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RUSTON, La. – ​UTEP shot 47.9 percent (23-48) from the floor and nailed a season-high 10 triples, but it sustained its first Conference USA loss of the year in an 87-80 setback at LA Tech Saturday afternoon.

“If you’re going to beat them here, you’ve got to do something special.” UTEP head coach Kevin Baker said. “We were unable to get it done today, but I like the way we played. I was really impressed with the things we did out there. Our problem was in the first quarter we just kept turning it over. They hit shots when they needed to hit shots. I think we brought the best out of LA Tech tonight.”

The Miners (10-5, 3-1 C-USA) were hurt by committing 28 turnovers and allowing the Lady Techsters (9-5, 1-2 C-USA) to drill 53.8 percent (28-52) from the floor, including 50.0 percent (11-22) from 3-point range.

Freshman Katia Gallegos flirted with a double-double (15 points, seven assists) to pace a trio of players in double figures. Katarina Zec (13 points) and Ariana Taylor (11 points) buoyed her, while Sabine Lipe (nine points, three assists) and Jade Rochelle (eight points, two assists) led the efforts off the pine.

It was a seesaw battle with 11 ties and 14 lead changes. The game was knotted at 71 with 9:34 to play before LA Tech took control with an 8-0 surge. The Miners battled back, trimming the margin to three (81-78) after a Zec free throw with 3:19 remaining.

That was as close as they would get, with the Lady Techsters staving off every remaining push from the Orange and Blue to improve to 8-2 on the year at home.

LA Tech was led by Keiunna Walker’s double-double (28 points, 10 rebounds). Three other Lady Techsters also reached double digits in scoring, in the form of Grayson Bright (14 points), Raizel Guinto (13 points) and Amber Dixon (12 points).

UTEP jumped out to an 9-4 lead, including a mini 5-0 run by Zec, two minutes into the contest. LA Tech responded with 10 straight points and eventually led the Miners by six (21-15) with 46 seconds to play in the opening quarter. UTEP struck back with consecutive triples by Gallegos and Taylor, respectively, to pull even at 21 through 10 minutes of action.

The home side went back ahead midway through the second frame, with UTEP trailing by four (34-30). Once again, the Orange and Blue had an answer. This time it was with five straight points to regain an advantage at 35-34 with 1:31 left in the first half. It was back-and-forth the final 91 seconds of quarter, and UTEP entered the locker room armed with a two-point edge (38-36).

It was a high-scoring third quarter, with the two teams combining for 62 points in the frame. UTEP’s 30 points in the frame marked its highest scoring road quarter in program history. Overall it tied as the fifth-most points the Orange and Blue have ever tallied in a quarter.

After each team got a triple at the onset of the fourth quarter, LA Tech went on the aforementioned 8-0 that ultimately doomed the Orange and Blue.

UTEP will be idle for a week before it starts a three-game homestand when it plays host to UTSA at 1 p.m. on Jan. 18. Tickets are $5 for kids and $3 for adults, and may be purchased by calling (915) 747-5234.

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 click here to visit the official home of UTEP Athletics

UTEP men’s hoops will continue its home stand when it hosts LA Tech in Conference USA action on Saturday, January 11. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. in the Haskins Center.

“They’re coming off a loss [at UTSA] and we know we’ll get a team coming in here ready to play and we’ll get their best game,” second-year UTEP Head Coach Rodney Terry said. “We’ll have to execute, we’ll have to play hard and take pride in getting stops against a team that prides itself on shooting the ball. We’ll have to keep them off the glass as they rebound really well and they’re well-coached, they’re a good team.”

The Miners (10-6, 1-2 C-USA) are coming off a 76-64 victory over Southern Miss on January 9, where UTEP connected on a 34-of-37 free throws led by Souley Boum’s 14-for-14 effort.

Boum scored a game-high 26 points, including 19 during the second half. Bryson Williams added 20 points, while he was also perfect (10-10) from the charity stripe. Its 34 free throws made were the most for UTEP in a conference game since Jan. 31, 2009 versus Southern Miss (35).

The Bulldogs (11-4, 2-1 C-USA) are coming off an 89-73 loss at UTSA as the Roadrunners’ Jhivvan Jackson went off for 37 points. UTSA also hit a program-record 18 three-pointers. Kalob Ledoux and DaQuan Bracey each led LA Tech with 12 points, while Derric Jean chipped in with 11 points and led the way with seven boards.

The Bulldogs’ are one of the top defending teams in C-USA as they rank second in scoring defense (61.6) and first in field goal percentage defense (38.3). LA Tech ranks third in steals per game (8.7) and ranks first in scoring margin (16.3).

Saturday’s game will also feature “Youth Day”. Youth basketball teams of 15+ receive group ticket prices starting at $13. There will be a free pregame clinic for kids 12 and under.

To sign up email – paydirtpete@utep.edu. There will also be a free postgame autograph session with the team exclusively for all clinic participants. Call (915) 747-6065 to get group tickets.

Fans can also listen live on 600 ESPN El Paso with “The Voice of the Miners” Jon Teicher (play-by-play) and former UTEP basketball player Steve Yellen (color analysis) calling the action.

The contest will also be streamed on ESPN+ with El Paso Athletics Hall of Famer Duke Keith (play-by-play) and Miner great Leonard Owens (color analysis) on the mic.

Single-game tickets are available by calling (915) 747-5234 or by going online. Mini plans are available by calling (915) 747-6150.

Souley Boum tied a career high with 26 points, while draining a collegiate career-best 14 free throws on 14 attempts, and Bryson Williams tallied 20 points on 10-of-10 shooting from the line as UTEP won its first Conference USA game, defeating Southern Miss, 76-64, in the Haskins Center Thursday night.

