Ashley Milian (Image: Brian Kanoff)

The UTEP Women’s basketball team bolted out to a 16-point lead at the half (36-20) and never looked back on the way to trouncing Texas State, 65-45, at the Don Haskins Center Friday evening.

The two teams traded blows early on, and the Bobcats (3-6) actually led 14-13 with 9:51 to play in the first half. The Miners (8-4) made their only deficit of the contest a distant memory, though, thanks to a game-changing 19-3 surge over the next eight minutes.

When it was all said and down UTEP was up 32-15 with 1:46 to play in the period. Texas State would get no closer than 14 from that point on. The Miners pushed their advantage out to as many as 30 in the second stanza before the Bobcats closed the game on a bit of a flurry.

Seniors Jareica Hughes (11 points, six boards, five assists) and Timika Williams (10 points, nine rebounds) led the way for the Orange and Blue, and is on the cusp of making history as result.

The duo has now been a part of 76 victories since venturing together to El Paso out of high school, which places the pair tied with former Miner greats Kasia Krezel and Izabela Pieksarska for the most wins ever by a senior class.

“It was a good victory tonight,” head coach Keitha Adams said. “I am pleased with the effort. We won the battle of the boards, got some energy from our players off the bench. Overall, I’m pleased.”

UTEP’s defense smothered its foe for most of the game, with the Bobcats committing more turnovers (17) than field-goals made (15). Texas State finished at 27.3 percent from the floor, and it took the aforementioned strong finish to the game to even climb that high.

The Miners had no such issues, with an unselfish, patient approach on offense overwhelming the visitors. UTEP registered assists on all but six of its 27 field-goals, with Hughes and Niya Santiago setting the tone. Each registered five helpers, while Briana Green was credited with four assists.

While Hughes and Williams were the lone players in double figures with scoring, they were certainly not the only threats. Kayla Guidry came off the bench to tally a career-high nine points on solid shooting (4-of-7). Ashley Milian also accounted for nine points, Dietra Caldwell pitched in eight and Sviatlana Trukshanina added seven.

Santiago registered a career-high-tying five points while also effectively running the offense in an efficient 18 minutes of action.

Another key to the contest was UTEP controlling the boards. The Miners out-rebounded Texas State-which entered as the best rebounding team in its conference and No. 53 nationally- by a final count of 45-40. UTEP secured 17 offensive caroms, which added up to 12 second-chance points.

UTEP, which shot a crisp 40.9 percent from the floor, is now 6-0 at the Don Haskins Center this year. The effort ties as the fourth-best start at home in program history.

The Miners will look to keep things going at home when they take on Alcorn State at 2:05 p.m. on Sunday. Following the break for the holiday season, UTEP will wrap up non-conference play in the rematch of the battle of I-10 against New Mexico State at 3 p.m. MT on Dec. 28.

Conference USA play christens on Jan. 8, and UTEP will welcome Rice to “The Don” for a nationally-televised contest (CBS College Sports) at 8:30 p.m. The five-game homestretch will conclude following a 2:05 p.m. MT tilt against Houston on Jan. 10.