Jan. 24, 2009
Final Stats
UTEP-Tulsa Box Score (PDF) 
Tulsa limited UTEP to 35.7 percent shooting, including 22.7 percent in the first half, in a 78-70 win over the Miners on Saturday at the Don Haskins Center.
It was a frustrating evening for the Miners (11-8, 2-3 C-USA), who led only four times in the game, the last at 17-16.
UTEP, which dropped to 0-2 at home in C-USA play, trailed 34-27 at the half and never could mount a serious threat in the second period. Tulsa (13-7, 3-2 C-USA) took a 13-point lead, its largest of the night, at 60-47 on a layup by Justin Hurtt with 5:44 remaining. UTEP trailed by six points, 62-56, and had the ball with a little under three minutes left, but Stefon Jackson missed a couple of free throws that could have pulled the Miners closer. Jackson also missed two foul shots with 2:34 to play and UTEP behind 63-56.
It wasn't all bad news for Jackson, however, who scored 26 points and moved into second place on the all-time Conference USA scoring list with 1,994 points. Jackson is only 23 points behind the current leader, USF's Altron Jackson (2,017 points).
Jackson scored 22 of his 26 points in the second half, continuing a season-long trend. Jackson has scored 283 of his 446 points (63 percent) in the second half this season. He is shooting 33 percent in the first half and 47 percent in the second half in 2008-09. Jackson is also averaging 3.1 free throw attempts in the first half and 7.3 in the second half.
Kareem Cooper was the only other Miner in double figure scoring with 11 points. UTEP's second-leading scorer, Randy Culpepper, played only 19 minutes and scored eight points after injuring his thumb in practice.
Jerome Jordan had a big game for Tulsa with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Ben Uzoh added 17 points and Hurtt had 16.
Tulsa shot 48 percent and outrebounded UTEP 45-39 after entering the game leading C-USA with a +8.9 rebound margin.
The Miners will play at Houston on Wednesday at 6 p.m. MST as they attempt to avenge a 94-86 loss to the Cougars on Jan. 14 in El Paso.
