SAN ANTONIO — Heading into the fourth season of Conference USA play, the UTSA women's basketball team will open up league action on the road in El Paso at UTEP on New Year's Day at the Don Haskins Center at 3 p.m.
UTSA (4-7) plays in its first game in 12 days after completing the Rae & Craig Blair Memorial Tournament back on Dec. 19-20. The Roadrunners capped off its annual event with an 80-64 victory against Liberty where all but two players scored.
As a team, UTSA is putting up 64.6 points per game but allowing 67.3 points a night from its opponents. The Roadrunners are also on the downside on the glass as UTSA is grabbing 40.2 caroms per night but averaging 10.6 steals per game, which ranks second in C-USA.
Leading the offensive charge for the Roadrunners is junior guard Loryn Goodwin, as she pours in 19.1 points a night with a team-leading four helpers a game. Tesha Smith contributes 9.7 points per game with a team-best 7.3 rebounds a night. Smith is also shooting 71 percent from the free throw line, as she is 35-of-49 this season. Carlie Heineman adds 9.1 points a game and is shooting 30 percent from 3-point range.
UTEP (3-9) welcomes its in-state rival off a fresh 74-61 victory against CSU Bakersfield on Dec. 28.
Sparkle Taylor led all scorers with 16 points, while three others Miners reached double figures. Taylor also leads the Miners on the season with 14.5 points per game, as she is one of two players this season to play and start in all 12 games. Taylor is 38 percent from the field along with firing 78 percent from 3-point range. Tamara Seda chips in with eight points a night and tops the team with 8.6 caroms a game. She is second defensively in blocks with 16 and is shooting 50.7 percent from the field.
UTSA leads the all-time series, 19-10, and it defeated the Miners in the last meeting in the Alamo City when UTEP was ranked in the Top 25.
