For Starters
UTEP (20-7, 10-4 WAC) completes a three-game, week-long road trip on Monday night at Hawaii (15-7, 6-7 WAC). The Miners are 1-1 thus far on the trip, winning at San Jose State (70-62) last Wednesday and losing at 19th-ranked Pacific (73-66) on Saturday. Monday’s game is the regular season road finale for the Miners, who are 6-4 on enemy courts this season (5-3 in WAC play). UTEP will close out the regular season with home games versus Louisiana Tech (Feb. 25), SMU (Feb. 27) and Boise State (March 5).
Hawaii is 12-2 at home this season, but coming off a 87-81 loss to Wisconsin-Milwaukee in an ESPN Bracket Buster game on Saturday at the Stan Sheriff Center. The Warriors are 5-1 in home games decided by four points or less.
Monday’s game marks UTEP’s third contest in six days. The Miners are 3-4 in their last seven games and 2-3 in their last five road games.
On The Radio
UTEP’s English flagship station is KROD 600 AM. Jon Teicher is in his 24th season as “Voice of the Miners.” The pregame show begins at 9:30 p.m. MST. The game will also be carried on KBUY 1360 AM in Ruidoso, N.M.
On Television
There is no television for Monday’s game.
The Series
UTEP leads the series 32-18. The Warriors hold a 12-11 edge in games played on the island. UTEP has dropped the last three games played between the long-time WAC rivals at the Stan Sheriff Center. The Miners downed Hawaii 71-70 on Jan. 20 at the Don Haskins Center. UTEP has won two in a row over the Warriors after losing the previous five matchups between the long-time WAC rivals.
The Last Meeting
Omar Thomas made a pair of free throws with five seconds left, giving UTEP a 71-70 win over Hawaii on Jan. 20 at the Don Haskins Center.
The Warriors’ Deonte Tatum missed a jumper in the lane as time expired.
The Miners were in control for much of the first half, taking their biggest lead at 45-32 on a three-pointer by Miguel Ayala with 57 seconds remaining.
But Hawaii answered with a 17-0 spurt -- the longest run by a UTEP opponent this season -- to charge ahead 49-45 on a dunk by Julian Sensley with 15:21 to play.
The Hawaii run grew to 26-4, ending in a layup by Bobby Nash for a 58-49 advantage with 11:40 left.
The Warriors still led by nine points, 64-55, after Kris Groce scored with 7:44 to go.
A 12-4 run by UTEP pulled the Miners to within 68-67 on another Ayala three-pointer with 3:20 remaining. Tatum answered with a driving layup for a 70-67 edge. Ayala was fouled on a three-point attempt with 58 seconds left, and made two of three foul shots to cut the deficit to 70-69.
Hawaii’s Jeff Blackett missed a jumper and Jason Williams grabbed the defensive rebound with 25 seconds to play, setting up Thomas’ free throws.
UTEP could muster just three field goals after the intermission. The Miners were 3-18 from the field (16.7 percent) after shooting 53.6 percent in the opening half.
UTEP, however, was 18-25 from the line in the second half and 30-38 on the night. Hawaii went to the line just 13 times, making eight.
Jake Sottos led Hawaii with 20 points. A former teammate of UTEP’s Filiberto Rivera at Southeastern [Iowa] Community College, Sottos was perfect from the field (7-7) and three-point land (6-6).
Sensley added 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Nash had 10 points.
Thomas and Rivera each finished with 18 points for the Miners. Thomas pulled down 15 rebounds, tying a career-high, and Ayala netted 11 points off the bench.
Scouting The Warriors
Hawaii is 12-2 at home and 2-6 on the road this season. The Warriors have gone 6-8 in their last 14 games after starting the season 8-0. Hawaii is coming off an 87-81 loss to Wisconsin-Milwaukee in an ESPN Bracket Buster game on Saturday at the Stan Sheriff Center. Sophomore guard Matt Gibson scored 26 points for the Warriors, making all six of his three-point attempts.
The Warriors are led by junior forward Julian Sensley, who is the team leader in scoring (13.0 ppg), rebounding (7.2 rpg) and assists (3.2 apg). Gibson is averaging 12.4 points, senior guard Jake Sottos is averaging 10.6 points and senior forward Jeff Blackett is averaging 10.0 points.
