With about 5,300 fans in attendance, UTEP men’s basketball (15-5, 5-2 Conference USA) defeated the Kennesaw State University Owls (KSU) (12-8, 4-3 CUSA) at home in a back-and-forth battle to stay on top of the CUSA standings.
The first half was a fierce battle between the two teams trying to own the court. KSU fired all cylinders within the first minutes of the game, having a 7-2 lead. However, to break the flow, UTEP junior guard Ahamad Bynum, went on a 5-0 scoring streak to level out the score.
With back-and-forth surges in points from both teams, by the half, the Owls were in the lead 41-37.
To start the second half, KSU upped the gap to seven points with a 3-pointer in the opening possession. Though UTEP junior guard Devin Barnes closed the gap to five with two free throws, the Owls managed to have back-to-back baskets, which put them in the lead by nine, 50-41.
Similar to the first half, both teams would put in an overwhelming number of points, preventing the opposing team from keeping the lead for long.
At the 13:39 mark of the second half, UTEP went on a 9-0 point surge to catch up to the Owls.
As the clock was within the final seconds of the game, KSU junior guard Simeon Cottle attempted a 3-pointer, but ultimately missed the shot, and with a rebound from UTEP senior forward Otis Frazier III, the Miners successfully clinched the win, 73-71.
Sophomore guard David Terrell Jr. led the Miners with a team best of six rebounds and six assists. Four Miners reached double digits, with Frazier reaching 17, followed by senior forward Kevin Kalu with 14, sophomore forward Elijah Jones with 12, and Barnes with 10.
UTEP plays its next conference game against Western Kentucky University (12-8, 3-4 CUSA), a rematch of the 2024 Conference USA Championship Game, on Jan. 30 at 6 p.m.
Kristian Hernandez is a contributing photographer for The Prospector and may be reached at [email protected].
