Moments after UTEP's hard-fought 72-64 victory over Southern Miss Thursday night, one that delighted a crowd of 4,326 that would have been more than a season's worth of women's basketball fans two decades earlier, with almost everyone else who had been involved in the game looking like they'd been through a 10-round fight, Miner coach Keitha Adams bounced over to the scorer's table and grabbed a microphone.
Her first point was to thank the boisterous crowd. Her second was to challenge them to return Saturday with a friend. As they roared, UTEP players began wading into the stands to slap hands and return the love that had been showered on them for two hours.