Hawaii has played a bunch a close games. Seventeen contests have been determined by nine points or less, with the Warriors posting a 9-8 mark in those games (8-2 at home).
Last Game: [19] Pacific 73, UTEP 66
David Doubley scored 21 points as 19th-ranked Pacific knocked off UTEP, 73-66, on Saturday in Stockton, Calif.
Playing before the first sellout crowd in the Alex G. Spanos Center since the 1997-98 season, the Tigers extended their winning streak to 18 games, tied for second-longest in the nation with Utah.
Tyler Newton’s tip-in with 11:08 remaining in the first half gave Pacific the lead for good, 15-14, after the Miners scored 10 of the game’s first 15 points.
The Tigers led 33-24 at the half, then extended the margin to as many as 11 points in the second period before a late UTEP rally came up short.
The Miners pulled to within four points (70-66) with 23 seconds left on a layup by Omar Thomas, but Doubley made a pair of free throws with 22 seconds left to end the comeback.
Pacific shot 58.3 percent in the second half and finished at 48.2 percent for the game. The Miners shot 32.4 percent in the first half but nearly doubled their point total in the second half while shooting 51.6 percent.
Thomas scored 21 points, John Tofi 12, Filiberto Rivera 11 and Jason Williams 10 for UTEP.
The Tigers were 14-16 from the line led by Doubley, who made nine of his 10 charity shots. Guillaume Yango added 13 points and Christian Maraker 10 for Pacific.
Back-to-Back 20-Win Seasons
UTEP has put together consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time since 1991-92 and 1992-93, when the Miners racked up 27 and 21 wins respectively. UTEP was 24-8 a year ago.
The Miners recorded their 20th victory on Feb. 16, making this the earliest in a season that UTEP has achieved its 20th win since 1986-87 (Feb. 14). Only three Miner teams have reached 20 wins faster (1983-84, 1985-86, 1986-87).
This is the 20th 20-win season in school history. Of the 19 previous 20-game winners, 18 advanced to postseason play (13 NCAA, five NIT).
The only exception was the 1981-82 squad, which finished 20-8 but stayed home.
Sadler Has Winningest Debut
Doc Sadler has won 20 games this season, more than any other first-year UTEP coach. The legendary Don Haskins formerly held the record with 18 victories during his initial season (1961-62). Haskins and Sadler are the only coaches in school history to fashion a winning record in their first season at the helm of the storied program.
Sadler is one of 38 coaches who are new at NCAA Division I-A institutions this season. Through Saturday, he had the third-most wins (20) and the fourth-best winning percentage (.741) among new head coaches.
UTEP in the NCAA/WAC Stats
UTEP was second nationally in free throw percentage (.787) through Saturday, behind Michigan State (.805).
In the WAC stats, UTEP was first in scoring margin (+9.7 ppg), free throw percentage (.787), assist/turnover ratio (1.27) and turnover margin (+2.59). The Miners were second in scoring offense (73.7 ppg), scoring defense (64 ppg), assists (16.2 apg) and steals (7.2 spg) and third in field goal percentage (.455) and three-point field goal percentage (.354).
Individually, senior forward Omar Thomas was third in free throw percentage (.822), fifth in scoring (19.5 ppg), sixth in field goal percentage (.513), ninth in steals (1.4 spg) and 14th in rebounding (6.3 rpg). Junior forward Jason Williams was fifth in steals (1.6 spg) and 10th in assists (3.2 apg). Junior forward John Tofi was 12th in rebounding (6.5 rpg). Senior guard Filiberto Rivera was the league leader in free throw percentage (.863), assists (6.7 apg) and assist/turnover ratio (3.20) and 14th in scoring (12.9 ppg). Junior guard Miguel Ayala was seventh in three-point field goals made per game (1.9).