“We knew it was going to be a competitive game tonight, both teams were desperate for a win in conference play,” second-year UTEP Head Coach Rodney Terry said, who returned to the bench after missing the last two games.

“We knew we’d get a team in Southern Miss that’s well coached and that was going to come in here with guys who can score the basketball. We were going to have to do a great job defending and we did that in the second half. We knew we’d have to grind it out and continue to build the team moving forward.”

The Miners (10-6, 1-2 C-USA) are 9-0 in the Haskins Center for the first time since the 1988-89 season. The nine wins at home surpassed last season’s total of eight after shooting 91.9 percent (34-37) from the free-throw line.

UTEP sunk 34 free throws, the most made since hitting 33 against Loyola on Nov. 14, 2015.

The Golden Eagles (4-12, 0-3 C-USA) entered Thursday’s game averaging 5.0 three-pointers per game. USM kept the contest close by make four in the first half and shooting 40.0 percent from the field overall. That number dropped as Southern Miss shot 33.3 percent in the second half, while going 2-for-7 from three-point range.

Kaden Archie made his second consecutive start and chipped in with nine points, three rebounds and an assist and steal, while Eric Vila, Nigel Hawkins and Daryl Edwards each scored six points. Vila led way with 11 rebounds, matching his season high, while recording a season-high three offensive boards. Hawkins led the squad with four assists and grabbed five rebounds.

Hawkins (4-5) and Vila (4-6) went a combined 8-of-11 from the line.

The Miners came out of the locker room up two points and Hawkins put his team up 32-28 on an impressive reverse layup. However, Southern Miss wouldn’t go away as it took a 42-38 lead at the 14:47 mark. Boum was fouled on the following play attempting a trey and got the Miners within a point after draining all three free-throws.

But USM took a three-point advantage after Gabe Watson made a pair of free throws. After Watson later followed with a jumper that put USM a point (52-51), the Miners answered with stingy defense and never looked back after a 12-1 run.

“We’re trying to get back to being a team that takes pride in stopping your man by guarding hard,” Terry said. “Tonight, when we had runs, we had guys defending really hard that led to those great runs. We try to play to our strength and get easy baskets in transition.”

Hawkins started the run with a pair a made free throws, while Boum nailed his second trey of the game that put the Miners up four points (56-52) at the 6:46 mark. Leonard Harper-Baker made a free throw that stopped the run, but Williams went to score the next seven points that gave the Miners a 63-53 lead with four over four minutes remaining in the contest.

Deon Stroud, who’s been seeing more playing time, score three points on an and-1. Stroud took the ball to the hole and threw an emphatic dunk on David McCoy, while drawing the foul in the process late in the first half.

Watson led USM with 20 points, while Harper-Baker chipped in with 14 points and a team-high eight rebounds. LaDavius Darine tallied 13 points.

UTEP went 13-for-13 from the line in the first half, but struggled from the field, shooting only 38.1 percent (8-21) and 10.0 percent (1-10) from beyond the arc. The Miners shot over 42 percent in the second period, and finished 19-47 (40.4 percent) from the field overall.

The Miners’ bench outscored USM’s, 35-10. UTEP also hit the boards hard, outrebounding Southern Miss, 39-31.

UTEP’s home stand will continue on Saturday as it hosts LA Tech (11-4, 2-1 C-USA). The Bulldogs fell at UTSA (7-9, 1-2) on Thursday night as Jhivvan Jackson went off for 37 points. The Miners will play the Roadrunners in back-to-back contests, the first on Wednesday, Jan. 15 in the Haskins Center and at San Antonio on Jan. 18.

Gallery by Johnny Yturales – El Paso Herald Post

HATTIESBURG, Ms. – ​Fueled by the highest scoring first half on the road in program history, UTEP surged to an 89-72 win at Southern Miss Thursday evening.

The Miners’ (10-4, 3-0 C-USA) 89 points tie as the most in league road contest in school history. They also did so in an 89-74 win at UCF on Feb. 24, 2008.

UTEP piled up 51 points to lead the Lady Eagles (9-4, 1-1 C-USA) by 20 at the break on the way to their third victory in as many league games. It marked just the second home loss of the campaign for USM, which slipped to 8-2 inside Reed Green Coliseum this year.

Freshman Katia Gallegos set career highs in scoring (23) and assists (eight) to lead the way. She was joined in double figures by fellow starters Katarina Zec (21 points), Ariana Taylor (14 points) and Ariona Gill (13 points). Avery Crouse pitched in six points and four assists. All five starters logged at least 30 minutes of action.

UTEP drilled 52.5 percent (32-61) from the floor, the fourth-highest percentage in a road conference contest in program annals. Furthermore, the Miners have scored at least 89 points in consecutive league games for the first time in program history. They piled up 96 points in the home win against Florida Atlantic (1/4/20) before erupting for 89 points against USM Thursday.

“We played extraordinarily well in the first half,” UTEP head coach Kevin Baker said. “That’s about as good as we’ve played all year and we needed that to win here at Southern Miss. I’m proud of the team. This team is playing really, really well right now, and I hope everybody jumps on board. These are a special group of kids. To come in on a road game and play as well as this, that says a lot.”

The Orange and Blue forced 16 turnovers that were converted into 28 points. UTEP also controlled the boards (39-28), with Taylor’s career-high nine rebounds setting the tone in the area.

UTEP raced out to a 17-8 lead just four minutes into the contest. Six different Miners scored during the surge, which was capped by a transition triple from Arina Khlopkova off a feed from Gallegos. USM fought back, trimming the Miner advantage to three (23-20) through 10 minutes of action.

