Game Notes In PDF Format

OPENING TIP
The UTEP men's basketball team (3-1) opens up a stretch with three straight and six of eight at home to wrap up nonconference action when it plays host to UC Riverside (3-2) in its first game of the Cerebros Sports Golden Turkey Classic at 7 p.m. MT Monday (Nov. 22). The Miners are riding a two-game winning streak after picking up their first road win of the season, 73-64, at Pacific on Nov. 19. UTEP is also looking to protect its homecourt, where it sports a perfect 2-0 mark on the young year. The Orange and Blue have their work cut out for them, with UCR already boasting a buzzer-beating three-fourths of the floor shot to emerge victorious at Pacific 12 member Arizona State, 66-65, on Nov. 11. UCR has won three of the past four, including a 95-57 thrashing of Bethesda last time out on Nov. 20.  Jon Teicher (41st year) and Steve Yellen (19th year) will be on the call, which can be followed on 600 ESPN El Paso, the UTEP Miners App and CUSA TV (subscription required). For tickets, fans may call the Eisenberg Family Ticket Office at (915) 747-UTEP, email tickets@utep.edu, or visit www.UTEPMiners.com/tickets or in person (Brumbelow Building on UTEP campus, 201 Glory Road) Monday thru Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
 
SERIES HISTORY: UTEP LEADS, 3-0
UTEP is 3-0 all time against UCR, with all three meetings coming at home and all three occurring since the 2006-07 season. Most recently the Orange and Blue posted a 68-56 win on Dec. 16, 2016. All three match-ups in the series have been decided by double digits. Head coach Joe Golding constructed a 1-2 mark against the Highlanders while at the helm of the ACU program.
 
GET TO KNOW UCR (3-2)
Big West Conference member UCR is 3-2 on the year, aided by winning three of the past four contests. Included in that was a dramatic 66-65 victory at Pacific 12 member Arizona State on Nov. 11. Most recently the Highlanders demolished Bethesda, 95-56, on Nov. 20. Five different players are putting up at least 8.0 points per game, led by Flynn Cameron (11.6 ppg), J.P. Moorman II (11.2 ppg) and Zyon Pullin (10.4 ppg). Callum McRae (9.2 ppg) has also been a thorn for the opponents. McRae (7.8 rpg) and Moorman II (7.0 rpg) lead the charge on the glass, helping the Highlanders sport a +7.6 rebounding margin. Pullin also dishes out 5.4 assists per game. UCR is under the direction of second-year head coach Mike Pagpayo (17-8). It among the league and national leaders for 3-pointers attempted (131-first/23rd) and made (42-first/40th), defensive rebounds per game (31.2-third/26th), rebounds per game (43.6-third/38th), 3-point field-goal defense (26.8-third/62nd) assists per game (16.2-second/66th), rebounding margin (+7.6-third/79th), scoring defense (63.2-third/98th) and field-goal percentage defense (39.3-fourth/99th). UCR was founded in 1907 under the name of UC Citrus Experiment Station and sits on a campus of 1,900 acres. They are nicknamed the Highlanders due to the high altitude of the campus, which lies on the foothills of Box Springs Mountain. Notable alumni include two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and editorial cartoonist Steve Breen, Paleoanthropologist Tim D. White, named one of Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People of 2010" and MLB pitcher Joe Kelly who became known for his prowess on the mound his generosity and interactions with fans and shenanigans on social media.
 
GOING BACK IN TIME (UTEP 73 , AT PACIFIC 64, Nov. 19, 2021)
Souley Boum poured in a season-best 29 points (18 in the first half) and Jamal Bieniemy 18 points (10 in second half) and Alfred Hollins (season-high 12 points) also reached double figures in scoring to help lead the UTEP men's basketball team to a 73-64 victory at Pacific on Nov. 13. The Miners trailed by eight midways through the first half before a game-altering 16-0 run to rip control of the contest. The margin was eight (43-35) at the break, and UTEP won the boards, 33-24, marking the second straight time that has happened. Hollins's effort led all Miner bench players, and was made more special with friends and family in attendance. Keonte Kennedy stuffed the stat sheet with six points, five boards and four assists. Jamari Sibley and Hollins both grabbed five rebounds to pace the Orange and Blue. UTEP drilled 45.3 percent (24-53) from the floor, including 10-23 (43.5 percent) from distance. Boum was the catalyst in that area with four treys while Bieniemy added three.
 
TIP-INS FROM THE PACIFIC GAME
-    UTEP improved to 3-1 for the second time in the past three years,
-     The Miners emphatically snapped a seven-game road losing streak.
-     UTEP surpassed 70+ points for the fourth consecutive contest, the longest streak to start the year since six in a row to begin the campaign in 2015-16.
-     The Orange and Blue have won the boards in back-to-back contests after being outrebounded in each of the first two tilts of the campaign.
-     UTEP enjoyed a 16-0 scoring run in the first half, its longest of the season.
 
