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EL PASO, Texas – In a back-and-forth game that featured eight ties and 17 lead changes, UTEP was edged by preseason MAC favorite Kent State, 47-46, in the championship contest of the WestStar Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational in front of 5,705 fans Thursday night.
 
A Kevin Kalu putback gave the Miners (8-4) a one-point lead (46-45) with 53 seconds remaining in regulation. After empty possessions from both sides, a foul on UTEP led to two free throws for the Golden Flashes (10-3) with 18 seconds to go. Tournament MVP Sincere Carry sank both shots of the one-and-one attempts to put the visitors up one.
 
UTEP had a chance to win it in the waning seconds, but a shot in traffic by All-Tournament team member Shamar Givance was blocked as he went spiraling to the deck and the clock expired to hand the Orange and Blue their first home setback (8-1) of the campaign.
 
Tae Hardy, the Don Haskins Award recipient, paced the Miners with 11 points while Givance netted 10. Otis Frazier III contributed eight points and a game and career-high nine rebounds in his first extensive action since returning from an injury. Kalu tallied seven points to go along with six boards.
 
The Miners held the Golden Flashes to just 32.1 percent from the floor, including 4-25 from distance (16.0 percent). UTEP connected on 38.3 percent but was hindered by 19 turnovers that led to 19 points for the visitors.
 
UTEP won the boards, 44-26, aided by a season-high 14 offensive rebounds, resulted in 13 second-chance points. The Miners also controlled the paint, 24-14, but that wasn't enough.
 
UTEP was without the services of its second-leading scorer (Mario McKinney) due to an injury.
 
"I thought it was a great college basketball game," UTEP head coach Joe Golding said. "I'm proud of our guys and our effort. We lost to a really good team (#25 in NET), but we played our butts off tonight.
 
"We have to value the basketball and do a better job of that, but we competed our butts off and I'm proud of that," Golding said. "We slowed the game down and got them to play our pace. They're tough, that's a veteran ball club with a lot of toughness."
 
After two-and-a-half minutes of scoreless basketball, the Miners tallied first with a putback dunk from Ze'Rik Onyema. The Golden Flashes answered immediately with a trey to secure their first lead of the contest at 3-2. KSU remained up by one (5-4) before four straight points for UTEP, including a nifty reverse lay-up from Givance.
 
It was a one-point differential in favor of the home side nine minutes into the half, but a 6-0 push by the Miners sent them out by seven (17-10, 7:14 1H). Good concentration from Frazier III allowed him to follow up on his own miss to begin the sequence. Frazier III did it again on the ensuing possession before a lay-up by Calvin Solomon capped the surge.
 
The Golden Flashes struck back in the form of a 9-1 run to snag a one-point edge (19-18, 2:58 1H). Kalu ended the run with two free throws. He then came up with a steal and went coast-to-coast for the score, which was counted after a goaltending call.  
 
Kent State countered with a 6-0 run to close the half and put the Orange and Blue down by three (25-22) heading into the locker room.
 
Solomon used a nice pass to set up a dunk for Hardy on UTEP's opening possession of the second half. After the Golden Flashes stretched their advantage to five (29-24), Givance curled off a screen to splash home a trey and make it a two-point contest.
 
Kent State answered immediately with a basket, but Givance helped the Miners fire back. He used a driving lay-up to trim the deficit to two. After UTEP came up with another stop, Givance buried a long trey to put the Orange and Blue back into the lead (32-31, 14:30 1H).
 
The Golden Flashes nailed a trey on the next possession, but it was answered by a triple from Hardy. Another trey by KSU put the visitors up by a pair, but Hardy tied the tilt with a floating lay-up.
 
It was back-and-forth over the next few minutes before a dunk in traffic by Onyema nudge the Miners ahead by one (40-39, 6:49 2H). Following empty trips by both sides on a couple possessions, a second-chance lay-up from the visitors propelled them back ahead. It was short-lived, with two charity-stripe tosses by Frazier III giving the Orange and Blue the one-point edge (42-41, 4:50 1H).
 
Kent State scored on its next two trips to snag a three-point margin (45-42) before Hardy rattled home a jump shot to cut it two one (45-44). After forcing a turnover, Kalu afforded the Orange and Blue a lead one-point lead (46-45) with a putback in traffic with 53 seconds to play.
 
That proved to be UTEP's final points of the contest, with the two free throws by Carry.
 
UTEP will be idle for a week before playing at league preseason favorite UAB at 5:30 p.m. MT/6:30 p.m. CT on Dec. 29. The contest will stream nationally on ESPN+. Jon Teicher will also be on the call on the "Home of UTEP Basketball", 600 ESPN El Paso.
 
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