UTEP men’s basketball dominates Lobos in season opener

Guard Ahamad Bynum jumps into the air in attempt to dunk the ball during a game against Sul Ross State.

Cameron Mason, Contributor/Writer • November 9, 2024

Editor’s note: This recap is not the most recent game for UTEP men’s basketball.

In the 2023-2024 season UTEP men’s basketball finished with a positive record of 18-16, finishing fifth in Conference USA (C-USA).

With Head Coach Joe Golding entering his fourth year, he has guided the program toward becoming a contender of winning the C-USA championships and earning a spot in the NCAA March Madness tournament.

On Nov. 4, UTEP men’s basketball faced off against Sul Ross State Lobos at the Don Haskins Center for their first game of the year.

There’s no better way to build a team’s confidence for a strong season than by coming out firing on all cylinders in front of the home crowd, and UTEP had the opportunity to do just that.

The starting lineup to kick off the 2024 season for the Miners would be senior Corey Camper Jr, sophomore David Terrell Jr., junior Devon Barnes, senior Otis Frazier III, and senior Kevin Kalu.

With over 4,000 fans in attendance, tip-off began at 7 p.m., and from the start, the Miners’ presence was felt.

Frazier opened the season for UTEP with an exclamation point, throwing down a powerful two-handed dunk.

From that point, the Miners surged to an early 14-2 lead on the Lobos.

Possession after possession, UTEP played strong defense, resulting in 26 total turnovers.

With a little run towards the end of the first half, Sul Ross cut the score gap close but would still go down 49-26 at the end of the first period.

Out of halftime, UTEP would keep their foot on the gas outscoring Sul Ross 53-29.

The Miner’s defense seemed to ramp up defensive pressure even more, allowing them to show off any alley-oop or dunks to their ability.

Forward Otis Frazier III takes flight at the Don Haskins Center. (Jose G. Saldana)

UTEP finished with 26 caused turnovers scoring 39 points off those turnovers.

The Miners’ scoring leaders would be junior Ahamad Bynum with 20 points, a career-high, and senior Otis Frazier and Trey Horton with 17 each.

UTEP’s offensive onslaught allowed them to shoot at 56.5 percent, and an impressive 51.9 percent from the three-point range, resulting in the 102-55 win.

UTEP men’s basketball’s first away game will be against the Utah Valley Wolverines (1-0, 0-0 Western Athletic Conference), Utah, on Nov 9 at 2 p.m.

Cameron Mason is a contributor and may be reached at [email protected]

About the Contributors

Cameron Mason, Contributor/Writer

Cameron Mason is a freshman at the University of Texas at El Paso majoring in engineering with plans to minor in business. He is a writing contributor at The Prospector. After graduating, he aims to be a creative director and to be involved in sports media.

Jose G. Saldana, Contributor/Photographer

Jose G. Saldana is a senior at the University of Texas at El Paso majoring in digital media production. Jose was born in Los Angeles, California and raised in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Jose is a contributor at The Prospector. In the future he wants to dedicate himself to sports photography and videography around the world.