MIX AND MATCH
Last year the Miners used two starting line-ups with a total of six different players starting on the season. It's been quite the difference this year with four line-ups in as many games, and eight different individuals earning a starting nod.
 
POINTS A PLENTY
UTEP has scored 70+ points in four consecutive games to start the campaign for the first time in six years. The last time they had a streak longer than four contests to begin the season was in 2015 when the Miners surpassed 70 points in each of the first six games of the campaign. Guards Souley Boum (20.7 ppg-first C-USA/34th NCAA), Jamal Bieniemy (17.3 ppg), and Keonte Kennedy (9.8 ppg) a lead the way, but there's plenty of more punch. Four other Miners are putting up at least 5.0 ppg. Overall UTEP is accounting for 79.2 points per game (fifth C-USA/94th nationally).
 
GIVE ME THAT BALL
UTEP is forcing 20.4 turnovers per game (fourth C-USA/ 17th NCAA), aided by 10.8 steals per contest (fourth C-USA/22nd NCAA). Jamal Bieniemy (2.5 spg-ninth C-USA/47th NCAA), Keonte Kennedy (3.0 spg-ninth C-USA/47th NCAA) and Souley Boum (1.7 spg-20th C-USA) have been causing fits for the opposition.
  
THAT'S A GOOD MARGIN
UTEP has caused 25+ turnovers twice on the year while committing 14 or less in two of the four contests. The result is a +5.8 turnover margin (fourth C-USA/34th NCAA). UTEP is making 14.8 turnovers per game while forcing 20.5.
 
PURE STROKE
UTEP is nailing 46.9 percent from the floor to rate third in the league and 98th in the nation. Six different Miners are connecting on at least 50.0 percent from the field (min. eight attempts), with Jamari Sibley topping the team at 75.0 percent (6-8)
 
WIN BIG
All three victories for UTEP have been by double figures while its one setback was by only six points. The result has been a scoring margin of 16.5 (fifth C-USA/75th nation). Additionally the Miners are one of 79 teams nationally (more than 350) to have a winning percentage of at least 75.0.
 
BOMBS AWAY
UTEP has drilled 8.8 three pointers per game to place fifth in C-USA and 99th in the nation. Jamal Bieniemy and Souley Boum have been the driving forcing, combining for more than half (18 of the 35) 3-points. Bieniemy is 11-26 for a readout of 42.3 (seventh C-USA) while Boum is 7-17 for a percentage of 41.2. Bieniemy's 2.8 treys per game are seventh in C-USA and 97th in the nation. The Miners have also hit a 3-pointer in 200 consecutive contests.
 
MILESTONE TRACKER
Souley Boum (started at San Francisco) is marching toward 1,000 points (924 points) in a UTEP uniform while Christian Agnew (started at North Alabama) is inching closer for his collegiate career (849). Jamal Bieniemy (started at Oklahoma) just went over 300 assists (308) for his college career, including 102 helpers at UTEP. With 17 points this year, Alfred Hollins (started at Oregon State) has moved past 500 career points (528) and hit 100 career games played. Tydus Verhoeven (started at Duquesne) just moved past for 300 (301) for his collegiate career.
 
STREAKING AT HOME IN NON CONFERENCE
UTEP has won 14 consecutive home games in nonconference action, including standing at 2-0 in the situation this year. Eight straight and 10 of the 14 during the surge have come by double figures. The last non league home loss came at the hands of Norfolk State, 75-62, on Dec. 21, 2018.
 
THE BASIC FACTS ON The 2021-22 SEASON
-    This is the 101st season of UTEP men's basketball, with the Miners sporting an all time record of 1425-1095 (3-1 in 2021-22). There are 17 home games (2-0) and 13 road contests (1-1) prior to the C-USA Championships (March 8-12, 2022).
-    The Miners returned four starters (Jamal Bieniemy, Souley Boum, Keonte Kennedy and Tydus Verhoeven) and eight lettermen overall. Other returning lettermen are Christian Agnew, Cam Clardy, Gilles Dekoninck and Ze'Rik Onyema. Emmanuel White, who redshirted, is came back
-    UTEP has six newcomers in the fold in the form of Kezza Giffa, Alfred Hollins, Kevin Kalu, Bonke Maring, Jorell Saterfield and Jamari Sibley.
 -    The Miners brought back four of their five leading scorers from 2020-21 in the form of Souley Boum (18.8 ppg), Keonte Kennedy (8.6 ppg), Jamal Bieniemy (8.6 ppg) and Christian Agnew (6.1 ppg).
 