A jumper from Gill followed by a triple by Gallegos powered a mini 5-0 push to start the second quarter, prompting a timeout by the home side. The difference was 11 (42-31) with 2:49 left in the stanza before UTEP ripped off nine straight points to close the stanza in style. UTEP’s 28 points in the second quarter marked its highest scoring frame on the road at the school.

The Miners extended their lead to as many as 27 (72-45) late in the third quarter, but the home side started to rally.

USM fought back to whittle the differential to within eight (82-70) with four minutes to play, but Gallegos wouldn’t let it get any closer. She hit six straight free throws before drilling a triple for good measure to help UTEP close out the contest on a 9-2 surge to win by 17.

UTEP will look to make it a sweep on its first league road trip of the year when it plays at LA Tech at 1 p.m. MT/2 p.m. CT Saturday.

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 click here to visit the official home of UTEP Athletics.

The UTEP men’s basketball teamwill make their return to their home court when they host Southern Miss on Thursday, January 9. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

UTEP (9-6, 0-2 Conference USA) and Southern Miss (4-11, 0-2 C-USA) are off to winless starts in league action. The Miners came up short, losing at FIU, 69-67, and at Florida Atlantic, 59-56. The Golden Eagles lost a pair to LA Tech, 80-49, in Hattiesburg and 78-50 in Ruston, La.

The Miners are 8-0 in El Paso this season, while Southern Miss is 0-8 (0-5 on the road) away from Hattiesburg. UTEP has started the season 8-0 at home for the first time since the 2003-04 season.

The last time a Miner team started its home season with more than eight straight wins was in 1988-89 when they went undefeated (18-0) in the Haskins Center.

Second-year UTEP Head Coach Rodney Terry, who was admitted to a Miami area hospital on Jan. 1, will make his return to the bench for the Miners after missing two games.

“I’m excited about being here. I’m excited about getting a chance to be back with our team, and getting our team up and going,” Terry said. “Our team is excited about continuing to compete.”

Even though one road team was victorious (North Texas at Marshall on Jan. 4) to open C-USA play this past weekend, Terry thinks home court advantage in league play isn’t necessarily an advantage.

“Being at home is not enough. I think in our league, on any given night, if you’re not ready to play anybody can beat anybody,” Terry said. “We know being at home isn’t enough and we have to outcompete teams for 40 minutes.”

But with UTEP coming off narrow losses on the road, the Miners can gain the home advantage by working on details.

“We need to get better in practice every day and challenge each other the get better in practice every day,” Terry said. “But there is a lot of basketball to be played and we have to do that every 40 minutes by 40 minutes. We need to take care of the ball and clean some things up. We need to fix our rebounding and work harder for those.”

Jordan Lathon will also make his return to the program after announcing his return to the program Jan. 6. The sophomore guard missed time due to a family matter. Lathon leads the Miners with 37 assists in 13 games started.

Bryson Williams leads UTEP in points per game (18.4) and rebounds per game (6.7) and recorded his third double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds) at Florida Atlantic on Jan. 4. Kaden Archie, who made his first collegiate start at FAU, is averaging 8.3 points per game and has 10 rebounds during his last four games. Archie shot 3-of-5 from the field, including a three and went 2-for-2 from the line, scoring nine points versus the Owls.

Southern Miss got off to a slow start this season under first-year head coach Jay Ladner. The Golden Eagles finished 4-9 in nonconference play as they have faced to tough competition in Gonzaga, Seton Hall, Alabama, Iowa State and Texas Tech. Gabe Watson is USM’s leading scorer (13.1 ppg), while Tyler Stevenson (11.9 ppg), Boban Jacdonmi (10.8 ppg) and LaDavius Draine (10.7 ppg) each average double-figures. Jacdonmi paces the squad at 5.7 rebounds per game, while Jay Malone has a team-high 62 assists (4.1 apg).

UTEP owns a 16-14 edge in the series. Southern Miss defeated the Miners, 77-47, in Hattiesburg on Feb. 16, 2019 during the lone meeting last season. The Golden Eagles have won 10 of the last 15 matchups and nine of the last 13.

The two programs last met in the Haskins Center on Feb. 24, 2018 with the Miners cruising past the Golden Eagles, 73-44. UTEP is 12-2 versus Southern Miss in El Paso, including 9-1 since joining Conference USA.

Overall the Miners are 13-12 against the Golden Eagles since becoming a member of C-USA. The Miners and Golden Eagles first met on Dec. 29, 1950 in the Sun Carnival Classic.

Fans can also listen live on 600 ESPN El Paso with “The Voice of the Miners” Jon Teicher (play-by-play) and former UTEP basketball player Steve Yellen (color analysis) calling the action.

The contest will also be streamed on ESPN+ with El Paso Athletics Hall of Famer Duke Keith (play-by-play) and Miner great Leonard Owens (color analysis) on the mic.

The UTEP women’s basketball team (9-4, 2-0 C-USA) will face its first road test of conference play when it squares off at Southern Miss (9-3, 1-0 C-USA) at 5 p.m. MT Thursday.

The game is the first of two on the road for the Miners, who will also play at LA Tech at 1 p.m. MT Saturday.

Southern Miss and LA Tech are a combined 15-2 at home on the year. UTEP is 1-1 on the road. The Miners enter the match-up with momentum, having won back-to-back conference contests by 30+ points for the first time in program history.

UTEP is off to a 2-0 start in C-USA action for the first occasion since 2016, including blasting Florida Atlantic, 96-65, last time out at home on Jan. 4. The 96 points were the most under head coach Kevin Baker, and rate as the fourth-highest total in a conference contest in program annals.

