Feb. 6, 2008
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Freshman Claude Britten scored on a putback with 3.5 seconds left, sending UTEP past Tulane, 66-64, on Wednesday at the Don Haskins Center.
After the Green Wave's Matt Wheaton tied the game on a jumper with 1:55 remaining, Britten collected the offensive rebound off a missed layup by Marvin Kilgore and laid the ball in the basket as the Miners snapped Tulane's five-game winning streak.
"It wasn't pretty," UTEP coach Tony Barbee said. "We overcame all of the mistakes, all of the breakdowns. We didn't shoot well and we had more turnovers than we should have, but in the end we found a way to win the game."
It was the 11th win in 12 home games for the Miners (14-7, 5-3 C-USA) who are 5-0 at the Haskins Center in C-USA play. UTEP is part of a three-way tie for fourth place in the C-USA standings with Tulane and UCF, a half-game behind UAB (15-7, 5-2). UTEP will play at UAB on Saturday at 6 p.m. MST. The Blazers are 10-0 at home this season.
Britten had season-highs for points (12) and minutes (20) on Wednesday, shooting 5-for-7 from the field and 2-for-2 from the line. He also had four rebounds.
"He was huffing and puffing, but we had to keep him out there," Barbee said.
It was a close game throughout, with 13 ties and 13 lead changes. Neither team led by more than five points. The Miners were ahead 34-33 at halftime.
The Miners appeared to get a little breathing room when Gabriel McCulley hit a three pointer for a 61-57 lead with 5:04 remaining, but Tulane's Daniel Puckett, who scored 14 points, answered right back with a three pointer to cut the deficit to one point.
Puckett also nailed a jumper with 4:18 left to tie the game at 62 before Kilgore drained a jumper with 2:49 to play to put UTEP ahead 64-62.
Tulane (15-7, 5-3 C-USA), which had won three straight C-USA road games coming in, took its last lead at 48-47 on a three-pointer by Donnavan Stith with 13:50 left. The Miners regained the advantage on Britten's jumper at the 12:15 mark.
Stefon Jackson scored 18 points, Randy Culpepper 13 and Kilgore 12 for the Miners, who forced 22 turnovers and outrebounded the Green Wave 40-34.
David Gomez led Tulane with 18 points, and Stith tallied 10 of his 15 points in the second half.
