EL PASO, Texas – The 2021-22 UTEP women’s basketball scheduled has been finalized, after head coach Kevin Baker revealed the nonconference slate on Thursday. UTEP will play 29 regular-season contests (11 nonconference, 18 C-USA) in the upcoming year.
The Miners will have 11 non-league games, including a home-and-home series with I-10 rival NM State and a return to the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout in Las Vegas, Nev. There will be six home games, three road match-ups and a pair of neutral-site affairs.
“This season we will open up the year by playing four straight home games. This will be a great way for our fans to get to know the team and our talent level,” Baker said. “We will then hit the road to Las Vegas where we will play in a two-game classic against some Power 5 competition. We will then travel to finish up our annual series with NM State. That will be a very challenging three-game road trip. We will then try to avenge a loss from last season as we will play Utah State right before our team concentrates on final exams. Up next, we will hit the road for a pair of tough games at Texas State and New Mexico. We will round out our nonconference schedule against Air Force in the Haskins Center. We hope that this challenging schedule will prepare us for our journey towards a Conference USA title.”
UTEP will tune up for the season by squaring off with Division II foe St. Mary’s (Texas) on Nov. 7. The Miners then tip things off against UIW (Nov. 11), the first of four straight home games to begin the season. North Dakota (Nov. 13), NM State (Nov. 17) and NAU (Nov. 20) round out the homestand. Utah State (Dec. 4) and Air Force (Dec. 21) will also venture to the Sun City during nonconference action.
The first games outside of El Paso takes UTEP to the “Sin City” for the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout in Las Vegas, Nev., from Nov. 26-27. The Orange and Blue will battle Seattle (Nov. 26) on day one and square off against Big 12 power Kansas (Nov. 27) on day two. The Miners will also have traditional road contests at NM State (Dec. 1), at Texas State (Dec. 13) and at New Mexico (Dec. 19). Conference USA play begins on Jan. 1, culminating with the 2022 C-USA Championships in Frisco, Texas.
The Miners went 17-8 last year, including a 13-5 league mark, to secure the third winning season in four years under Baker. He’s the first coach in program history to achieve the feat. UTEP heads into the 2021-22 campaign with four returning starters and six letterwinners overall back in the fold. There will also be numerous newcomers in the mix, including several Division I transfers. It’s a team that fans should be excited about, with El Paso product and 2021 All-C-USA first team honoree Katia Gallegos leading the charge.
Season tickets, starting as low as $65, remain on sale. Fans can call the Eisenberg Family Ticket Office at (915) 747-UTEP, email tickets@utep.edu, visit www.UTEPMiners.com/Tickets or stop by in person (Brumbelow Building on UTEP campus, 201 Glory Road) Monday thru Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For complete coverage of UTEP women’s basketball, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at @UTEPWBB (Twitter), @utepwbb (Instagram) and on Facebook or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics at UTEPMiners.com.