Miner Trends
Junior forward Jason Williams has scored in double figures in three of the last four games (10.5 ppg), although he has shot 36 percent (15-42) from the field during that span...Williams has not made a three-pointer in his last five games (0-6). Over the last eight games, he is 3-17 from beyond the arc...junior guard Giovanni St. Amant has scored in double figures once in the last 12 games. However, he has made seven of 11 three-point shots over the last five contests...junior guard Miguel Ayala has scored in double figures twice in eight starts. He has hit more than one three-point field goal just once in the last five games (6-20 from beyond the arc during that span)...senior forward Thomas Gehrke has been on the floor for an average of 17.8 minutes in the last four games, compared to 1.6 in the previous nine outings...senior guard Filiberto Rivera has had more assists than turnovers in 11 straight games (74-24 during that span)...junior forward John Tofi has had double-digit rebounds in consecutive games for the first time in his career. Over the last five games he is averaging 10.4 points with a .568 (21-37) field goal percentage...senior center Will Kimble has been scoreless in five of the last six games...over the last five games, UTEP has averaged 9.8 turnovers...five of the Miners’ last six opponents have shot 47 percent or better from the field...UTEP has outrebounded one of its last 12 opponents...the Miners have scored 70 points or more four times in the last 11 games...UTEP has had 49 steals in the last six games (8.2 avg.).
Thomas Joins 1,000-Point Club
Senior forward Omar Thomas became the 27th UTEP player to score 1,000 points on Wednesday at San Jose State. Thomas’ three-pointer with 3:54 remaining gave him the 999th, 1,000th and 1001st points of his career.
He has now scored 1,022 points to rank 27th in school history behind Jim Babers (26th place, 1,023 points, one ahead of Thomas). Also within striking distance are Nolan Richardson and Mike Switzer (tied for 24th place, 1,045 points, 23 ahead of Thomas).
Thomas is only the third Miner to achieve 1,000 points in two seasons, joining Jim Barnes (1962-64) who collected 1,308 points in two years, and Antoine Gillespie (1992-95) who racked up 1,099 points in his first two seasons. Barnes was the number one overall choice by New York in the 1964 NBA Draft and Gillespie is UTEP’s second all-time leading scorer.
Rivera Moving Up Assist Charts
Senior guard Filiberto Rivera has 160 assists this season and 312 in two years as a Miner, figures that rank sixth and fifth respectively in school history. He is just one assist away from tying Jeep Jackson for fourth place on the UTEP career list.
Never a Dull Moment
The Miners have made a habit of overcoming big deficits and losing big leads this season.
The Miners have had three comeback victories from deficits of 10 points or greater. On Wednesday at San Jose State, the Miners trailed by 11 points at the 1:58 mark of the first half, but went on to win 70-62. IPFW held a 10-point advantage over UTEP with 11:03 remaining in the first half, before the Miners rallied for a 67-58 victory. The Miners also trailed by 10 with 1:06 left in the first half against Arizona State before bouncing back for a 66-65 win.
On the other hand,three of UTEP’s six losses have come after the Miners led by eight points or more. UTEP was up by eight points versus Nevada with 15:37 to go in the game before falling 62-60. The Miners led by nine points with 13:45 left in the first half at Fresno State before succumbing 66-63. UTEP also led by eight points with 15:51 remaining in the first half against Southern Illinois before the Salukis rallied for a 68-62 victory.
Four times the Miners have rallied to win after blowing double-digit leads. UTEP lost a 24-point lead at Nevada, a 13-point lead at home to Hawaii, a 10-point lead at SMU and a 13-point margin at Rice.
UTEP has led wire-to-wire four times this season (versus Tulsa, Occidental College, Oklahoma Panhandle State and Jackson State). The only time a UTEP opponent led the entire way was at Tulsa on Feb. 3.
Winning WAC Road Mark Times Two
UTEP is guaranteed to post a winning record in WAC road games in back-to-back seasons for only the second time in school history. The 1982-83 and 1983-84 Miners also achieved this feat, going 5-3 in league road games each season.
Last year the Miners were 5-4 in WAC road contests; this year they are 5-3 with one game remaining (at Hawaii on Monday night).
UTEP Road Notes
Senior guard Filiberto Rivera and senior forward Omar Thomas have scored 51 percent (354 of 700) of UTEP’s points in road games this season. They have scored 53 percent (297 of 559) of the points in WAC road contests.
Rivera, Thomas, junior guard Miguel Ayala and junior forward John Tofi all have better scoring averages on the road than at home. Rivera averages 12.3 points at home and 13.4 on the road; Thomas averages 17.5 at home and 22.0 on the road; Ayala averages 8.3 at home and 8.8 on the road; and Tofi averages 5.1 at home and 8.0 on the road.
