Over the past several years, the women’s basketball team at the University of Texas at El Paso has been one of the top teams in Conference USA, consistently finishing with one of the better records in the conference.

But, it seems the Mustangs have their number.

The SMU women’s basketball team defeated the UTEP Miners, 72-61, at Moody Coliseum on Jan. 15. This marks the fourth time in a row that the Mustangs have beaten the Miners.
The game was close until halfway through the second half, with the two teams exchanging baskets and leads the whole way. However, with roughly seven minutes left in the game, the Mustangs raced away with a 16-0 run that UTEP never recovered from.

Junior Haley Day led the Mustangs with 18 points and nine rebounds. Senior Brittany Gilliam, who many teams have focused on due to her breakout performance last season, used the extra attention to her advantage, dishing out a career-high 11 assists alongside her 17 points.
SMU’s defense was no pushover either; the Mustangs held UTEP’s Jareica Hughes to just seven points. The senior had been averaging 14.1 points a game. The Mustangs also held the rebounding advantage, pounding the glass for 38 rebounds compared to just 27 for the Miners. SMU’s record is still perfect this season when they out-rebound their opponent.
The Mustangs also took on the Tulane Green Wave over the break in a bid to win their third straight C-USA game.