USM has won back-to-back contests, including holding off LA Tech, 66-60, at home on Jan. 4. UTEP (2-0), Rice (2-0) and Southern Miss (1-0) are the lone teams without a loss in league action after the opening week of play.

“They press, they get after you a bit. They’re a great offensive rebounding team. They’re not the best shooting team we’ve played all year, but they are a great offensive rebounding threat. They have a great scorer inside and a great point guard who will keep us busy and keep us challenged,” head coach Kevin Baker said.

In 2018-19 the Miners were decimated by injuries and finished the year at 9-22. It is a much different story this year, with UTEP (9-4) having already matched its overall win total from a season ago. The Miners are also off to a 2-0 start in C-USA action. Last year they began league play at 1-8 en route to finishing 5-11 in conference action.

Seven of UTEP’s victories have been by double figures, including five of at least 20 points. It is the most wins by 20+ points since 2013-14 (nine). The Miners had their largest differential (+45) under head coach Kevin Baker in a 92-47 drubbing of Alcorn State (11/16/19), which tied as the 10th-biggest margin of victory in program history. They’ve also taken down Florida Atlantic (1/4/20) by 31 (96-65), FIU (1/2/20) by 30 (64-34), Western Michigan (11/29) by 30 (76-46) and a NM State (11/23/19) by 20 (64-45).

Overall UTEP’s scoring margin (+12.3) ranks second in C-USA and 55th in the nation.

UTEP leads the series, 13-9, but Southern Miss has a 5-4 cushion when playing in Hattiesburg. Southern Miss has claimed two straight and four of the past five, including a 64-63 win in El Paso on Feb. 16, 2019, in the lone meetings between the programs last year. Twenty one of the 22 match-ups between the programs have come since 2005-06 when UTEP joined C-USA.

For the first time since the 1982-83 season (prior records incomplete), the Miners scored at least 90 points in a contest without having an individual player tally at least 15 points. UTEP exploded for 96 points in the win against Florida Atlantic (1/4/20), with DeJaNae Roebuck and Ariona Gill sharing the team lead with 14 points each.

UTEP is getting after it on defense in 2019-20, ranking among the league and national leaders for several defensive categories. The Miners top the country in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (21.2). They are also making waves with turnovers forced per game (21.1-first/24th), scoring defense (56.0-third/32nd) and field-goal percentage defense (35.6-fourth/40th).

All of those figures were aided when UTEP set the program record for fewest points allowed in a conference contest by holding FIU to 34 points on Jan. 2.

The game will be streamed on CUSA.TV (subscription based) and also through the 600 ESPN El Paso website with Brandon Cohn on the call. 

BOCA RATON – Efe Odigie buried a three-point bucket with 4:36 remaining in the contest, putting UTEP up by seven points; but Miner miscues down the stretch extended their road-losing streak as Florida Atlantic (10-4, 2-0 Conference USA) rallied past UTEP (9-6, 0-2 C-USA), 59-56, on Saturday afternoon at RoofClaim.com Arena.

Bryson Williams recorded his second career double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds), while Odigie tied for the team lead with 13 points – all in the second half.

Odigie added five boards and a blocked shot. Nigel Hawkins scored all 10 of his points during the first half and Kaden Archie, who made his first start of the season, tallied nine points.

There were six lead changes, while the score was tied 11 times during the back-and-forth contest. However, the Miners turned the ball over 19 times to FAU’s 11. The Owls recorded eight steals that led to 18 points off turnovers.

The Miners took a 53-46 leads off Odigie’s second three-pointer of the season that fired up the bench. But Karlis Silins answered with a three of his own that started a 13-3 run in the final minutes after a turnover by Hawkins at the 3:19 mark.

Odigie drew a foul and made one-of-two free throws to make the count 54-49, but another Silins three-pointer got the Owls within two points. After another UTEP turnover, this time by Williams, Cornelius Taylor tied the game on a layup with 1:19 left.

Archie gave his squad a 56-54 lead after draining a pair of free throws with 41 seconds remaining in the ball game.

The Owls took the go-ahead lead off Madiaw Niang’s and-1, while Richardson Maitre made two free throws to essentially seal the win.

The Miners had a look with seconds remaining, as Williams missed a three-point attempt. Daryl Edwards pulled down the offensive board, but the time expired before Hawkins threw up a desperate three-pointer.

In the first half, Miners fell by as many as eight points (24-16) with 5:45 left in the half. Hawkins started a 15-4 run with a made jumper. With UTEP down 26-22, Hawkins buried a pair of free throws, while Edwards tied the game with a layup off the glass with 2:55 left. Hawkins then gave his squad a 28-26 advantage after driving the to the hoop and making an acrobatic layup.

With the game tied, Archie nailed a three-point bucket with 26 seconds remaining, giving UTEP a 31-28 lead going into the locker room.

UTEP Head Coach Rodney Terry wasn’t on the sideline for the second consecutive game. He’s set to return on Thursday.

Up next, UTEP will return to the Haskins Center to host Southern Miss on Jan. 9 and LA Tech on Jan. 11. Both contests are slated for a 7 p.m. tipoff.

The games can be heard on 600 ESPN El Paso with “The Voice of the Miners” Jon Teicher and Steven Yellen also calling the action.

The UTEP women’s basketball team (8-4, 1-0 C-USA) will look to sweep its opening weekend of Conference USA play when it locks up with Florida Atlantic (7-5, 1-0 C-USA) at 1 p.m. MT Saturday.

In addition to the game, there will be a post-game clinic, and youth teams (15 or more) can get a $2 ticket rate. Otherwise tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for kids and may be purchased by calling (915) 747-5234.

