Game Notes In PDF Format

 

OPENING TIP

The UTEP men's basketball team (14-8, 7-3 C-USA) will square off at Conference USA West Division leader North Texas (16-4, 9-1 C-USA) in a game featuring two teams on big winning streaks at 6 p.m. MT/7 p.m. CT Monday (Feb. 7). The Miners have peeled off six straight and seven of eight, including toppling Rice on the road, 72-70, on Feb. 5 last time out. The Mean Green have won eight in a row and 14 of their past 15 contests, most recently racing past UTSA, 69-45, on Feb. 5. Monday's match-up is the first on the docket between the programs this year, with UNT set to serve as the Miners' "Senior Day" opponent in the regular-season finale on March 5. North Texas is 9-2 at home (5-1 in C-USA play). The Miners are 5-4 on the road (3-2 in league action) The contest continues a stretch with the Miners playing five of six on the road (1-0 thus far). Jon Teicher (41st year) will be on the call, which can be followed on "The Home of UTEP Basketball" 600 ESPN El Paso, the UTEP Miners App and ESPN+.

 

SERIES HISTORY: UTEP LEADS, 10-7

UTEP leads the series 10-7, including a 6-5 edge since the Mean Green joined Conference USA. The two programs met six times from 1951-52 through 1974-75 before not locking up again until North Texas became C-USA members. North Texas has claimed the past four tilts between the programs, including holding off UTEP, 74-65, in Denton in the last meeting on Jan. 16, 2021.

 

THIS & THAT

-   UTEP is 7-3 in Conference USA play, matching its best start through 10 games since the league went to an 18-game format. It also happened in 2015 (got to 11-3).

-    UTEP's six consecutive wins in C-USA action are the longest since also peeling off six straight in 2016 (2/4-20/16). It is the fifth winning streak of at least six C-USA games since the Miners joined the league in 2005-06. The last time they won seven straight C-USA contests was 2015 (1/29-2/21/15)

-   UTEP won its last five games in January for the first time since also doing so in 2014.

-   The Miners are 13-2 on the season when drilling at least eight 3-point shots. That record includes a school-recording tying 15 makes from distance against Southern Miss in the win on Jan. 8. They have hit 93 treys (9.3 per game) in conference action.

-   The Miners stand at 11-1 when scoring 70+ points (4-0 getting into the 80's).

-   UTEP sports a mark of 13-3 on the campaign when limiting foes to 72 points or less, including 5-1 when keeping them in the 50's.

-   The Miners are 4-1 in games decided by five points or less.

-   UTEP is 14-2 when making at least 40 percent of its shots and 6-0 when the opponent falls shy of that figure. It is also 9-0 when shooting better than foes. 

-   The Miners are 11-1 when leading with five minutes to play.

-   Twelve of UTEP's 14 wins of the year have been the come-from-behind variety, including the season-best 13 points overcome against UTSA on Jan. 11. There have been rallies of at least seven points six times total this season.

-   UTEP is 5-4 on the road, including three straight victories in league play. It's the longest conference road league streak since 2017 (won five in a row). The five road wins equal the most since the 2016-17 season (5-6 mark).

-   The Miners have secured a win in all four mainland timezones in the US.

-   UTEP's 14 total wins surpasses the effort from last year's Covid-affected season when it finished at 12-12. The Miners were 17-15 in 2019-20.

-   UTEP has had its top three scorers (Souley Boum-18.6 ppg, Jamal Bieniemy-14.6 and Keonte Kennedy-13.3) on the court in the same game just six times out of 22 total games this season.

 

GET TO KNOW NORTH TEXAS

North Texas is 16-4 on the year, including 9-1 in Conference USA play (best league start in program history. It is the lone team in the league with only one conference setback and sits atop the West Division of C-USA. The Mean Green are riding an eight-game winning streak and are 14-1 since a 2-3 start to the season. North Texas

