Corey Camper Jr. plays in his first season with the Minors
Corey Camper Jr. plays in his first season with the Minors
The kind of magic the UTEP men’s basketball team was striving for, an innate ability to guard the gym, disappeared at the most inopportune time as the Miners were unable to continue playing until they lost 65-59. Conference USA leader Louisiana Tech University.
In a game that featured nine ties and 18 lead changes, the Bulldogs had a key opportunity to lead, leading 57-55 with 3:57 left.
more: CUSA Men’s Basketball Standings
From there, the best team in the league made a series of tough shots and showed how they got there. UTEP got a steal with 1:16 left to cut the lead to 59-57, and the Miners went on a fast break with a chance to tie the game, but the Bulldogs’ offensive star Tahirik, who scored 20 points, cut the lead to 59-57. – Chavez fought back and stole the ball with 1:11 left.
Meanwhile, Daniel Bacho made a tough basket to give Louisiana Tech a four-point lead, and after some terrible free throw shooting in the first 35 minutes, the Bulldogs made free throws after that.
Back-of-the-rotation reserve Derek Hamilton was a star for UTEP, scoring 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting.
Miners up 2 at half
UTEP led 31-29 at the half, almost evenly balanced by superior ball-handling and La. Tech’s dominance on the boards.
With the Bulldogs leading 24-13 at the end of the first half, the Miners didn’t get an offensive rebound until Powell tipped it off at the halftime buzzer.
UTEP gave the ball away just twice in the first 20 minutes and forced nine turnovers (seven of which added to the Miners’ nation-leading steals total), but they turned that into a point-off. The turnover turned it into a 7-0 advantage.
Derek Hamilton led the Miners with eight points in the first half, more than in any game since the second contest of the season. Powell had four assists.
next
The Miners will stay home Saturday night to face Sam Houston at the Don Haskins Center. The 7 p.m. Tip-off will be streamed on ESPN+ and broadcast on 600 ESPN El Paso.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at [email protected]. @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.