The nonconference portion of the schedule concludes on the road Thursday afternoon for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff women’s basketball team.
UAPB will face the University of Texas at El Paso at 3 p.m. CST (2 p.m. MST) at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas. ESPN+ will stream the game.
UAPB (2-7) will be looking to bounce back from Monday night’s season-worst shooting performance at Hawaii, which came with the Lady Lions shorthanded.
Leading scorer Janiyah Tucker was among the four players who didn’t play, and the Spectrum Sports broadcast reported she did not travel with the team. She averages 13.2 points per game.
Senior forward Stephanie Okowi reportedly missed the Hawaii game for her graduation ceremony but is expected to rejoin the team in El Paso.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
UAPB got second-leading scorer D’Arrah Allen back for the Hawaii game after she missed five games with a thumb injury. She averages 10.7 points but scored just 2 in her return.
UTEP (5-4) has lost three of its past four games but is 3-2 at home this season. The Miners shoot 42.7% from the field and average 6.9 3-pointers per game.
Senior guard Ivane Tensaie leads UTEP with 15.2 points per game, followed by sophomore forward Luisa Vydrova with 11.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
The Lady Lions enter this game without a Division I win yet this season. This game will be their final chance to avoid finishing nonconference play without a Division I win since the 2019-20 season. UAPB won three such games last season, all on the road.