North Texas allows only 56.0 points per game (first C-USA/second NCAA), aided by limiting foes to 28.3 percent (first C-USA/15th NCAA) from beyond-the-arc. It is also boasts a +4.8 rebounding margin (second C-USA/56th NCAA). Tylor Perry comes off the bench to lead the team in scoring (14.2 ppg-14th C-USA), followed by Thomas Bell (12.2 ppg) and Mardrez McBride (10.4 ppg). Abou Ousmane (9.3 ppg) and Rubin Jones (8.6 ppg) also are consistent scorers for UNT, which has a scoring offense of 66.5. Bell pulls down a team-leading 6.8 rebounds per game (ninth C-USA), while JJ Murray comes up with 1.8 steals per game (sixth C-USA). The Mean Green find a way in tight games, evidenced by a record of 8-3 in games decided by single digits. Four of its eight wins during the current surge have been by single digits. North Texas is under the direction of Grant McCasland, who is 94-55 in what is now his fifth year at the helm of the program. In 2020 UNT claimed the regular-season Conference USA crown while it won the 2021 C-USA tournament title and went on to post its first-ever NCAA tournament win with a 78-69 OT triumph over Purdue. Notable North Texas alumni include "Stone Cold" Steve Austin (professional wrestler), Jeff Coffin (Jazz saxophones member of Dave Matthews band) and "Mean" Joe Green (NFL Hall of Famer). 

 

GOING BACK IN TIME (UTEP 72,  AT RICE 70,  FEB. 5 2022)

Jamal Bieniemy erupted for a career-high 36 points (prior best 28), including 25 in the second half, while Tydus Verhoeven (12 points) and Alfred Hollins (11 points) also hit double figures in scoring to extend the UTEP men's basketball team's winning streak to six with a 72-70 victory at Rice on Feb. 5. Bieniemy's 36 points are the most by a Miner since Randy Culpepper poured in 45 points on Feb. 13, 2010, against East Carolina. He added seven rebounds and four assists to lead the squad in the three major stat categories across the board for the second time this season. Bieniemy was also 7-11 on 3-point attempts, the most makes from distance singe Deon Barrett drilled seven at New Mexico on Dec. 7, 2016. The contest was knotted at 56 before Bieniemy scored 12 points down the stretch to help hold off the Owls, including baskets on three straight trips. He then fittingly iced the contest with a free throw to make it a four-point lead (72-68) with three seconds left

 

TIP-INS FROM THE RICE GAME

-   Jamal Bieniemy led the team in points (36), rebounds (seven) and assists (four) for the second time this season. He also had a team-best three steals.

-   The Miners connected on 11-21 from 3-point range, their fifth game with at least 10 treys this season.

-   UTEP improved to 9-0 when Tydus Verhoeven reaches double figures in scoring during his Miner career.

 -  Jorell Saterfield had a career-high three assists.

-   Jamari Sibley posted a career-high tying two steals

-   Verhoeven reached double figures for the third straight contest for the first time of his career. Alfred Hollins has put up back-to-back games with double-digit scoring efforts for the second time of the season.

-   Rice entered the game at 8-2 in home, including 4-1 in league play.

-   The Miners jumped out to a 20-6 lead in the contest. 

 

LOCK DOWN ON DEFENSE

UTEP has kept 12 of its past 19 opponents to at least five points below their scoring average entering the contest, including most recently FAU on Jan. 27. Those 12 foes have been held to a total of 132 points combined under the expected output, which works out to 11.0 fewer points per game by the opposition across the board. Furthermore, UTEP has only allowed seven teams to get into the 70's all season long. The overall affect has been a scoring defense of 65.2 to rank third in C-USA and 71st nationally.

 

ON THIS DATE IN UTEP HISTORY

UTEP won 93-91 at BYU in OT on Feb. 7, 1987, the third victory in an eventual nine-game winning streak.

 

ALL ABOUT THE FANS

UTEP is averaging 4,671 fans per home game in 2021-22, which trails only the seasonal home average of 5,092 for ODU among C-USA programs. 

 

TALKING STARTING LINE-UP COMBINATIONS

UTEP has used 12 starting line-ups in 22 games, but has found stability of late with the same starting five for nine straight games. Overall, 11 different Miners (out of 15 on the roster) have started. Injuries, illnesses and Covid-19 protocols have played a big factor in the mix and match this season. It's a huge change from a year ago when the Miners utilized two starting line-ups with a total of six different players starting on the season. In 2019-20 there were eight, seven in 2018-19, 17 in 2017-18, eight in 2016-17 and 14 in 2015-16.