“They play so fast, they turn the tempo up in the game. They really get up and down and try to score in transition. When they can’t score in transition, even their halfcourt offense is really fast and uses really good timing. We’re going to have our hands full on how we can defend them. Hopefully they’re going to have their hands full as well. I think it should be a really good college basketball game,” head coach Kevin Baker said.

Both teams enter at 1-0 in league play, with each winning handily. The Miners blasted FIU, 64-34, on Jan. 2 while the Owls rolled past UTSA, 80-53. UTEP is 7-3 at home and FAU is 3-2 on the road.

A UTEP victory would afford it a 2-0 start to league play for the first time since 2016.

UTEP bested FIU, 64-34, on Jan. 2 to move to 12-3 in Conference USA openers since joining the league (2005-06), including a perfect 3-0 under Kevin Baker in the situation. Overall UTEP now stands 17-22 all time in conference lid lifters. 

The Miners enter Saturday’s match-up at 8-4 on the year, putting it on the cusp of match its total win total from a year ago. In 2018-19 the Miners finished 9-22. 

Six of UTEP’s victories have been by double figures, including four of at least 20 points. The Miners had their largest differential (+45) under head coach Kevin Baker in a 92-47 drubbing of Alcorn State (11/16), in addition to toppling FIU (1/2/20) by 30 (64-34), Western Michigan (11/29) by 30 (76-46) and a 20-point (65-45) dispatching of NM State (11/23). 

UTEP leads the series, 6-3, including 3-1 in El Paso. After FAU won the first two match-ups, UTEP has gone 6-1 against the Owls. All nine meetings have come since FAU joined Conference USA.

The Miners have claimed back-to-back contests in the series, including a 70-44 road conquest of FAU on Feb. 7, 2019, last year.

The game will be streamed on CUSA.TV (subscription based) and also through 600 ESPN El Paso website with Steve Kaplowitz on the call. 

MIAMI – With the Miners (9-5, 0-1 Conference USA) up three points with just over five minutes remaining in the game, the Panthers (10-4, 1-0 C-USA) rallied, outscoring UTEP 9-4 down the stretch to claim a 69-67 victory to open league action Thursday afternoon at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center.

For the Miners, Daryl Edwards led with a game-high 20 points, while Bryson Williams tallied 12 points and nine boards.

UTEP Head Coach Rodney Terry missed the game due to an illness and was admitted to the hospital in the Miami area the night before. First-year assistant coach Kenton Paulino took his place on the sideline.

“Coach Terry wanted to be here, and he’s doing much, much better,” Paulino said. “[The hospital] wanted to hold him for a certain period of time and they wouldn’t let him go. But he’s ready to get back to work.”

UTEP outscored FIU 41-33 in the second half after falling 10 points down at the half. UTEP turned the ball over 13 times during the first period, but shortened that to only four in the second half. FIU shot 53.8 percent (7-13) from three-point range in the first half, while finishing 9-of-21 for the game (42.9 percent).

After FIU led the entire first half, there were seven ties and four lead changes during the second period.

“We didn’t play nowhere what were capable of playing in the first half,” Paulino said. “We gave away 20 minutes, as we didn’t do a good job at taking care of the ball in the first half. We talked about guarding the three-point line and [FIU] got a lot of good looks. But we made adjustments and fought back in the second half to make it a close contest.”

The Miners outrebounded the Panthers, 43-37, while grabbing a season-high 14 offensive boards. The Orange and Blue dished out 16 assists, which was the most in a league game since Jan. 6, 2018 (17 at La Tech).

Edwards had the hot hand, shooting 7-of-11 from the field and 4-of-6 from South Beach.

Deon Stroud came off the bench in the first half, scoring 10 points, and pulling down four rebounds – all on the offensive end. Souley Boum recorded seven rebounds with a trio of assists, while Eric Vila led the squad with five assists and chipped in with five points and six rebounds.

Nigel Hawkins and Anthony Tarke made their first starts of the campaign. Hawkins tallied nine points, to go along with four assists and four rebounds. Tarke registered eight rebounds and two steals.

UTEP opened up the second half with an 18-8 run, tying the ball game at 44 after a made jumper by Williams off an Edwards’s assist at the 12:50 mark. Boum started the second half with a layup after a turnover by Devon Andrews, while an Isaiah Banks’s missed jumper led to a Hawkins’s three-pointer, getting UTEP within five points (36-31).

After FIU big man Osasumwen Osaghae gave the Panthers a 40-31 lead, Edwards started a 13-4 run after nailing a three-point bucket. Boum followed with a layup, making the count 40-36. Vila made a jumper after an Eric Lovett made free-throw, and Williams made the score 43-40 on a layup.

Cameron Corcoran made the first of two free throws and Edwards followed with back-to-back baskets to tie the game 44-44.

FIU built a seven-point lead (56-49) following a pair of made free throws by Trejon Jacob. However, the fighting Miners used an 14-4 run to take a three-point edge (63-60) as Hawkins (four points) and Edwards (10 points) combined for all 14 points during the run.

Hawkins began the run with a layup off an assist by Edwards, and Edwards finished the run with a three-pointers with 5:19 left in the contest.

Andrews tied the game at 63 on an and-1, while Banks gave FIU the go-ahead two-point (65-63) advantage with a layup at the 2:52 mark.

Though the Miners cut their turnovers down in the second period, two of them were recorded with under four minutes remaining in the contest.

Andrews missed a pair of free throws with seven seconds left and the score 69-66, but Antonio Daye, Jr. fouled Hawkins. He made the first, missed the second but Banks came down with the rebound to secure the victory.

Andrews led FIU with 16 points, while Osaghae ripped down 12 boards to go along with his nine points and four blocked shots.

