Nov. 18, 2008
Final Stats
Click - Photo Gallery by Ivan Pierre Aguirre
UTEP-Georgia Southern Box Score (PDF) 
Randy Culpepper scored a career-high 35 points and Stefon Jackson added 26 as UTEP had a big second half on the way to a 96-79 win over Georgia Southern on Tuesday night at the Don Haskins Center.
Trailing 41-39 at the half, the Miners (2-0) outscored the Eagles (2-2) 57-38 in the second period. UTEP used a 13-2 run to turn a 47-45 deficit into a 58-49 lead with 15:58 remaining, and led by at least six points the rest of the way.
"That's a very good team that we just beat," UTEP coach Tony Barbee said of a Georgia Southern squad that posted 20 wins last season and had already beaten Houston this year.
Culpepper's previous personal best for points was 25 against SMU in the Conference USA Tournament last year. He was 10-for-20 from the field, 4-for-8 from beyond the arc and 11-for-16 from the line on Tuesday while adding two assists and four steals in 36 minutes of action.
Culpepper became the ninth player in school history to score 35 or more points in a game, joining Nate Archibald, Jim Barnes, Charlie Brown, Antoine Gillespie, Stefon Jackson, Nolan Richardson, Al Tolen and Brandon Wolfram.
"It was an amazing performance," Barbee said. "He is such an explosive scorer from anywhere on the floor. I don't think anybody expected him to have a night like he did on Friday against Texas Southern [0-for-8 from three point range]."
Jackson put up 24 of his 26 points in the second half and pulled down seven rebounds as the Miners won the battle of the boards 37-34.
Freshman forward Arnett Moultrie, making his first career start in place of the injured Tavaris Watts, collected six points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots in 24 minutes. Watts has a sprained MCL and is out indefinitely.
Kareem Cooper was the Miners' third double figure scorer with 14 points, and Julyan Stone dished out a career-high 11 assists.
After Georgia Southern shot 55.2 percent in the first half -- including 6-for-12 from three point range - the Miners tightened the clamps defensively in the second stanza. The Eagles made just 37.1 percent of their shots following the intermission.
Georgia Southern took its largest lead of the night, 31-23, on a three pointer by Julian Allen with 6:37 to go in the first half. The Miners rallied to tie the game twice before halftime, the last at 39 with eight seconds left on a Culpepper layup. Ben Drayton hit a jumper as time expired to send the Eagles into the locker room with the two-point cushion.
"It was a very quiet halftime speech," Barbee said. "I told them plain and simple, if you want to win you'll defend and rebound [in the second half]. And we did both."
Antonio Hanson led five Eagles in double figure scoring with 17 points.
The Miners will host perennial national power UNLV on Monday at 7:05 p.m. MST. The Runnin' Rebels have won 57 games the last two seasons and back-to-back Mountain West Conference Tournament titles.