 

ALL ABOUT THOSE POINTS

UTEP poured in a DI season-high 87 points in the rout of Southern Miss, its fourth game with at least 80 points this year. That is the most such efforts in a campaign by a UTEP team since 2018-19 when it also had four in the entire season. The Miners also eclipsed 70 points in each of the first four contests for the first time in six years. Guards Souley Boum (19.0 ppg), Jamal Bieniemy (15.7 ppg) and Keonte Kennedy (13.3 ppg) and are all in double figures for scoring average while Jorell Saterfield is at 7.9 ppg. The last time UTEP had a player account for at least 20.0 ppg was in 2008-09 (Stephon Jackson), something Boum is 1.0 ppg shy of currently doing. Tydus Verhoeven (6.0 ppg) and Christian Agnew (5.1 ppg) are also above 5.0 ppg. As a squad the Miners are accounting for 69.1 ppg.

 

THAT'S A GOOD MARGIN

UTEP has caused 17+ turnovers 10 times on the year while committing 14 or less on 17 occasions (10 games with 10 or less). Furthermore, the Miners have made the same or fewer amount of turnovers compared to the opposition in 18 of the 22 games this year. The result is a +4.0 turnover margin (second C-USA/21st NCAA). UTEP is making 11.6 turnovers per game (fifth C-USA/71st NCAA) while forcing 15.6 (third C-USA/40th NCAA). 

 

TURN IT OVER

UTEP is third in Conference USA and 40th in the country by forcing 15.6 turnovers per game, which is aided by coming up with 7.9 steals per game (fourth C-USA/66th NCAA). Keonte Kennedy (2.1 spg), Jamal Bieniemy (1.8 spg-fifth C-USA/81st NCAA) and Souley Boum (1.5-eighth C-USA) have all been key to leading the charge.

 

SCORING STREAK

Souley Boum (74), Keonte Kennedy (36) and Jamal Bieniemy (22) and Alfred Hollins(13) all have scoring streaks of at least 10 games Furthermore, Bieniemy stands eight in a row, his longest streak of his career. Boum has hit double figures in 16 of 18 games total this year. Kennedy (currently injured) is at a career long of five. 

 

CALLED FREE THROWS FOR A REASON

UTEP is taking care of business at the charity stripe, connecting on 75.7 percentage at the line (second C-USA/38th NCAA). Three different Miners have hit at least 80 percent from the charity stripe this year (min. 20 attempts). They are Souley Boum setting the tone at 86.8 percent (sixth C-USA/50th NCAA) followed by Jamal Bieniemy (84.6 percent) and Christian Agnew (80.0 percent). 

 

WIN BIG

The Miners have 10 wins by at least eight points. UTEP even managed that feat at Old Dominion despite only having five minutes in OT (W, 78-70 on Jan. 15). 

 

WIN SMALL

UTEP has four wins during its current six-game streak by less than five points. They have been by a combined 15 points.

 

NOTHING STOPS SOULEY

Souley Boum has dealt with both a broken finger on his non-shooting hand (missed one game), Covid-19 protocols (missed two games) and illness (missed one game) but he continues to produce. He is pouring in 19.9 ppg (second C-USA/24th NCAA), aided by 20+ point-outings in back-to-back games and four of the past five. He has 16 double-digit scoring efforts (in 17 appearances), with nine efforts of at least 20 points. He also has produced three other contests with 17+ points. Boum has also come up with 1.5 steals per game (seventh C-USA) and 2.9 assists per game

 

JB'S WORLD

Jamal Bieniemy has played big across the board this season. He is currently riding a nine-game double-digit scoring streak (longest of his career), including the 36-point effort at Rice. It eclipses a seven-contest effort out of the gates (then prior long) before he went down with an injury at No. 8 Kansas that caused him to miss the ensuing two tilts. He also leads the team in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5-10th C-USA), assists per game (3.8-eighth C-USA) and 3-pointers made (52-eighth C-USA) while rating second in steals per contest (1.9-fifth). 

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PILING UP THOSE MINUTES

Souley Boum (36.2 mpg-second C-USA) and Jamal Bieniemy (33.3 mpg-eighth C-USA) both find themselves in the top 10 in Conference USA for playing time.

 

KEONTE DOES IT ALL

Keonte Kennedy was having a career year before sustaining an injury against Bradley that has forced him to miss all 10 league games. He leads the team in rebounding (5.9 rebounds per game) and steals (2.1 steals per game- while rating third on the squad in scoring (13.3 points per game). He has started all but one game he has appeared in (11 of 12), and is playing 34.0 mpg (second on team).

