Jan. 30, 2008
Final Stats
UTEP-Southern Miss Box (PDF)
Stefon Jackson scored 33 points, including a career-high six three pointers, as UTEP improved to 10-1 at home with a 90-79 win over Southern Miss on Wednesday at the Don Haskins Center.
Jackson was 11-for-20 from the field, 6-for-11 from outside and 5-for-6 from the line as UTEP (13-6, 4-2 C-USA) rose from sixth place in the Conference USA standings to a tie for fourth. The Miners are just a half-game behind second place Houston (15-4, 4-1 C-USA) and UAB (14-6, 4-1 C-USA).
The Miners shot a season-high 55.6 percent from the field and scored the most points against the Golden Eagles (10-10, 2-4 C-USA) this season.
"It's a good thing we shot the ball well, because we didn't guard worth a you-know-what," UTEP coach Tony Barbee said. "It's a good win. It's always tough to score against a Larry Eustachy team."
Southern Miss entered the night allowing 64.1 points per game, including an average of 62.8 in league games. UTEP scored 55 of its 90 points in the second half, going 16-for-27 from the floor (59.3 percent) after the intermission. The Miners were also 6-for-11 as a team from beyond the arc in the second stanza.
UTEP had a season-high 26 assists -- including seven apiece from Jackson, Julyan Stone and Marvin Kilgore -- and a season-low seven turnovers, including two in the second half.
The Miners built a 31-18 lead with 5:03 remaining in the first half before Southern Miss closed the period with a 16-4 spurt to pull within 35-34 at the midway point.
UTEP led 60-59 with 8:21 to go in the game before going on a 14-3 run, building a 74-62 cushion with 5:19 to play. The Miners were in control the rest of the night.
Jackson's previous high for three pointers made in a game was four versus Lipscomb in the 2006 NIT his freshman year.
"He's a capable shooter," Barbee said. "If he can make one or two to keep people honest, it's going to make his driving ability even tougher."
Jackson is now 12th on UTEP's all-time scoring list with 1,225 points. He passed Omar Thomas, Gary Brewster and Jason Williams on Wednesday.
The Miners will take their shot at top-ranked Memphis (20-0, 6-0 C-USA) on Saturday at 11 a.m. MST. The Tigers have won 43 straight home games. Memphis won at Houston, 89-77, earlier on Wednesday.
"It's a great opportunity," Barbee said. "It's why you lace up your sneakers as a player, and why you put your tie on as a coach."
