What to know: UTEP Miner women at Florida Atlantic Owls
The UTEP women's basketball team (12-5 overall, 4-3 in Conference USA) looks for its first three-game winning streak since the beginning of the season when it travels to Florida Atlantic on Thursday to kick off its two-game Sunshine State swing.
The 4 p.m. Mountain time tip from Boca Raton will be streamed on CUSAtv and aired on 600 ESPN El Paso.
More: C-USA women's baksetball standings
Who is Florida Atlantic
The last team UTEP beat last season, in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA tournament, is 4-13 overall and 0-6 in C-USA.
The Owls upset the Miners last year in the Don Haskins Center behind star Iggy Allen, but Allen transferred to Old Dominion after the season and FAU has struggled. The Owls won their first two games this season then played at Miami competitively in a 10-point loss, but not much has gone well since.
They are, however, coming off their best game since November in an overtime loss at Marshall on Saturday. That came without leading scorer Amber Gaston, a 6-foot-2 forward averaging 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds a game, who has missed the last two weeks. Her status for Thursday is unknown.
More: Petree gives UTEP women's basketball spark off the bench
FAU is last in C-USA in turnover margin and 13th in scoring margin.
What is the challenge?
UTEP has been inconsistent to open C-USA, befitting of the stop-and-go nature of a season affected by COVID, but has a chance to build some momentum now as it travels east to take on the two bottom teams in that division.
Defensively, when the Miners have been on they've been outstanding, but they haven't always been on. Consistency there would go a long ways toward starting the road trip well. FAU should be susceptible to UTEP's press and the Miners will looked to generate easy baskets there.
More: Elina Arike's time arrives for UTEP women's basketball
Quoting the team
"They've been struggling to defend, so right now they are trying to figure out different things to do to you defensively," coach Kevin Baker said. "They are not afraid to do anything defensively, from a box-and-one to a 2-3 zone, whatever, so we're trying to plan for anything on defense. Offensively they are who they are. If Gaston plays everything goes through her.
"We just have to play well, I know that's cliche for any coach to say. We need to continue to put good performances on the floor."
Said guard Katia Gallegos: "Road games are tough to win. We have to come out mentally prepared. We've worked for it and, we've gone over scout, now it's coming out and being prepared."
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at 915-546-6359; bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: UTEP Miner women at Florida Atlantic Owls what to know