 

SATERFIELD FROM DOWNTOWN

Jorell Saterfield is proving to be a big-time threat whether he's starting or is coming off the bench. That is especially true from 3-point range. The Ranger College transfer is leading the team in 3-point percentage (min. 30 3FGA), nailing 47.7 percent (41-86. That figure has been helped by him going 32-63 the past 14 contests totals. Currently, he is on pace to break UTEP's single-season record for 3-point percentage (min. 1.0 3/game) that is held by Roy Smallwood (1999-00, 28-61, 45.9 percent, in 28 GP). Overall, he is putting up 7.9 points per game (fourth on team) in only 22.6 minutes per contest.

 

TYDUS DOING THE DIRTY WORK

Post Tydus Verhoeven is doing a little bit of everything down low for the Miners. He leads the team in blocked shots (1.3 blocks per game-eighth C-USA) and offensive rebounds (31). He is also second on the team in rebounding (5.0 rpg).He has reached double figures in scoring in three consecutive contests (12/14/12) for the first time of his career, bringing his seasonal average to 6.0.

 

TALKING 30+ POINT GAMES

Jamal Bieniemy (36- at Rice, Feb. 2) and Souley Boum (32-FIU, Jan. 29), both have a 30-point game to their credit this season. It marked Bieniemy's first of his career while it was the second of the career for Boum

 

TALKING 20+ POINT GAMES

Souley Boum has nine 20+ point games this season and 35 in his career between San Francisco (seven-2017-18) and UTEP (28). Jamal Bieniemy has surpassed 20 points five times in 2021-22, more than doubling his total (two) from last year.

 

MILESTONE TRACKER

Souley Boum (started at San Francisco) joined the 1,000 point club at UTEP, the first member in five years and 35th overall. He is now up to 1,2,04 points (tied 19th all time at UTEP). For his career he boasts a total of 1,598 points while appearing in 110 games (74 at UTEP). He has also made 198 3-pointers, with 151 at UTEP (fifth all time at school).Christian Agnew (started at North Alabama) has gone past 900 points for his collegiate career (909). Jamal Bieniemy (started at Oklahoma) has moved past 800 career points (840) for his college career, including 511 at UTEP. He's also eclipsed 350 assists (373) for his college career, including 167 helpers at UTEP. He has appeared in more than 100 collegiate games (108), including 43 (all starts) at UTEP. Alfred Hollins (started at Oregon State) has moved beyond 600 career points (601) and surpassed 100 career games played (117). Tydus Verhoeven (started at Duquesne) has more than 370 rebounds (375) for his collegiate career, with the majority at UTEP (269). He has also topped 100 career blocks (131), with 60 at UTEP. Verhoeven is past100 games played (105), with 79 at UTEP.

 

CAN'T CATCH A BREAK

Due to injury or illness, the Miners have lost 31 man games this year (Keonte Kennedy-10, Christian Agnew-six, Souley Boum-four, Cam Clardy-three, Tydus Verhoeven-three, Jamal Bieniemy-two, Alfred Hollins-one, Bonke Maring-one and Ze'Rik Onyema-one). No individual has started in every single contest, and UTEP has used 12 different line-up combinations. At least one starter has missed a game in 14 straight games and 17 contests total this season. Additionally, no one on the roster has appeared in every contest. 

 

THE BASIC FACTS ON UTEP

-   This is the 101st season of UTEP men's basketball. The Miners made history by starting five African-Americans to defeat Kentucky, 72-65, and win the 1966 NCAA Championship on the way to inspiring the Disney hit movie Glory Road. Overall, UTEP has 17 NCAA Tournament appearances (last in 2010), 11 NIT bids (last in 2015), 12 conference championships (last in 2010) and 26 seasons with at least 20+ victories (last in 2015).

-   UTEP is 14-8 in 2021-22, which surpasses its win total from last year's Covid-affected season (12-12 finish). There are 17 home games (9-4 thus far) and 13 road contests (5-4 thus far) prior to the C-USA Championships (March 8-12, 2022).

-   The Miners returned four starters (Jamal Bieniemy, Souley Boum, Keonte Kennedyand Tydus Verhoeven) and eight lettermen overall. Other returning lettermen areChristian Agnew, Cam Clardy, Gilles Dekoninck and Ze'Rik Onyema. Emmanuel White, who redshirted, also came back.

-   UTEP has six newcomers: 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 ofSouley 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.