Tofi is also averaging 5.0 rebounds at home and 8.8 boards on the road. His field goal percentage is .455 in the Don Haskins Center, and .507 in enemy venues.
Thomas is shooting 50 percent at home and 53.9 percent on the road. Rivera is shooting 34 percent from three-point range at home, and 42.9 percent on the road.
Junior forward Jason Williams is averaging 14.2 points at home with a .506 field goal percentage; on the road, he averages 9.1 points with a .376 field goal percentage. Junior guard Giovanni St. Amant is shooting 51 percent from the floor (50 percent from three-point land) at home; on the road he is shooting 32.7 percent from the field and 29.6 percent from three-point territory. Senior center Will Kimble is averaging 7.1 points and 4.1 rebounds at home with a .563 field goal percentage; his road averages are 1.9 points and 1.6 rebounds with a .368 field goal percentage. Kimble has scored a total of five points in the seven WAC road games he has played in.
Miners Good in the Close Ones
Since the start of the 2003-04 season UTEP is 9-3 in WAC games decided by five points or less, including 5-2 in 2004-05. Overall the Miners are 6-2 this season in games determined by five points or fewer. UTEP has beaten Arizona State (66-65), Nevada (83-80 in overtime), Hawaii (71-70), San Jose State (69-65), SMU (60-55) and Rice (73-71), and lost to Fresno State (66-63) and Nevada (62-60).
70 is a Magic Number
Scoring 70 points has translated to winning games over the last three seasons. Since the start of the 2002-03 campaign, UTEP is 40-4 when scoring 70 points (14-0 this season), and 10-35 when totaling less than 70 points (6-7 this season). UTEP has won six games when scoring less than 70 points for the first time since 1997-98 (seven times).
Earlier this year, the Miners scored 90+ points in three straight WAC games for the first time in school history. It marked the first time that UTEP registered three consecutive 90-point games since 1968-69.
Keys to Success
Here is a look at some trends in UTEP victories this season:
UTEP is 11-1 when its post players (Will Kimble, John Tofi) combine to score 11 points or more. The Miners are 4-1 when Tofi scores in double figures and 4-0 when Kimble scores in double figures.
UTEP is 17-3 when shooting 40 percent or better. The Miners are 9-0 when holding opponents to less than 40 percent shooting.
UTEP is 15-1 when having a better field goal percentage than the opposition.
The Miners are 10-1 when outrebounding foes.
UTEP is 17-3 when committing equal or fewer turnovers than opponents.
UTEP is 14-0 when scoring 70 points or more.
The Miners are 10-1 when their bench outscores the opponent’s reserves.
UTEP is 10-0 when shooting at least 35 percent from three-point range.
UTEP is 16-3 when shooting more free throws than foes.
UTEP is 5-1 when four or more players score in double figures.
UTEP is 14-3 when Jason Williams scores in double figures and 6-1 when Giovanni St. Amant does so.
On a Roll at the Charity Stripe
Over the last five games the Miners have made 86 of 98 free throws (.878) led by senior forward Omar Thomas, who is 23-25 from the charity stripe during that span, and senior guard Filiberto Rivera, who is 26-29. Thomas set a school game record for free throw attempts without a miss (14) at Rice on Feb. 5. Junior guard Miguel Ayala has made his last 12 foul shots.
Thomas has made 13 or more foul shots in four games this season. He is on a pace to make 192 free throws and attempt 233 this season, figures that would rank fourth in school annals. With six more made free throws, Thomas will move into UTEP’s career top-10 list.
UTEP’s current free throw percentage of .787 would be a school record (current mark is .766 set by the 1968-69 squad). The Miners have shot 75 percent or better from the charity stripe in 18 of 27 games, and 80 percent or better on 13 occasions.
The Miners have a stellar .818 free throw percentage in WAC contests. The WAC record for season free throw percentage in conference games is held by BYU (.805 in 1988-89).
For the second straight season, UTEP has made more free throws (474) than its opponents have attempted (456). UTEP has shot more free throws than foes in 19 of 27 games this season.
