Feb. 19, 2008

EL PASO, Texas - A day after moving to a program-best 19th in the Associated Press Top-25 Poll, the UTEP women's basketball team made some more history by making its initial appearance in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' top-25 poll. UTEP checked in at 25th with 61 points.

The Miners (21-2, 12-0), which had received at least one vote in the poll for the previous six weeks, finally burst through after securing a pair of double-digit victories last weekend.

The effort extended UTEP's overall win streak to 17 straight, which ranks as the second-longest unbeaten stretch in the country. Additionally, the 12-0 league start eclipsed the 1997-98 Memphis squad as the best opening for conference only tilts in the history of the league. Moreover, UTEP has emerged victorious in 21 of its past 22 contests.

Making the feat even more impressive is the fact that prior to this year, UTEP had never received a vote in the poll.

The poll, which started in 1986, is comprised of 31 head coaches at Division I institutions. All are members of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.

The Miners will be back in action against Southern Miss on Friday before taking on UCF on Feb. 24 to wrap up the road portion of the C-USA slate.