 

SPORTSCENTER TOP-10 PLAY

Senior Alfred Hollins tipped in a shot at the buzzer to lift  UTEP to an exhilarating 70-68 win over Conference USA East Division leader Florida Atlantic at home on Jan. 27. The play went on to gain national notoriety, earning the number three spot for the daily Sportscenter top-10 plays list on ESPN's signature program. 

 

THE COMEBACK AT CHARTWAY

UTEP trailed Old Dominion by seven points (63-56), with 77 seconds remaining before tallying the final seven points in regulation to force OT. The Miners went on to claim the 78-70 triumph for one of their most memorable comebacks. The game was also the first of the current six-contest winning streak. Here's the breakdown to force OT beforeSouley Boum tallied 13 of UTEP's 15 points in the extra session for the notable win.

Team Play                                                                                        Time       UTEP       ODU

UTEP Tydus Verhoeven free throw made                            1:08         57                 63

ODU   C. Smith missed 3-pointer                                                 00:57      57                 63

UTEP Tydus Verhoeven defensive rebound                        00:57      57                 63

UTEP Jamari Sibley 3-pointer (Souley Boum assist)         00:39      60                 63

ODU   A.J. Oliver two missed free throws                                  00:32      60                 63

UTEP Tydus Verhoeven defensive rebound                        00:32      60                 63

UTEP J. Bieniemy 3-pointer made (Souley Boum assist) 00:13      63                 63

 

GOING BACK IN THE ARCHIVES

After research from local media, members of the athletic department and even the Miners' passionate fan base (via Twitter), the closest comeback that can be found similar to that was in the 1987 NCAA Tournament at Arizona on March 13, 1987. In that tilt, UTEP trailed by five with 50 seconds left (78-53) before forcing OT on the way to the 98-91 OT win.

 

MEMORABLE WIN VS SOUTHERN MISS

UTEP blasted Southern Miss, 87-54, on Jan. 8. The 33-point victory was UTEP's biggest in league play in seven years when it waxed USM by 34 (74-40) on Jan. 10, 2015. The Miners nailed a school-record tying 15 triples, the most by the Miners at home 12 years when they also had 15 against East Carolina on Feb. 13, 2012.  UTEP set season highs for field-goal percentage (56.1 percent), aided by a campaign-best 24 assists on 32 field goals made. The Orange and Blue also established DI opponent season highs for points in the first half (44) and total points (87).

 

BOUM NAMED C-USA PLAYER OF THE WEEK     

Souley Boum was named the Conference USA Men's Basketball Player of the Week, as announced by the league office on Jan. 31. He became the first Miner to be so recognized since Daryl Edwards on Feb. 24, 2020. Boum had the best two-game scoring stretch of his career in helping lead the Miners to a perfect 2-0 record with wins over Florida Atlantic and FIU. He put up 60 points on the weekend (28 vs. FAU) and a season-high 32 points against FIU on 21-of-34 shooting, including 9-18 on 3-point shots.

 

KALU NETS FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

UTEP forward Kevin Kalu was named the Conference USA Freshman of the Week, the league office announced Dec. 20. He became the first Miner to claim the honor sinceJordan Lathon did during the 2018-19 season (Feb. 25, 2019). The Baltimore, Md., product came alive with career highs in points (eight) and assists (two) while adding four rebounds to help hold off upset-minded McNeese, 82-72, on Dec. 16. Kalu played 25 minutes and didn't miss a shot from the field (2-2) or at the charity stripe (4-4).

 

GOLDING ERA UNDERWAY

Joe Golding is in the midst of 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 171-152 in his 11th season as a collegiate head coach, including 13-8 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 (14-8 thus far) is hoping to be part of an exclusive group at UTEP. 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 coaching experience  at 26 different stops along the way 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.

 

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 (7-3) thus far in C-USA play) entered the 2022 league slate 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 the 1980-90.

 

UP NEXT

UTEP returns home to play host to Marshall at 1 p.m. MT on Sunday (Feb. 13.).  Jon Teicher (41st year) and Steve Yellen (19th year) will also be on the call, which can be followed on 600 ESPN El Paso, the UTEP Miners App and C-USATV. For tickets, fans may call the Eisenberg Family Ticket Office at (915) 747-UTEP, email tickets@utep.edu, visit www.UTEPMiners.com/tickets or in person (Brumbelow Building on UTEP campus, 201 Glory Road).