Up next, UTEP will look for its first road win when it takes on Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton on Saturday, Jan. 4. The Miners and Owls are set to tipoff at 2 p.m. MT/4 ET.

The UTEP women’s basketball team (7-4) will christen Conference USA play at home against FIU (3-8) at 7 p.m. Thursday.

“It’s Conference USA time so we’ve got 18 tough ones, and it all starts vs. FIU. They are athletic, fast and dangerous. They aren’t a great rebounding team, but they are big and athletic. If they get hot, then they are a tough team to beat,” UTEP head coach Kevin Baker said.

The Miners are looking to take advantage of the fresh start presented by the conference slate and snap a three-game skid in the process. The three setbacks have been decided by a combined 23 points, including most recently falling to Tulsa, 58-51, on Dec. 29.

The Panthers have dropped two straight, including a 72-57 loss to Brown at home on Dec. 29.

UTEP is 11-3 in Conference USA openers since joining the league (2005-06), aided by winning nine of the last 10. The Miners are 2-0 under Kevin Baker in the situation, with a pair of road victories.

Overall UTEP stands 16-22 all time in conference lid lifters. After playing back-to-back league openers on the road and three of the past four, UTEP gets to christen conference play with consecutive home contests. 

UTEP enters league play at 7-4, which is much improved from a year ago. The Miners were 2-9 at this juncture in 2018-19, and eventually finished the year at 9-22. 

Five of UTEP’s victories have been by double figures, including three of at least 20 points. The Miners had their largest differential (+45) under head coach Kevin Baker in a 92-47 drubbing of Alcorn State (11/16), in addition to toppling Western Michigan (11/29) by 30 (76-46) and a 20-point (65-45) dispatching of NM State (11/23).

It marks the first time since 2013-14 that UTEP posted at least three nonconference wins against DI programs by 20+ points. That year the Miners had six such efforts prior to league action.

FIU is 3-8 on the year, but it stands 2-1 on the road. It heads into Thursday’s match-up having dropped back-to-back contests, including last time out falling at home to Brown, 72-57.

The Panthers have a balanced attack offensively with three different players in double figures for scoring. They are Jiselle Thomas (11.9 ppg), Fujika Nimmo (10.3 ppg) and Chelsea Guimaraes (10.2 ppg). Diene Diane (6.6 ppg) is the only other player pitching in more than 4.0 ppg. Guimaraes (8.0 rpg) is the top rebounder for the squad.

FIU does a solid job defending the three, ranking sixth in C-USA with a 29.5 3-point field-goal percentage defense. It is also seventh in the league for both blocked shots per game (3.1) and fewest fouls per contest (17.0). Problems have arisen in other areas, though, with the

Panthers last in C-USA for assists per game (9.8), field-goal percentage (38.1), rebound margin (-2.6), scoring margin (-11.8), scoring offense (55.2), turnover margin (-6.1) and turnovers forced per game (11.7). FIU returned four starters and seven letter winners overall from last year’s team (5-24, 2-14 C-USA).

UTEP leads the series with FIU, 10-2, including a perfect 5-0 mark in El Paso. Nine of the 10 match-ups have occurred since the Panthers joined Conference USA for the 2013-14 season.

Thursday’s game is the lone scheduled meeting on the year between the programs. UTEP is riding a four-contest winning streak in the series, including a 60-55 road conquest on Feb. 9, 2018, last season. 

Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for kids, and may be purchased by calling (915) 747-5234.

The game will be streamed on CUSA.TV (subscription based) and broadcast locally on 600 ESPN El Paso with Steve Kaplowitz and Traci Miller on the call. 

The UTEP basketball team will commence Conference USA action at FIU on Thursday, Jan. 2. Tipoff is set for 12 p.m. MT/10 a.m. ET at Ocean Bank Convocation Center in Miami, Florida

The Miners and Panthers each scratched out 9-4 nonconference marks. FIU recently had a six-game winning streak snapped at Minnesota, falling 89-62, on Dec. 28. The Panthers have also started 5-0 at home this season.

With league action starting, every program restarts its record to 0-0. But the Miners will have a tough challenge traveling to the Atlantic to begin their conference slate.

“Our guys are really excited about it,” second-year UTEP Head Coach Rodney Terry said. “We’ve already been on the road and have played at some difficult places this year. FIU is off to a great start and we know it’s going to be a high possession game and have to value taking care of the basketball, we have to do a good job at finishing, and we have to do a good job defensively. But our guys are excited and they like playing on the road. It’s a confident group that has gained valuable experience already.”

UTEP is coming off its trip across the Pacific as it competed at the Diamond Head Classic. The Miners opened the holiday tournament with a 67-63 loss to host Hawai’i, rebounded to edge Ball State, 71-70, (UTEP’s first win away from the Haskins Center in over a year) while coming up short against Boise State, 72-67, on Christmas Day.

Against FIU, the Miners have dominated the all-time series, 11-1, after their 85-78 victory last season in El Paso. UTEP will look to extend its undefeated record (6-0) against FIU in Miami Thursday afternoon, while the Miners are 9-1 versus the Panthers since FIU joined C-USA.

UTEP last played in Miami on Feb. 25, 2017, as it came out on top 90-76.

Bryson Williams leads the Miners and ranks second in C-USA in points per game (19.3). Williams averaged 18.3 points per game in Hawai’i, as one of his performances was a 33-point putout against the Rainbow Warriors. Williams was the first Miner to register multiple 30-point games during a single season since Randy Culpepper did so during the 2010-11 campaign.

The Miners’ second-leading scorer is Souley Boum (11.3 ppg), while Daryl Edwards (9.8 ppg) ranks third. Edwards recently scored all 14 of his points during the second half against the Broncos to lead the squad.

