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EL PASO, Texas – The University of the Southwest women's basketball team faced a tough exhibition match challenge on the road Monday night, falling 102–43 to UTEP at the Don Haskins Center. Despite the final score, the Mustangs showed resilience and flashes of strong play against a deep Miners squad.

Southwest opened the game with early buckets from Seniya Wilson and Karinna Ortiz, keeping the score close at 6–4 before UTEP's size and transition game sparked a decisive run. The Mustangs trailed 27–9 after the first quarter and went into halftime down 56–22.

Karinna Ortiz led the Mustangs with 14 points, shooting 6-of-12 from the field and adding two rebounds and two steals. Briana Montoya provided a spark from beyond the arc, scoring 14 points on 4-of-12 three-point shooting while grabbing four boards. Macie Werdel chipped in 5 points and three rebounds, and Seniya Wilson added 6 points, two assists, and two rebounds.

Southwest finished the night shooting 29% from the field (18-of-62) and 21% from three-point range (6-of-28). The Mustangs were perfect from the free-throw line (1-of-1) and battled on the glass with 30 rebounds, including nine offensive boards. Defensively, USW recorded 8 steals and 4 blocks, showing grit against UTEP's aggressive attack.

The Miners capitalized on turnovers and second-chance opportunities, outscoring Southwest 38–6 off turnovers and 39–5 in second-chance points. UTEP also dominated in the paint (52–18) and in transition (35 fast-break points).

Southwest will look to build on individual performances and improved ball movement as it prepares for its next conference matchup on Saturday.
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