Let s dive into both matchups for the UTEP men s and women s teams.
UTEP Women s Basketball - No. 2 Seed
The UTEP women s basketball team (16-7, 13-5) clinched the second overall seed in the C-USA West Divison, putting themselves in a position to make a run at the league s title. First off, they won t have to play until Thursday when they face either Florida Atlantic (3rd seed, East Division), UAB (6th West) or UTSA (7th West), all of whom the Miners have faced at one point this year.
After they won nine straight games, Florida Atlantic beat the Miners at the Haskins Center (67-62). The squad regrouped the next day and smashed the Owls (92-62) to split the series. In the middle of their winning streak, they swept both UAB and UTSA. Sophomore point guard Katia Gallegos leads the team by averaging 14.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.0 steals per game. She was named to the league s All-Conference First Team on Monday.
UTEP vs. FIU: Three Questions Before Tipoff
Both contests have a 7 p.m. tip-off at the Haskins Center.
Who: UTEP (8-10, 4-8 C-USA) vs. Florida International (9-12, 2-10 C-USA)
When: Friday, 7:00 p.m. MT
Where: Don Haskins Center, El Paso
Watch: ESPN+
Ruben R Ramirez
What about the elephant in the room?
As ABC-7 s Erik Elken reported on Thursday, UTEP head coach Rodney Terry received a one-year contract extension that will pin him as the Miners head coach until the 2023-24 season. This was uncovered after our news partners were seeking clarification on the salary reductions this year by UTEP s two highest paid coaches Terry and football coach Dana Dimel. Both Terry ($200,000) and Dimel ($71,000) will take a combined $271,000 salary reduction this year as a result of budget cuts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Turns out the extension moved forward in October, yet Director of Athletics Jim Senter never released anything to the public.
In a must-win situation, the UTEP men's basketball team answered the call by using a mighty second half performance to top UTSA 69-51, thus splitting the series with the Roadrunners.