'That was fun': UTEP treats Kayla Thornton to big win on her special night

The UTEP women's basketball team's future looked bright in a 68-41 rout of Morehead State at the Don Haskins Center, but Sunday night was also a happy celebration of the past and its greatest player, Kayla Thornton.

After Thornton watched her alma mater play crisp basketball full of the defense she was known for, her number 5 was hung from the rafters. UTEP's all-time leading scorer and rebounder and recently minted WNBA champion is the first women's player in the history of the program to have her jersey retired. It hangs near the seven men's jerseys that have been retired.

"From the bottom of my heart, this goes out to you guys, to El Paso, to the UTEP family, to everyone in the 915 who has supported me my whole career," Thornton told the crowd shortly after wiping away tears. "There's no way I'd be here if not for the 915.

"I'm blessed."

At halftime she was given a key to the city by Mayor Oscar Leeser and Mayor Pro-Tem Brian Kennedy.

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"To come back and see all these people come out and support me, I'm getting emotional," said Thornton, who won a WNBA championship with the New York Liberty on Oct. 20, her 32nd birthday. "I'm trying not to cry because of my makeup but deep down in my heart I'm so grateful for El Paso, the 915, for supporting me all my years.

"I'm able to bring the championship back home."

In one of the few instances where she didn't fulfill a goal in the Haskins Center, she later did cry after her jersey was revealed in the rafters. All of the UTEP players in warmups, and then on the bench, wore Kayla Thornton T-shirts with a montage of her with the Liberty. Coach Keitha Adams coached in her T-shirt.

After Thornton's jersey was retired, she spent an hour signing autographs for many of the 1,617 fans in attendance.

Miners roll on Kayla Thornton Day

Thornton was treated to some basketball by her alma mater that she could appreciate. A UTEP team that's already established an identity of playing lock-down defense showed plenty of offense against Morehead State, as it opened up a 16-point lead in the first half then put the game away quickly in the third quarter.

Inevitably, though, UTEP wanted to talk about how important it was to play great defense in front of Thornton, one of the WNBA's elite defensive players.

"It was great, especially on Kayla Thornton night, to be able have such a strong performance defensively," said Ivonne Tensaie, who scored all 16 of her points in the first three quarters before sitting most of the fourth. "We've been stressing guard the ball and rebound the ball and we did a better job of rebounding.

"The crowd was great and that always helps."

'That was fun'

Louisa Vydrova led UTEP with 18 points, all in the first three quarters.

"It was Kayla Thornton night, it was important to her and I'm glad we got her the win," said Louisa Vydrova, who led UTEP with 18 points despite barely playing in the fourth quarter. "It was amazing. I'm so glad we won, it was important to us.

"We stuck to our rules. We had our goals and we (checked the boxes off). That was great."

The smiles were huge after the game.

"That was fun," coach Keitha Adams said. "It was a fun night, a great night. I want to thank everyone who came out to honor, celebrate and lift Kayla Thornton up, it was a special, special day.

"It was an awesome, awesome evening to celebrate a really special Miner."

There wasn't much to complain about.

Through three quarters while building a 59-35 lead, UTEP was shooting 49% to Morehead's 25% and the Miners turned over the Eagles all night. Morehead finished with 28 turnovers to UTEP's 24, as the Miners' turnover issues were about their only problem.

"Our team played hard on defense," Adams said. "Our defense was what we could hang our hat on."

That certainly made Thornton proud on her special night.

Up next

The Miners return to action Saturday at home against UTSA in their Noche Latino day. The Haskins Center tip is set for 11 a.m. It will be streamed on ESPN+.

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Bret Bloomquist can be reached at [email protected]; @Bretbloomquist on X.