Miners looking to go 4-0 against UTPA

After a rout of Great West-opponent Houston Baptist Nov. 19, the Miners will turn their attention to the UT-Pan American Broncs from the same conference Nov. 22 at the Don Haskins Center in search of going 4-0 for the season.

"We just have to get our mind set and forget we had that win and focus on the next game," junior forward Kristine Vitola said. "You can't live in the past, you have to look to the future a little bit."

The Broncs are 1-2 on the season and are coming off a home loss Nov. 18 to Texas State. Sophomore guard LaQuita Garner led UT-Pan American with 19 points as she has all season. Garner had team-highs of 14 points in her two previous games and is shooting 41.2 percent from three-point range.

The second-leading scorer, senior forward Donna Jackson, is also the team's leading rebounder. She is averaging 9.3 points and 7.3 boards a game, but is shooting 29.6 percent from the field.

Other than those two players, assistant coach Ewa Laskowska said the Broncs are athletic and like to run the break. Stopping that is their emphasis for this game.

"All of them like to put the ball on the floor and drive so that's an area where we focus on. That's been the area that we've been working on," Laskowska said. "So that's driving, transition offense, transition defense and when the ball is in play that is going to be huge."

Where they hurt the most is in their low-post presence with only two players taller than six-feet. That has translated to an average of 15 points in the paint and five second-chance points during their two losses.

"They don't have a lot of height but they are very athletic," Laskowska said. "They have a lot of forwards who are six-foot, five(-foot) 11(-inches) who are very active, so obviously we have a little bit more size. We need to go inside, but at the same time, we have to stay with some very athletic forwards."

Vitola is one player who may be able to expose that part of UT-Pan American's game at six-foot four-inches. Along with the other posts, UTEP is scoring 41.3 points in the paint and 19 second-chance points each game.

"(Rebounding) is getting better. We're getting there," Vitola said. "There's still a lot to work on that we just have to make sure we box our man out and go get the ball."

The Miners feel as if their defense is improving, too. After allowing NMSU Nov. 16 to shoot 38 percent, including 41 from the three, UTEP held Houston Baptist to 30 percent from the field and 20 from the perimeter.

UTEP is making a quick turnaround since that game and had only one day to review tape on the opposing team.

"We just have to make sure that we stay focused and have a really good practice (Nov. 21). Make sure we know enough about them (Nov. 22) to go into the game," sophomore guard Kelli Willingham said. "Competition is competition. Once you hit the floor, it doesn't matter who's out there, it's time to play."

In addition to the lack of knowledge of the opposing team, UTEP went through practice Nov. 21 without head coach Keitha Adams. She was attending the memorial service of the late Oklahoma State women's basketball head coach Kurt Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna in Stillwater, Okla. The two were killed in a plane crash Nov. 17 near Little Rock, Ark.

Adams will be back in time for the UT-Pan American game.

William Vega may be reached at prospector@utep.edu