Saturday, February 19
El Paso, Texas / Don Haskins Center
1 p.m.
Southern Miss
-169,86 CUSA
79
at
86
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UTEP
-1411,69 CUSA
1
2
3
4
OT 1
F
Southern Miss.
15
15
14
24
11
79
UTEP
27
13
13
15
18
86
Lady Eagles drop heartbreaker in overtime to UTEP
2/19/2022 4:58:00 PM | Women's Basketball
EL PASO, Texas – Despite erasing a 21-point deficit, the Southern Miss women's basketball team ultimately fell in overtime against UTEP, 86-79, on Saturday afternoon at the Don Haskins Center.
"I'm proud of our fight," head coach Joye Lee-McNelis said. "We have to bounce back. We have to refocus and look within ourselves. We'll have to lock back in and prepare for a big game on Thursday at home against North Texas.
"I'm really proud of Fess Hawkins," McNelis said of the senior post player. "She was prepared. She was locked in. She was a game changer."
Hawkins was instrumental in the comeback effort, recording her second career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Coming alive in the second half and overtime, Domonique Davis scored a team-high 21 points, with 16 coming after halftime. Rose Warren joined the pair in double figures with 12 points, including a pair of 3's.
Daishai Almond banked in a shot from the top of the elbow to open the scoring, before Rose Warren cashed in a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired to end a 2:13 scoring drought from the Lady Eagles (16-9, 8-6 C-USA). The Miners (14-11, 6-9 C-USA) started the game 6-of-9 from beyond the arc, with a perfect 4-of-4 effort by Mahri Petree pushing UTEP to an early 12-point advantage.
The Miners looked like they would run away with the contest, pushing their lead to as many as 21 midway through the second quarter, before the Lady Eagles started to fight back. Senior leadership provided the spark as Kelsey Jones started the run with a layup. Almond cut the lead to under 15 with a pair of free-throws and Destiny Smith hit a baseline jumper to get it back to 10 entering halftime.
The two teams battled back-and-forth out of the locker room with Jones cutting the Miner lead to just six in the opening two minutes of the second half. After UTEP extending the lead back to 12, Davis connected on a deep ball with 14 seconds left in the period to bring the Lady Eagles within single digits.
Down as many as 13 in the fourth quarter, Southern Miss closed on an 18-5 run to force the game in overtime. Trailing by two with 19 seconds, Davis drove the lane and put up a shot in the paint that was grabbed by Hawkins and put in to tie the game with 13 seconds left and force the extra period.
UTEP clinched the game at the free-throw line in overtime, going 10-of-14 at the charity stripe to escape with the win.
Southern Miss now sits tied for the western division lead with North Texas, who comes to Reed Green Coliseum on Thursday night. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT.
Team Stats
USM
UTEP
FG%
.431
.422
3FG%
.438
.360
FT%
.769
.676
RB
44
41
TO
17
15
STL
9
4
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
21
FGM
8
3FGM
4
FTM
1
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Women's BasketballGuard
/ Women's BasketballForward
/ Women's Basketball
Center
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's BasketballGuard
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