Editor’s Note: This is not the most recent UTEP men’s basketball game.
From one nail biting finish to another. Unlike their 73-71 victory against Kennesaw State, this time, it was UTEP (15-6, 5-3 CUSA) on the losing end of a back-and-forth Conference USA affair, losing their third conference game of the season against Western Kentucky University (13-8, 4-4 CUSA) by a slim margin of 78-74.
Jan. 26’s matchup marked the first time that the Miners faced the Hilltoppers since their heartbreaking defeat in the final of the CUSA championship tournament, leaving UTEP one game away from what could’ve been their first appearance in March Madness since 2010.
With 10:33 left to play in the CUSA championship final, the game took a turning point. Both teams were tied at 53, and the Hilltoppers went on a 9-0 run to punch their ticket to the national tournament. The number 10:33 is now at the center of UTEP’s workout shirts, in a scoreboard style font.
The tension between both squads simmered into their regular season bout, as both traded turnovers and missed shots in the games’ first minute. Sophomore David Terell Jr. claimed the night’s first two points, and initiated UTEP’s 5-0 run in the first period.
It didn’t take much time for WKU to snatch the lead from UTEP after a pair of triples from senior Don McHenry, and graduate player Khristian Lander. The Hilltoppers, however, failed to take control. Instead, they sent junior Devon Barnes to the charity stripe after a three-point attempt, which tied the game right back up.
The foul wouldn’t deter Barnes from beyond the arc shooting, as he swished in two triples during the Miners and Hilltoppers’ back and forth affair early in the first period. Points off fast breaks, and solid perimeter shooting sent both teams to the locker room at halftime with a narrow 34-32 advantage for WKU.
Entering the second period, UTEP was put on the backfoot, as WKU took command of the floor with two three-pointers from Launder in the first minute of the half, combined with efficient work from inside the arc and the free throw line.
UTEP caught up to WKU’s lead with 10:19 left to play and galvanized a 4-0 run in less than a minute. In as much time as it took the Miners to craft their lead, the Hilltoppers took it away, yet like the start of the game, WKU couldn’t capitalize, and with 4:50 to go senior Baylor Hebb knocked down a three-pointer to tie the match at 64 a piece.
The Miner’s leader in points per game, Otis Frazier III, traded shots with McHenry and Launder in the final minutes. With a little over a minute left to play, Frazier was sent to the free-throw line after being fouled from three-point range but failed to drain the shot that would’ve tied the game at 72.
Late game heroics from Terell wasn’t enough, causing UTEP to drop to 5-3 in conference play, and lose their first-place spot in CUSA. Now the Miners are in the middle of a four-way tie for second place, meanwhile Jacksonville State University unanimously leads the conference as of Jan 26.
Despite the sour ending for UTEP, they were able to force 18 turnovers off WKU, 14 of those coming from steals. The Miner’s defensive prowess keeps them as the national leader in turnovers forced per game (18.0) and steals per game (11.1).
UTEP’s second-leading scorer, senior Corey Camper Jr., remained out of action for his second consecutive game after sustaining an ankle injury against Jax State. Camper wasn’t ruled out of Thursday’s game until warmups, so his status remains questionable going into UTEP’s matchup at Middle Tennessee.
The Miners will take on the Panthers on Feb. 15. That game can be viewed on ESPN+ or listened to on 600 ESPN El Paso.
Sebastian Perez-Navarro is the multimedia editor for the Prospector and can be reached at [email protected] or Instagram and X @sebastianpn8, and on LinkedIn @sebastianperez-navarro.
