The Middle Tennessee women’s basketball team (7-6, 1-1 C-USA) traveled on the road to battle UTEP (12-1, 3-0 C-USA) on Thursday in an early C-USA matchup. Momentum was on the Blue Raiders side, winning 3 of their last 4 coming into this game. The Miners controlled the game from the get-go, continuing their tremendous start to the season with the 84-73.
Momentum was on the Blue Raiders side, winning three of their last four coming into this game. The Miners controlled the game from the get-go, continuing their tremendous start to the season with the 84-73.
Middle Tennessee struggled coming out and setting a tone. Instead, the Miners set it for them, jumping out to an early nine-point advantage. UTEP maintained a steady lead throughout the first half and used a Ty Petty turnover midway through the first quarter to extend their lead into double digits. Turnovers would come back to haunt the Blue Raiders, who found that the giveaways hurt their chances for big buckets late.
The Blue Raiders fought hardest in the second half, after giving up 25 first quarter points, and trailing for most of the game. The Miners were solid from start to finish and held the lead throughout the entire matchup. Despite the Blue Raiders best effort late in the second half, the Miners sparked a large run to close out the game. The game was put away by two free throws with just over a minute to play, extending what has already been a fantastic start for UTEP, their 12th win of the year.
UTEP’s Jenzel Nash scored a game-high 26 points and had support from Cameasha Turner who had 20 points coming off the bench. As a team, the Miners had the advantage in nearly every statistic category, leading in percentage from the field, free throws, and rebounds.
The Blue Raiders will look to get back on track this weekend as they take on UTSA on the road. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m.
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To contact Sports Editor Connor Ulrey, email sportseditor@mtsusidelines.com.
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