UTEP Miners

Final Stats

Western Kentucky 71, UTEP 66, OT (Box Score) 

Chris Harrison-Docks scored six of his 12 points in overtime, including the go-ahead three pointer with 1:24 remaining, as Western Kentucky took sole possession of first place in C-USA with a 71-66 win on Thursday night at E.A. Diddle Arena.

The Hilltoppers (13-5, 6-0 C-USA) won their eighth straight game, battling back from a 10-point second half deficit to beat the Miners (12-6, 4-2 C-USA). UTEP missed a golden opportunity to move into a first-place tie in C-USA, instead dropping two games back of WKU into a tie for fourth with Middle Tennessee and Old Dominion.

In the end, the Miners couldn't make shots ... from three-point range or the charity stripe.

"The three obvious statistical lines that jump out at you are 0-for-17 from the three-point line, 12-for-24 from the foul line, and the rebounding margin that Western Kentucky had [47-35]," UTEP coach Tim Floyd said.

UTEP played one of its best halves under Floyd in staking itself to a 35-28 lead at the break. The Miners shot 53.6 percent and held WKU to 28.6 percent while completely dominating points in the paint (26-8), points off turnovers (14-4) and fast break points (10-0).

The margin should've been 10, as Omega Harris fouled the Hilltoppers' Trency Jackson on a three-point attempt with 1.2 seconds left. Jackson made all three foul shots to cut into the lead.

"Big play when you look at it," Floyd said.

But UTEP was doing exactly what it set out to do, containing WKU's senior leaders T.J. Price (three points, 1-for-2 field goals) and George Fant (four points, 2-for-8 field goals).

The Miners quickly reinstated a 10-point lead (40-30) three minutes into the second half when Vince Hunter converted a three-point play. Then it started to unravel.

WKU went on an 11-1 run, knotting the game at 41 on a layup by Fant with 13:48 to go.

It was nip and tuck the remainder of regulation, neither team leading by more than two points.

Fant, who recorded a double-double for the seventh straight game (13 points/11 rebounds), picked up his fourth personal with 9:38 left. He went to the bench and didn't return until the 3:41 mark. The Miners didn't capitalize on his absence, largely because they couldn't make foul shots. They missed seven of their first 11 attempts from the stripe in the second half.

Still, they found a way to hang around. And after a stretch of 3:36 where neither team scored and Western Kentucky held on for dear life with a 59-57 lead, Earvin Morris was fouled by D.J. Clayton on a three-point attempt. One second remained. Morris went to the line. He missed the first, but made the second and third to force overtime.

UTEP never led in the extra session. The game was tied at 63 when Harrison-Docks nailed the big triple with 1:24 to go.

The Miners missed six three pointers in OT and shot 3-for-10 from the field to WKU's 4-for-5.

Fant had nine points and eight rebounds after halftime, and Price scored nine points. Harrison-Docks also scored nine points in the second half and overtime.

Western Kentucky had 13 offensive rebounds and scored 12 second-chance points versus a UTEP team that has outrebounded one of its first six C-USA opponents.

"The 13 offensive boards is too many. We gave up too many second chance opportunities," Floyd said. "We had great looks. We got to the line, did things we wanted to do and could not make free throws. We got into the double bonus early enough to where we should've been in command of the game and been able to go play, but couldn't get it done."

Cedrick Lang led five Miners in double figures with 14 points. Hunter shook off a knee injury to secure his 11th double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 boards. Matt Willms added 13 points, Julian Washburn 12 and Morris 10.

After shooting the ball well early, the Miners cooled off to 35.3 percent (12-for-34) in the second half and overtime. They scored just nine points in the final 9:38 of the contest (last 4:38 of the second half and 5:00 in overtime).

"We missed a wide-open layup in the first half and second half. All things that come back to haunt you when you get in an overtime game," Floyd said. "They were better than we were in the overtime. They scored on four or five possessions. We were not efficient and you give them credit. It's a great atmosphere, a great college game."

The Miners, who lost for just the second time in their last 14 C-USA road games, will be right back at it on Saturday when they take on Marshall at 1 p.m. MT in Huntington, W. Va. The game will be televised on the American Sports Network.