UTEP has outshot opponents from the foul line 153-99 in WAC home games. In WAC road games, opponents have enjoyed a 153-143 advantage.
The Miners’ top three guards -- junior Miguel Ayala, Rivera and junior Giovanni St. Amant -- have combined to make 85 percent of their freebies (153-179).
Lethal From Three
UTEP has made 95 three-pointers in WAC games, second only to Boise State which has made 104 trifectas. UTEP leads the WAC in three-point field goal percentage (.386) for conference games only.
Senior guard Filiberto Rivera is fourth in the WAC in three-point percentage for conference games (.426), and junior guard Miguel Ayala is fifth (.405). UTEP has made a three-pointer in 132 straight games.
Ayala made six trifectas versus Rice on Jan. 6, and Rivera added six more at Nevada on Jan. 12. Against the Owls, Ayala became the second Miner to hit six or more three-pointers in a reserve role. Henry Hall buried six three-pointers in 28 minutes off the bench at BYU on Jan. 11, 1990.
Gio Finds His Shot
Junior guard Giovanni St. Amant has busted out of a horrific shooting slump over the last five games. After shooting 24 percent (7-29) from the field and nine percent (1-11) from three-point territory in the previous seven games, he has gone 14-26 from the floor and 7-11 from beyond the arc in the last five.
St. Amant has come off the bench for the last five contests after starting the previous 11 games. St. Amant has averaged 8.2 points as a reserve in 2004-05, shooting 53 percent (21-40) from the field, 67 percent (10-15) from three-point distance and 88 percent (14-16) from the line. As a starter, St. Amant has averaged 5.8 points with a .396 field goal percentage, .306 three-point percentage and .760 free throw percentage.
Thomas Putting Up Big Numbers
Senior forward Omar Thomas has had eleven 20-point games this season, with seven coming on the road. UTEP is 8-3 in 2004-05 when Thomas scores 20 points or more (14-5 in his career).
Thomas has scored in double figures in 26 of 27 games this season, and 32 of the last 34 dating back to 2003-04. He has attempted a free throw in every game this season, and in 37 straight contests dating back to the 2003-04 campaign.
While Thomas has put up some spectacular numbers in two seasons in the Sun City, statistics suggest that the Miners are a better team when they are spreading the wealth. UTEP is 16-11 in Thomas’ career when he leads the team in scoring, and 28-4 when he either ties for the team lead or someone else is the high point man.
Williams is Mr. Versatile
Junior forward Jason Williams has done a little bit of everything for the Miners over the last two seasons. Currently he is first on the team in steals (1.6 spg), second in assists (3.2 apg), and third in scoring (12.1 ppg) and rebounding (5.9 rpg).
Williams has shot less than 50 percent from the floor in eight straight contests, a personal long streak.
Last season he became only the third forward in school history to record 100 assists. He is 13 away from logging 100 again in 2004-05.
Historically, when Williams has played well the Miners have won. UTEP is 29-8 in his career when he scores in double figures, 14-0 when he leads the team in scoring and 7-0 when he has a 20-point game. Williams has scored in double figures 17 times this season, second only to senior forward Omar Thomas who has put up 10+ points in 26 games.
Rivera is Assist Leader
Senior guard Filiberto Rivera leads the WAC in assists for all games (6.7 apg) and conference games only (7.0 apg). He is trying to become just the second Miner to lead the league in assists. Future NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway first achieved this feat during the 1987-88 campaign, averaging 5.7 assists.
Rivera has had more turnovers than assists just four times in 56 career games. He has had no turnovers in nine career contests (four times this season, most recently on Wednesday at San Jose State).
UTEP has had 15 turnovers or more just six times in Rivera’s 24 games this season. The Miners have had single-digit turnovers on eight occasions in 2004-05.
Rivera has had 10 or more assists in three games this season (10 at New Mexico State, 12 versus Alabama State, 12 against Fresno State). He is the ninth Miner to post 10 or more assists in a game, joining Hardaway (four times), Eddie Rivera (three times), Prince Stewart (three times), Joe Griffin (twice), Eggie McRae (twice), Rudy Alvarez, Costello and Ed Haller.
