Nov. 9, 2007
Box Score (PDF)
Junior guard Stefon Jackson scored 22 points, and UTEP rode a big second half to a 77-50 conquest of Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the 2007-08 season opener on Friday at the Don Haskins Center.
Jackson had 16 points in the second half as the Miners (1-0) outscored UAPB (0-1) 47-29 in pulling away from a 30-21 lead at the intermission.
Marvin Kilgore added 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists for UTEP, which won its season opener for the ninth straight year.
"We got the win, and that's all that matters," UTEP coach Tony Barbee said. "We've got to continue to improve. Everyone contributed tonight. We needed a game like this. We needed to grind it out to get a win."
The Miners were tested by the Golden Lions early after blasting Western New Mexico (97-46) and Sul Ross State (101-38) in the exhibition portion of their schedule.
UAPB scored five of the game's first six points, and the game was tied at 11 before the Miners went on a 10-2 run to go ahead 21-13. The Golden Lions were still within striking distance (45-35) seven minutes into the second half before UTEP embarked on a 16-3 run to build a 61-38 advantage.
UTEP limited UAPB to 35.3 percent shooting and scored 27 points off 23 turnovers by the Golden Lions.
UTEP outrebounded UAPB 43-35. Jackson had seven boards, while Tavaris Watts and Victor Ramalho pulled down six apiece.
"We guarded, we defended and we rebounded OK for the most part," Barbee said.
Eleven players scored for the Miners, including Watts who had nine points and freshman Manuel Cass who had eight.
"We're counting on our freshmen. Every one of them is going to help us win a game this year, and they know that," Barbee said.
After making only 35.5 percent of their shots in the first half, the Miners heated up to 50 percent accuracy in the second stanza.
"We had unbelievable looks in the first half and we missed them," Barbee said. "Those shots went down in the exhibitions."
The Miners will face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the 2007 Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off on Tuesday in College Station. Tip-off is slated for 4 p.m. MST. The Islanders, a 2007 NCAA Tournament participant, opened their season with a 72-64 loss to Texas Southern on Friday night.
