Can the UTEP Miners Bounce Back After a Hard-Fought Battle at Pan American Center?
The University of Texas at El Paso Miners faced off against the New Mexico State Aggies in a conference game that ended with a 53-63 defeat for the Miners. The Aggies improved their record to 1-0, while the Miners fell to 0-1.
At the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, home of the Aggies, fans witnessed an intense matchup where both teams displayed strong defensive efforts. The UTEP Miners showcased their agility with 11 steals and managed to block two shots. Despite these efforts, they were outrebounded by the Aggies who secured a total of 37 rebounds compared to the Miners' 24.
The offensive side saw UTEP converting on half of their two-point attempts with a shooting percentage of fifty-two percent from inside the arc. However, they struggled beyond it, making only five out of nineteen three-point attempts which translated into twenty-six percent shooting from long range. Free throws were also crucial for UTEP as they made fourteen out of twenty-one attempts, achieving sixty-seven percent from the charity stripe.
A notable aspect was how effectively UTEP capitalized on turnovers by scoring seventeen points off them. They also showed quickness on fast breaks adding eight points but could only muster three second-chance points throughout the game.
The team's ball handling was less than ideal as they turned over possession fifteen times and had an assists turnover ratio below one (0.69). This indicated more turnovers than assists which is an area for potential improvement in future games.
On individual performances, no specific players were highlighted in this report; however, it can be inferred that there was active participation across various facets such as defense and offense given team statistics like steals and field goals made.
Looking ahead after this tough loss on foreign ground, The University of Texas at El Paso Miners will return home to face Chicago State Cougars at Don Haskins Center located in El Paso TX on January 7th at 2:00 PM Central Time. Fans eager to support can catch live action broadcasted over ESPN+ internet network ensuring not a moment is missed from what promises to be another exciting college basketball encounter.