EL PASO — UTSA battled to the end, but it was the top team in the league that picked up the win Sunday, as UTEP scored a 62-55 victory at the Don Haskins Center.
UTSA (5-10, 1-4 C-USA) was led by senior Niaga Mitchell-Cole's 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting and she added nine rebounds. Akunna Elonu chipped in with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting with seven boards and a pair of steals.
UTEP (14-1, 5-0 C-USA) had three players in double figures. Cameasha Turner netted a game-high 18 points with six rebounds, while Sparkle Taylor scored 15 and Jenzel Nash 13.
It was a back-and-forth affair early on, but the Miners led 14-12 after the first 10 minutes of play and held their lead throughout the second to hold a 32-25 advantage at the half.
The Roadrunners took their first lead of the game in the first quarter after three scores put UTSA up 9-8. Carlie Heineman’s triple sparked the offense that was followed by back-to-back buckets from Tesha Smith and Alexus Dukes.
UTEP turned up the heat in the second quarter and forced eight of the Roadrunners’ 12 first-half turnovers. After the third tie of the second period, the Miners scored 12 of 14 points to extend their lead to 10, 30-20.
In the third quarter, UTSA made up some ground as the Roadrunners used a 6-0 run to make 40-33 at the 2:45 mark. Smith’s jumper at 4:01 ignited the run for the Roadrunners as Elonu followed with a jumper and a pair of free throws.
Later in the period, Cameasha Turner drilled a triple with 1:18 on the clock gave UTEP a 10-point led but the Miners would conclude the third leading by eight, 45-37.
The Miners managed to extend their lead to 13 to start the fourth quarter but would not last long as the Roadrunners utilized a 7-0 run to make it a four-point game, 52-48.
Fouls and free throws shot filled up the stat sheet in the final minute of play as both teams combined for seven trips to the line. UTSA shot 54 percent (7-of-13) from the charity stripe while UTEP fired 52 percent (11-of-21).
UTSA will continue its three-game road swing on Thursday, Jan. 21, at FIU.