Las Cruces, N.M. - FIU Women's Hoops will travel to El Paso to take on University of Texas El Paso to cap off their western road trip on Saturday, January 13th at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Saturday, January 13th at UTEP
FIU (11-5, 2-0 CUSA) comes into Saturday's contest off of a gritty 57-52 win over New Mexico State University, Thursday in Las Cruces.
It was a defensive battle from start to finish for the Panthers, forcing 26 turnovers and converting 22 points off turnovers, as opposed to New Mexico States's 15 points off turnovers. FIU snatched 13 steals in the contest, their third highest of the season, with graduate student Kaliah Henderson taking five steals of her own in the game, tying her season high. It is the third time this season she has swiped five steals in a game, with the other two coming in wins as well against Florida National and Bethune-Cookman. The 1,000-point scorer finished with six points and three rebounds to cap off a great defensive day for the 5'10 guard.
The Panthers' offense was highlighted by the guard-forward tandem of Junior Tanajah Hayes and Senior Maria Torres, combining for 34 points in the game, with Hayes scoring a season-high 18 points, and Torres finishing with a career high 16 points. Their clutch gene showed after the break, scoring a combined 22 points in the second half, more than the Panthers or Aggies put up in the entire first half.Â
Hayes was clutch at the free-throw line, sinking five shots from the charity stripe in the final 2:20 of the game, icing the game for the Panthers. The usually defensive savvy guard decided to do most of her work on the offensive side of the ball Thursday night, accounting for one steal and three rebounds to round off her excellent performance. Hayes contributed to a conference leading 28.6 points off the bench for the Panthers, which places 20th in the nation.
Maria Torres provided a spark in the second half, willing the Panthers to a win with her efficient shooting, going 8-11 in the game including 6-7 in the second half. She did the majority of her work in the final 20 minutes, scoring 12 of her 16 points after the first half break. Torres surpassed her previous career high of 15 points, which she achieved in a win against Utah Tech earlier this season. The 6'1 forward added on five rebounds and three steals to cap off a spectacular conference victory on the road for the Panthers.
Scouting UTEP
University of Texas El Paso (6-8, 1-0 CUSA) is coming off an 81-72 win over New Mexico State on January 6.Â
The Miners sit at fourth in the Conference-USA standings, averaging 69.7 points a game, second only to FIU's 70.9 points per game. Despite scoring at a conference leading 42% clip, UTEP ranks last in scoring defense and opponent field goal percentage, giving up 72.3 points per game on 45.5% shooting.Â
The Miners are led by senior Jane Asinde, averaging 15.8 points per game on 43.9% shooting, the former being good for second in CUSA, and the latter being fourth in the conference. Asinde also leads UTEP in rebounds per game at 8.8, and steals per game at 1.8. The Miners also see good minutes from senior Erin Wilson, who sits at seventh in CUSA in scoring at 13.4 points per game. The 5'10 guard is second to her counterpart Asinde in points, rebounds (8.4), and steals (1.6), but leads the team in offensive rebounds per game with 4.1. Together, the guard-forward tandem combine for almost 42% of UTEP's scoring per game.
This will be FIU and UTEP's first meeting since last season, when UTEP outlasted FIU by score of 83-79.
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