WBB Championship Semifinal No. 2 - UTEP 86, Southern Miss 69
March 8, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. - Natasha Lacy and Jereica Hughes combined for 46 points to lead top-seeded UTEP to a 86-69 victory in Saturday's second semifinal game of the 2008 Conference USA Women's Basketball Championship at the UCF Arena in Orlando, Fla. With the win, the Miners advance to their first championship game appearance in program history. The team never trailed in the contest and has now won 23 consecutive games. UTEP improves to 27-2 on the season. Their record extends the school mark for best record in a season. The Miners shot 55 percent for the game and also knocked down 50 percent of their 3-point tries. They forced Southern Miss into 23 miscues and used them to score 31 points. They also had a 14-2 advantage on fast break points to keep the game out of reach during the second half. The team led by as many as 24 points. UTEP handed out 17 assists on its 33 field goals. Its 15 steals were the fourth-most in a C-USA tournament game. Lacy led all players with 25 points and eight rebounds, while league MVP Hughes finished with 21. Hughes added eight assists and three steals. Senior post player Izabela Piekarska netted 14 points, three rebounds and two assists, while Timika Williams chipped in with 13 points and four rebounds for UTEP. The Miners led comfortably at the half, 42-29. They forced Southern Miss into 14 miscues and also tallied eight steals. Williams, Hughes and Lacy all scored 11 points in the first stanza. Three Golden Eagle players registered double figures, led by first-team All-Conference USA member Pauline Love. Love scored 15 points and pulled down five rebounds. Amber Eugene scored 14 points and grabbed five rebounds, while Kendra Reed tallied 10 points and four assists in the loss. The Golden Eagles end their season at 19-13. Sunday's C-USA Championship game will feature the Miners battling No. 2 SMU at 3:30 p.m. EST on ESPN2. It will be the third time in C-USA Women's Basketball history that the top two seeds will meet to decide the league champion.
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |