especially effective in the opening 20-minutes, a period in which the Miners afforded a USM squad desperate for a win much more help than it needed. UTEP committed 13 of its 18 turnovers in the timeframe, which were converted into 14 points by the Lady Eagles.
The Miners were also challenged to knock down shots in the stanza (9-of-26 for 34.6), but unfortunately for the Orange and Blue the same could not be said about the Lady Eagles. USM filled up 53.6 percent of its tries in the period, including five of 10 triples. Johnson (4-7) did most of the damage from distance. Dunbar did her work down low, with 10 points and six caroms.
The Miners were a respectable 40.4 percent from the floor for the game, and they hit 14-of-20 (70 percent) at the free-throw line.
In the end, though, there was simply too much to overcome. USM drilled 48.2 percent of its shots and enjoyed an edge in a few crucial specialty stat areas. The Lady Eagles outscored UTEP in the paint by 14 (28-14) and tallied 12 second-chance points compared to the five by the Miners.
UTEP will look to regain its winning ways when it plays host to SMU at 7:05 p.m. MT on Friday, Feb. 5. The game against the Mustangs will be the popular “Pack The House Night,” as sponsored by Payless Shoe Source. Fans can receive free admission to the contest vs. SMU by visiting any of the numerous Payless stores in the El Paso area to pick up a voucher which can be exchanged at the gate for a ticket.
The Miners will wrap up that weekend by squaring off against Tulsa in a nationally-televised tilt (CBS College Sports) at 12 p.m. MT on Sunday, Feb. 7. The promotion for the game is “Orange Out”, and there will be free admission by wearing anything orange.
