UTEP Survives Fullerton in Double Overtime Thriller 92-91

In a game that featured a rare five-point play, an unsportsmanlike foul, and a pair of overtimes, the UTEP women's basketball team was able to squeak past Cal State Fullerton 92-91 last night. The Miners (8-4) built a lead as large as 18 points and led by 13 going into the fourth quarter. However, UTEP did not score a single point for the first eight and a half minutes of the final frame while the Titans (5-8) mounted a furious comeback to take their first lead of the contest.

Tamara Seda was a beast all night and she finished the game with a career high 30 points and 12 rebounds. Katarina Zec added 21 points, while Najala Howell had 16 and Zuzanna Puc scored 12 for the Miners.

"Does tonight’s game not speak to the resiliency of our team?" UTEP head coach Kevin Baker said after the game on 600 ESPN El Paso. "We won that game about four or five different times. Luckily we pulled it out in double overtime. I’m very proud of our team. What a great game. It’s a shame anybody had to lose it but I’m glad we came out on top."

UTEP shot 54-percent for the game, including a blistering 68-percent in the first half. Howell and Zec had 15-points each in the first half, but Seda was the story in the second half and overtimes, as she scored 19 points over the final 30 minutes of the game.

In the first overtime, UTEP took a six-point lead (77-71) before Cal State Fullerton used a five-point play to make it a one-point game. The Titans' Hannah Thompson buried a three-point shot and Carolyn Gill hit two free throws as the result of a simultaneous foul away from the ball. After Seda scored to put the Miners back up by three the Titans forced double overtime on a three-point shot by Jade Vega in the final seconds. Double overtime featured six lead changes. Puc scored six of her 12 points in the period, including the eventual game-winner.

The Miners have less than 24 hours to prepare for UC Riverside, and the two teams will tip off at 6pm tonight. Traci Miller will join me courtside for all of the action on 600 ESPN El Paso.