Dec. 18, 2009

Final Stats

El Paso, Texas - A low shooting effort put Texas State behind in the first half, and the shortage proved to be too much to bounce back from and the UTEP Miners profited in a 65-45 decision Friday night at the Don Haskins Center. With the loss, Texas State falls to 3-6 on the season, while UTEP improves to 8-4.

Tonight's 45-point effort marked the lowest point total Texas State has been held to this season. ULM held the team to 48 points in their Nov. 17 meeting at Strahan Coliseum.

UTEP's feisty guards set the tempo in the first four minutes of action with a 6-0 run that Texas State was forced to chase down. Victoria Davis found Megan Homan for a fastbreak layup and Diamond Ford went right back at the Miners with a steal at the top of the key, topped off with a layup to trim the edge.

A three-pointer from Dietra Caldwell stretched UTEP's lead to nine, but a basket from Aimee Hilburn and two free throws from Megan Homan kept the Bobcats within one possession. Both teams exchanged baskets over the next two minutes, and at 12:03 Aimee Hilburn hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 11-11.

UTEP broke the tie with a driving layup in the paint from Hughes, but it was Ford that erased the mark with a shot from beyond the arc to give Texas State its first and only lead of the game, a 14-13 edge with 9:50 to play.

However the final minutes of the half wouldn't be as kind to Texas State as UTEP pulled away with a 23-6 run for a 36-20 score headed into the break.

Hilburn added the pair of three-pointers over the span and closed out the half with 11 points to lead the Bobcats. In the second half, Hilburn was held scoreless, but the 11 points led Bobcat scorers for the night.

Texas State went 7-for-32, a 22 percent effort from the field and brought down 23 rebounds in the half. UTEP, led by 11 points from Hughes, went 15-for-34 from the field (44.1 %) and grabbed 22 rebounds.

Coming out of the break, the Bobcats went 1-for-11 over the first eight minutes while the Miners dropped 14 points to take a 27-point lead.

Down 50-23, Davis drove to the basket and ended a near six-minute scoring drought for the Bobcats and cut the lead to 25.

By 7:11, UTEP built a 30-point lead, but Texas State crashed the margin with a 17-7 run. Tamarra Evans-Sluga led the charge with nine points, a 3-for-4 effort from three-point range, but it was too lit, too late.

Four Bobcats contributed four rebounds to the Bobcats 40 total on the night. Texas State shot 40 percent from beyond the arc and 70 percent from the free throw line.

Hughes led the Miners with 11 points, while Timika Williams chipped in 10 points and nine rebounds. The miners managed 45 boards in tonight's game.

Texas State's next outing on the court will be Sunday against Our Lady of the Lake. Tip is set for 1 p.m. at Strahan Coliseum.