The Miners’ (17-13, 7-10 Conference USA) game against Sam Houston (12-18, 5-12 CUSA) on March 6 was an offensive showdown that tested both teams’ skills.
The first half consisted of offensive battles with UTEP leading for the majority. UTEP junior guard Devon Barnes scored 16 points with a 3-point field goal percentage of 0.600. Following Barnes was UTEP senior guard Corey Camper Jr. who had 15 points, along with UTEP sophomore forward Elijah Jones scoring 11 points.
Sam Houston would tie the game near the end of the half, but Camper scored a layup making it 44-42 at the end of the first half.
Sam Houston’s offensive efforts paid off as they were able to take the lead with 9:10 left, leading 62-60.
UTEP snatched the scoreboard from Sam Houston with a floater from Barnes, but the Bearkats took back the lead once again with a momentum-breaking dunk, raising the score 68-64.
The Bearkats were able to keep their distance, not allowing UTEP as much as a two-point difference. UTEP ultimately lost the game 89-87.
After a close loss to Sam Houston, the Miners still had their chance to end the regular season with a win.
UTEP vs. LA Tech
On March 8, UTEP (17-14, 7-11 CUSA) faced off against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (20-11, 9-9 CUSA) losing with an 18-point deficit of 76-58.
Although the Miners were blown out by the Bulldogs, highlights were seen from players like UTEP freshman guard KJ Thomas scoring a season-high of 12 points and shooting 100% from the free throw line, and UTEP junior guard Devon Barnes accumulating 11 points along with a free throw percentage of 100% too.
Despite UTEP shooting 18-24 from free throws, it was not enough to keep up with LA Tech’s offense. The Bulldogs shot a decisive 70.6% from beyond the arc. While in comparison the Miners had a 3-point percentage of 10%, making only two out of the 20 shots attempted.
LA Tech statistically took over for the entire game which led to UTEP’s defeat and the final score 76-58.
The Miners will have a chance to punch their ticket to the NCAA Basketball Tournament in the CUSA Tournament Championship. The No. 8 seeded UTEP will play Sam Houston on March 11.
Kristian Hernandez is a contributing photographer and may be reached at [email protected] and on Instagram @northeastvideography.