A pair of Miners came off the bench the last two games as Kaden Archie and Anthony Tarke showed promise heading into the league play. Archie is coming off back-to-back 11-point efforts. He dished out four assists, grabbed seven boards, and added a block and two steals. Tarke led the way with 14 rebounds (7.0 rpg) and four steals. He also recorded three assists, a blocked shot and scored 11 points.

FIU is led by one of the premier big men in the nation, Osasumwen Osaghae. The 6-9, 250-pound forward leads the nation in blocked shots (60) and blocked shots per game (4.6). The senior paces the squad in rebounds per game (8.3), while ranking second in points per game (13.3).

Osaghae’s 72.5 field-goal percentage (66-91) also ranks second in the nation and first in C-USA. Devon Andrews paces the Panthers at 16.5 points per game.

FIU leads C-USA in assists per game (17.1), while ranking 19^th nationally. Its 7.6 blocked shot per game and total blocks (99) lead the nation, while its 10.5 steals per game ranks first in the league and fifth in the nation.

The fast-paced Panthers lead C-USA in multiple departments – scoring offense (82.4), three-point field goal defense (25.9), three-point field goals per game (9.8), three-point field goals made (127), total steals (136) and turnovers forced per game (18.3).

“The Voice of the Miners” Jon Teicher will call the action on 600 ESPN El Paso, while the Miners and Panthers will be streamed on ESPN+.

UTEP forced 19 turnovers and held Tulsa to 31.6 percent (18-57) from the floor but it had some struggles of its own in a 58-51 home setback to Tulsa at the Don Haskins Center Sunday afternoon.

The Miners (7-4) committed 16 of their 22 turnovers in the first half and finished 13-25 at the charity stripe. UTEP connected on 34.0 percent (18-53) from the floor, which was hindered by going 2-11 (18.2 percent) in the final frame. Yet in spite of those challenges, the Orange and Blue went toe-to-toe with former WAC and Conference USA foe Tulsa (5-8).

There were seven ties and 11 lead changes, and UTEP led by three (46-43) with seven minutes to go. It wasn’t to be, though, with the Golden Hurricane peeling off an 8-0 run over the next five minutes. The Miners stopped the surge with a pair of Katia Gallegos free throws, but couldn’t get any closer than three points down the stretch.

Katarina Zec tallied 13 points to pace the squad while Gallegos netted 10 points and a game-high five assists. Ariona Gill flirted with a double-double (nine points, eight rebounds) while also tallying a trio of steals. Ariana Taylor put up seven points in her first start of the season.

“This was a bad loss for our program,” UTEP head coach Kevin Baker said. “We just didn’t show up today. We had 16 turnovers in the first half and missed 12 free throws. We just weren’t ourselves today. I can’t figure out why. This was a game we should have won and should have won going away. We just didn’t do it. When you play like that, you really don’t deserve to win.”

Kendrian Elliott posted a double-double (18 points, 12 rebounds) to pace the visitors. She was joined in double figures by Maddie Bittle.

Zec was locked in early, tallying six points in the first six minutes to help launch UTEP to an 8-2 advantage at 3:54 of the first quarter. The Miners remained up by six (13-7) with 1:38 left in the frame before Tulsa got a lay-up and free throw to cut the UTEP lead in half (13-10) through 10 minutes of action.

After the Orange and Blue pushed the differential back to five (20-15) with six minutes left in the half, Tulsa countered with a 13-2 push to put UTEP down by six. Zec beat the buzzer with a lay-up to trim the deficit to four (28-24) heading into the locker room. The Miners continued to fight back in the third frame, pulling even at 41 heading to the fourth quarter.

It was back-and-forth in the final frame before Tulsa used the aforementioned run to pull away.

The Miners will open Conference USA play at home against FIU at 7 p.m. MT on Thursday. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for kids and may be purchased by calling (915) 747-5234.

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.

The UTEP women’s basketball team (7-3) will close out nonconference play when it welcomes former C-USA and WAC foe Tulsa (4-8) to the Don Haskins Center for a 1 p.m. MT match-up at the Don Haskins Center Sunday.

UTEP enters the contest on a mini two-game skid, with the losses by a combined 15 points. Most recently the Miners fell at SMU, 60-56, on Dec. 19.

The Golden Hurricane snapped a six-game losing streak by besting Colorado State, 61-55, on Dec. 21.

“Tulsa will be a challenge for us because they have a good mixture of athleticism, solid guard play, and strong post play inside. We will need to play well to have success against them. But our young team is hungry, and is eager to bounce back,” head coach Kevin Baker shared.

UTEP enters its final nonconference game of the season at 7-3, which is a stark reversal from a year ago. The Miners were 2-8 at this juncture in 2018-19, and eventually finished the year at 9-22. 

Five of UTEP’s victories have been by double figures, including three of at least 20 points. The Miners had their largest differential (+45) under head coach Kevin Baker in a 92-47 drubbing of Alcorn State (11/16), in addition to toppling Western Michigan (11/29) by 30 (76-46) and a 20-point (65-45) dispatching of NM State (11/23).

It marks the first time since 2013-14 that UTEP posted at least three nonconference wins against DI programs by 20+ points. That year the Miners had six such efforts prior to league action.

Tulsa heads into its nonconference finale at 4-8 on the year, which has been hindered by going a combined 0-6 in road (0-4) and neutral (0-2) matches. The Golden Hurricane are coming off a 61-55 home win against Colorado State on Dec. 21. The effort snapped a six-game losing streak.