COMING SOON TO EL PASO
JUCO standout Jon Dos Anjos (nationally-ranked Florida SouthWestern State) has signed a national letter of intent to enroll at UTEP and play for the men's basketball team beginning in 2022-23. Dos Anjos will have two years of eligibility for the Miners. He was a first-team all-league performer for the Bucs in 2020-21, helping them go 18-5 and advance to the semifinals of the FCSAA State Tournament. He averaged 10.3 points and 5.7 rebounds while playing in all 23 games, including 20 starts.
 
GOLDING ERA UNDERWAY
Joe Golding has embarked on his first season with UTEP, and as the 20th head coach in program history. He is the eighth head coach for the Miners since legendary Hall of Fame Coach Don Haskins retired following the 1998-99 season. Golding is 161-145 in his 11th season as a collegiate head coach, including 3-1 at UTEP. He spent 10 years at ACU (158-144), helping it transition from a Division II to a Division I program. Golding led the Wildcats to the past two NCAA Tournaments played, including a stunning upset as a 14-seed of third-seeded Texas in the first round of the 2021 Big Dance.
 
LOOKING TO JOIN AN EXCLUSIVE GROUP
First-year head coach Joe Golding (3-1 thus far) is looking to be part of an exclusive group at UTEP as heads into the 2021-22 campaign. Of the previous 19 head coaches at UTEP, only three have put together a winning season in their first year on the sidelines in the Sun City. Don Haskins became the first when he directed the Miners to a mark of 18-6 in 1961-62. Doc Sadler (27-8, 2004-05) and Tim Floyd (25-10, 2010-11) also achieved the feat. Overall the prior 19 head coaches have combined to forge an average record of 9-13 in their first year with UTEP.
 
EXPERIENCED STAFF
The Miners have an experienced staff on the sidelines for the 2021-22 season, each of whom are in their first year in the Sun City. Between head coach Joe Golding (22 years), associate head coach Jeremy Cox (30 years) and assistant coaches Butch Pierre (37 years) and Earl Boykins (eight years), the Miner coaching staff has a combined 97 years of experience at coaches at 26 different stops along the ways at varying levels of competition. Boykins is the least experienced in terms of coaching, but he's the most accomplished on the court after playing 12 seasons in the NBA.
 
PRESEASON HONORS
Souley Boum was tabbed a Preseason All-Conference honoree, it was announced before the season by the Conference USA office. A 2021 All C-USA third team member, Boum ranked third in C-USA in scoring (18.8 ppg) and fifth in the league in total points (450). He also paced the conference and was 15th in the country with 130 made free throws. Boum knocked down his free throws at a rate of 81.2 percent, which was good enough for eighth in C-USA. He also led UTEP in steals (34) and dished out 60 assists. Boum set career highs in points (34) and assists (11) versus Sul Ross State. He scored 24 points and pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds in a win against LA Tech. The explosive scorer poured in 28 points, aided by a career-best 15 made free throws, in a win against FIU. He scored 20-plus points in five consecutive games from Jan. 22-Feb. 5, averaging 22.6 ppg during the hot streak. Boum buried a career-high six 3-pointers to help him finish with 23 points in a victory Charlotte.
 
PRESEASON PREMONITIONS
UTEP was predicted to finish 10th in Conference USA, according to the preseason poll that was announced prior to the season by the league office. UAB (190 points) was slated first, followed by LA Tech (second-184 points), WKU (third-162 points), Marshall (fourth-147 points), Old Dominion (fifth-130 points), North Texas (sixth-124 points), Charlotte (seventh-110 points), Rice (eighth-104 points), Florida Atlantic (ninth-84 points), UTEP (10th-82 points), UTSA (11th-48 points), Southern Miss (12th-42 points), FIU (13th-36 points) and Middle Tennessee (14th-28 points).
 
LOOKING TO REGAIN WINNING WAYS IN C-USA
UTEP entered the 2021-22 season in search of its first winning record in Conference USA play since 2017 when the Miners went 12-6 in the league to finish tied for third. That year capped a run of five straight seasons with winning marks in conference action, the longest since 11 straight such efforts under Don Haskins from 1980-90.
 
UP NEXT
The Miners wrap up the Cerebros Sports Golden Turkey Classic against Florida A&M at 7 p.m. Wednesday (Nov. 24) in a span of three days. Jon Teicher (41st year) and Steve Yellen (19th year) will be on the call, which can be followed on 600 ESPN El Paso, the UTEP ≠≠Miners App and CUSA TV (subscription required). For tickets, fans may call the Eisenberg Family Ticket Office at (915) 747-UTEP, email tickets@utep.edu, or visit www.UTEPMiners.com/tickets or in person (Brumbelow Building on UTEP campus, 201 Glory Road) Monday thru Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.