March 19, 2008
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Luke Nevill had a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds as Utah ended UTEP's season with an 81-69 victory in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational on Wednesday at the Don Haskins Center.
The Utes (18-14) had two 9-0 runs and an 8-1 run in the first half in building a 34-24 lead at the break. After the Miners scored the first seven points of the second half to draw within three points, Utah embarked on a 25-7 run to take its largest lead of the night at 59-38.
UTEP tried to rally, cutting the deficit to eight points twice in the final two minutes, but the Utes iced the game with free throws.
"It was a tough game," UTEP coach Tony Barbee said. "You're not going to win many games when you shoot that way [34.8 percent] and dig that big of a hole versus a good team. I'm disappointed for our seniors. I'm happy that they got to experience postseason play and a winning season."
Johnnie Bryant led the Utes with 17 points, and Shaun Green pulled down 11 rebounds. Utah was 29-for-33 from the line.
Stefon Jackson scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half for the Miners. It was his forty-first 20-point game, breaking Brandon Wolfram's school record of forty 20-point games.
Randy Culpepper and Tavaris Watts chipped in with 14 points apiece for UTEP.
The Miners improved considerably from 2006-07, raising their record from 14-17 to 19-14 and their Conference USA mark from 6-10 to 8-8. UTEP made its fourth postseason tournament appearance in the last five years. The Miners also finished 13-3 at home and, with six of their top eight scorers slated to return for 2008-09, has high hopes for the future.
"It's no secret that we've got to get better individually and get stronger," Barbee said. "We've lacked toughness, and toughness starts in the weight room. I'm looking forward to next year. I think we're going to improve our overall size, depth and strength considerably."