Tulsa is paced by Kendrian Elliott, who is nearly averaging a double-double with 16.2 points per game (sixth AAC/111th NCAA) and 8.8 rebounds per contest (sixth AAC/72nd NCAA). Elliott is shooting 60.8 percent from the floor, which leads the AAC is rates 21st nationally. She also posts a team-best 1.7 blocks per game (fourth AAC/76th NCAA).

Addison Richards (9.3 ppg) is also a consistent scoring threat. Tulsa is 3-0 on the year when scoring at least 65 points and 3-1 when leading at the half.

UTEP is 21-11 against Tulsa, aided by winning 15 of the past 16 in the series. The Miners and Golden Hurricane played at least once annually from 1999-2000 through the 2013-14 season, first as members together in the WAC and then in C-USA before TU departed for the American Athletic Conference.

TU knocked off the Miners, 66-45, in El Paso on Dec. 29, 2018, to snap UTEP’s 15-game winning streak in the series. UTEP is 12-4 when playing in El Paso, and is riding a 10-contest surge in the Sun City against Tulsa.

Katarina Zec (season-high 16 points) and Zuzanna Puc (13 points) each reached double figures in scoring but a slow start proved fatal in UTEP’s 66-45 setback at Tulsa on Dec. 29. The Miners dug themselves a 20-point hole (25-5) through 10 minutes of action and could never recovery against the Golden Hurricane.

UTEP won the second (11-10) and third quarters (18-14) before being outpaced slightly (17-11) in the final frame. The Orange and Blue were without their second-leading scorer (Ariona Gill), who missed the contest with an injury.

Freshman Sabine Lipe started in her place, contributing a career-best six assists and three boards. UTEP finished at 32.7 percent (18-55) from the floor, recording 13 assists on its 18 made field goals. It also took decent care of the ball with 15 turnovers, but the first quarter was too much to overcome.

Rebounding favored Tulsa slightly (36-33), but the Miners enjoyed a 26-20 cushion for points in the paint. Jade Rochelle set the tone for the Orange and Blue on the boards by grabbing a team-best seven caroms. In terms of scoring, Jordan Alexander (seven points), Ariana Taylor (five points) and Rochelle (four points) followed after Zec and Puc.

The game will be streamed on CUSA.TV (subscription based) and streamed through 600 ESPN El Paso with Adrian Broaddus and Traci Miller on the call. 

Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for kids, and may be purchased by calling (915) 747-5234.

HONOLULU, Hawai’i – Boise State’s Derrick Alston scored a game-high 23 points, leading the Broncos (8-5) past UTEP (9-4), 72-67, on Christmas Day at the the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic in the Stan Sheriff Center.

Daryl Edwards, who led the Miners with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting, converted a layup in the paint that got the Miners within two points (67-65) with 54 seconds remaining in the game.

On the following possession with two seconds remaining on the shot clock, Alston got in front of his defender and hit a baseline jumper in the paint off a pass from Justinian Jessup underneath the basket with 25 seconds remaining in the contest coming out of a timeout and essentially clinching the victory.

“I told my guys today that the scrappiest team today, the team that wanted to get this done today with the 50-50 balls was going to come out today with a win. We gave [Boise State] some special situations around the basket that hurt us today,” second-year UTEP Head Coach Rodney Terry said. “But I’ll give my guys credit. We battled throughout the game.”

Souley Boum (11 points), Kaden Archie (11 points) and Jordan Lathon (10 points) each hit double figures, while Anthony Tarke came off the bench with another solid outing. Tarke led the Miners with eight rebounds, including three offensive and chipped in with five points. Bryson Williams was held in check with six points, while Efe Odigie added six points and Eric Vila four points with five rebounds.

Alston proved too much for the Miners as the 6-9 guard added six assists and nine rebounds. Abu Kigab tallied 11 points and Robin Jorch recorded 10 points. Jessup dished out five assists, to go along with seven points.

“Alston is a hard guy to deal with,” Terry said. “He’s a long and athletic guard who’s very active. He can drive the ball and he’s a guy who can put the ball in the basket. He’s an all-league player.”

With the Miners down four points (34-30), Edwards pulled up and hit trey that led to seven consecutive points. Tarke added a fast break layup and Lathon threw down a dunk at the 17:40 mark that gave UTEP a 37-34 advantage.

However, the Broncos answered that run with an 8-0 run. Boise State built a nine-point lead (51-42) with 12:32 remaining in the contest behind seven points and a pair of assists from Alton.

But the relentless Miners stormed back to get within a point after going on a 13-5 run. Lathon started it by draining a three-point basket, while an Edwards’s layup got the Miners within four points (51-47). After a pair of Alston free throws, Williams connected on a jumper outside the paint, and Vila converted a layup in the paint to make the score 53-51. Jessup answered with a three-pointer, but Boum nailed one of his own, was fouled in the process, and sent the free throw into the hoop to make the count 56-55 with 7:40 remaining.

After Boise State built its lead back to five points (62-57), back-to-back buckets by Williams and Edwards made it another one-point (62-61) advantage with just over four minutes left in the game.

Though the Miners got within two points on a pair of occasions with under a minute to play, Boise State kept making key shots down the stretch, while a late turnover on a bad pass hurt UTEP.

The Miners were outrebounded 41-30, as Boise State crashed the glass with 13 offensive rebounds. The Broncos scored 17 second-chance points, and outscored the Miners in the paint, 44 points to 32.

UP NEXT

UTEP will open Conference USA play at FIU on Jan. 2 with tipoff set for 10 a.m. MT in Miami. Fla. The Miners will then battle Florida Atlantic on Jan. 4 in Boca Raton, with tipoff set for 2 p.m. MT. Both contests can be heard on 600 ESPN El Paso with “The Voice of the Miners” Jon Teicher calling the action. Both contests will also be streamed on ESPN+.