EL PASO, Texas – The University of the Incarnate Word women's basketball team went toe-to-toe with UTEP on Saturday evening, falling just short, 74-68, in a back-and-forth affair against the Miners inside GECU Arena at the Don Haskins Center.
Morgan Borgstadt (15 points) paced the scoring for the Cardinals as she was one of four players to hit double digits.
The UIW offense was efficient early in the game as it opened up a 5-2 advantage before the hosts responded with a 7-0 run in under two minutes to lead, 9-5. Both teams would then exchange early treys as
Gwendlyn McGrew cut the Cardinals' deficit to 12-10 with just under five minutes left in the first quarter. Turnovers would aid the Miners in regaining momentum en route to a 19-12 cushion and a 21-18 lead after 10 minutes of action. McGrew led the way for UIW with six early points.
Each squad would appear to hit its stride in the second quarter as the offenses continued to settle in. The highly-contested matchup saw UTEP pull farther ahead in the early minutes of the stanza, but
Kayanna Cox and company got back within a pair, 27-25, with 5:32 remaining before halftime. Borgstadt would hit a pair of free throws before the Miners would catch fire and score nine unanswered for a 40-29 lead. The Cardinals were able to bounce back with a 5-0 spurt of their own thanks to a three-pointer from
Mariah Hart for a 40-34 deficit at the break. UIW shot 41.7% from the floor in the first 20 minutes (10-for-24) and was 10-of-13 from the charity stripe.
An 8-0 run in just over two minutes flipped the script for the Cardinals as they grabbed a 42-40 lead before forcing UTEP into a timeout. McGrew and Borgstadt nailed back-to-back shots from beyond the arc and watched as
Zaviyana Madison nailed a jumper to help the club pull in front. The Miners would collect themselves, however, and put together five-straight points. Their lead would balloon to as much as seven (51-44) before UIW punched back to head into the fourth period trailing, 52-50.
An early Cardinal turnover helped UTEP regain momentum in the fourth quarter as the Miners put together a string of seven-consecutive tallies. Trailing, 59-50, McGrew connected from deep and Borgstadt again found herself at the line for two – hitting both. UIW fought back and got within striking distance on multiple occasions, but the Miners proved-to-be too strong down the stretch and protected its home floor, 74-68.
The Cardinals (1-1) hit on 18-of-44 from the floor for 40.9%. They shot 25 times from beyond the arc while hitting on eight of those shots – four of which came from McGrew. UIW flexed its muscles in the paint, causing UTEP to foul early and often. The team went 24-of-34 from the line.
Notables:
- Morgan Borgstadt led the way in the scoring column for the Cardinals with 15 points; she was also perfect at the free-throw line (8-for-8) while grabbing eight rebounds.
- Borgstadt was joined in double figures by freshman Zaviyana Madison (13), Kayanna Cox (12) and Gwendlyn McGrew (12).
- Madison – who was 7-of-10 from the charity stripe – also helped keep the UIW offense in rhythm thanks to a team-leading five assists; she also chipped in with four boards.
- The Cardinal defense was able to take the ball away from UTEP 10 times, but surrendered possession on 17 occasions as well.
- Offensively, the Miners had four players hit the 10-plus point plateau in the victory.
- Both squads were relatively similar in offensive output on the evening with the Cardinals shooting 40.9% on 18-of-44. The Miners were 27-for-59 overall, good for 45.8%. The hosts also got to the line frequently (15-of-24).
- UIW posted 30 rebounds, 21 fastbreak points and 20 tallies off the bench.
The Cardinals hit the court next on Wednesday, Nov. 11 against UTSA. The contest can be streamed live on ESPN+ (subscription required).
Tip is set for 11 a.m.
FOLLOW ALONG
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