Rivera has had two “double-double” games for points and assists, tying Hardaway for the second-top career total in UTEP history. Eddie Rivera (no relation) is the record-holder with three.
17-0 is Longest Run
UTEP had a 17-0 scoring run in the first half versus Delaware State, turning a 15-14 deficit into a 31-15 advantage. UTEP had 16-0 runs against Tulsa, Nevada and San Jose State, and a 14-0 spurt versus Oklahoma Panhandle State.
The longest opponent run in 2004-05 is 17-0 by Hawaii on Jan. 20.
Still the Only One
UTEP is the only school in the state of Texas to win a national title on the hardwood (1966). The Miners have made 23 postseason tournament appearances and captured 12 WAC titles (eight regular season, four tournament).
The 1966 national champion Miners are the subject of a Disney feature film, Glory Road, coming in 2005. The film stars Josh Lucas (A Beautiful Mind, Sweet Home Alabama) as legendary UTEP coach Don Haskins and Academy Award winner Jon Voight as Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp.
Miners Win Sun Bowl Tournament
UTEP defeated Alabama State (89-57) and Princeton (68-42) on Dec. 27-28 to capture its second consecutive State Farm Sun Bowl Basketball Tournament title. The Miners hadn’t won the tournament in successive years since 1990-91.
Senior forward Omar Thomas was chosen tournament MVP for the second year in a row. He averaged 25 points in the two games, shooting 72 percent (18-25) from the field and 74 percent (14-19) from the line. In four career State Farm Sun Bowl Basketball Tournament games, Thomas has averaged 23 points on 71 percent (32-45) field goal shooting and 74 percent (28-38) free throw shooting.
Thomas is the first player to earn MVP honors of the tournament in back-to-back seasons since UTEP’s Tim Hardaway in 1987 and 1988. Thomas joins Hardaway, Nate Archibald (1968-69), Gary Brewster (1972, 1974-75), Anthony Burns (1979-80) and Fred Reynolds (1981, 1983) as the only multiple MVP winners in the history of the tournament, which originated in 1961 (tournament officials first began selecting an MVP in 1968).
C-USA in 05
UTEP will shift to Conference USA effective on July 1, 2005. The Miners will join WAC brethren Rice, SMU and Tulsa in the new-look league which will also include Central Florida, East Carolina, Houston, Marshall, Memphis, Southern Miss, Tulane and UAB.
Last year C-USA advanced eight men’s basketball teams to postseason play (six NCAA, two NIT).
UTEP has been a member of the Western Athletic Conference since September, 1967.
Miner Nuggets
Junior forward John Tofi has 518 career rebounds, including 23 in the last two games...Tofi (12 points-12 rebounds) and senior forward Omar Thomas (21 points-12 rebounds) both had double-doubles at Pacific on Saturday, marking the first time two Miners have turned in double-doubles in a game since Jan. 26, 2002 versus Boise State (Roy Smallwood 17 points-11 rebounds, Brian Stewart 17 points-11 rebounds). It was Thomas’ sixth career double-double (all this season), and Tofi’s fifth (first this season)...senior guard Filiberto Rivera’s seven steals at San Jose State on Wednesday tied the school record and were the most by a Miner since Sharif Fajardo also had seven thefts on Feb. 4, 1999 at Hawaii...UTEP is 20-4 over the last two seasons when Tofi scores in double figures...UTEP has held 30 of its last 32 opponents to field goal percentages below 50...UTEP has held three teams to less than 50 points (Oklahoma Panhandle State, Occidental College, Princeton) this season, marking the first time that has happened at the school since 1990-91 (three times)...with 51 three-pointers this season, junior Miguel Ayala has the 10th-top seasonal total in school history. Mark McCall (1990-91) is ninth with 56 trifectas...Ayala has made a three-pointer in 14 of the last 15 games...UTEP is 9-0 this season when nine or more players score, and 18-4 when seven or more players score (2-3 when six or fewer score)...the Miners have had more assists than turnovers in 15 of the last 19 games, and 19 times in 27 contests this season...the Miners were perfect (10-10) from the foul line at Boise State on Jan. 1 for the first time since Jan. 13, 1977 against Arizona State (11-11)...starters have scored 1,512 of UTEP’s 1,989 points in 2004-05 (76 percent).
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