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EL PASO, Texas – Zid Powell slashed his way for 23 points, Tae Hardy netted 19 points and a game-high eight assists and Calvin Solomon registered a double-double (12 points, 12 rebounds) to help the UTEP men's basketball team overwhelm the defending Big West Champions UC Santa Barbara, 89-76, in front of more than 7,000 raucous fans at the Don Haskins Center Monday night.
 
The game was tied at 44 at the break before the Miners (3-0) blitzed the Gauchos (0-2) with an 8-0 run to start the second half, forcing a timeout from the 2023 NCAA Tournament team. The surge proved decisive, with UTEP never trailing from that point on. The lead swelled to as many as 17 (72-55, 10:38 2H), and the Orange and Blue cruised down the stretch for a signature victory.
 
UTEP drilled 54.0 percent (34-63) from the floor, racked up 18 assists to only seven turnovers, pounded UCSB down low with 59 points in the paint and forced 17 turnovers that led to 28 points. The visitors did manage to hit 48.1 percent (25-52) from the field, but UTEP held them to 35.7 percent (5-14) from 3-point range.
 
Elijah Jones (nine points, two steals) Otis Frazier III (nine points, three steals), Corey Camper Jr. (eight points) and David Terrell Jr. (seven points) made big impacts on the game as well. There were seven ties and eight lead changes, but UTEP did lead for 25 minutes compared to 10 by the Gauchos.
 
"We've got a ton of respect for UC Santa Barbara. That's a heck of a program, and what they've done over the last five or six years is something we're trying to get to," UTEP head coach Joe Golding said. "Two NCAA Tournaments the past three years. They were obviously short-handed tonight without the preseason player of the year. We understand that.
 
"I'm proud of our guys, we're really, really happy for them," Golding said. "We ask them to do a lot of tough things, and tonight they got rewarded for it. I thought we were the tougher team. We talked about it all week, that was the challenge. We scored 89 points and only made three 3-pointers. We lived in the paint. Obviously, it's game three and there's a long season to go. We can get better, but I'm happy for our guys."
 
UTEP jumped out to a 7-2 lead just three minutes into the contest, which included a transition triple from Hardy and an offensive rebound and putback by Powell. The margin remained five (9-4, 16:44 1H) before the visitors got on track.
 
The Gauchos ripped off a 13-2 surge on the way to putting the Miners down by six (17-11, 12:30, 1H). UTEP was still down six (19-13) a minute later, before Powell got cooking. He got himself going with a highlight-reel dunk over a defender for an outrageous hoop and some harm, which brought the Haskins Center alive.
 
"Our crowd was terrific tonight," Golding said. "I can't thank them enough. Every game should be "915" with as much history and tradition as this program has and the connection it has to the city and university. That's what it is about. Our guys definitely fed off of it."
 
Powell connected on the ensuing free throw. After the Miners forced a turnover, Powell pulled up for a jumper to bring the Orange and Blue within one.
 
UCSB managed to nudge the differential back out to six (24-18, 9:08 1H), but a 10-5 push from UTEP gave it the lead at 29-28. Terrell Jr. initiated the push with four straight points, before Hardy found Camper Jr. for a driving lay-up. Back-to-back baskets by Powell capped the surge, giving the Miners a 29-28 edge (5:50 1H).
 
It was back-and-forth the remainder of the frame, with it knotted at 44 through 20 minutes of action.
 
Solomon got things going with an athletic driving lay-up through traffic on UTEP's opening possession of the second half. After the Miners forced a turnover, Kevin Kalu finished through contact at the rim. Frazier III then came up with a steal and set off the fans with a transition dunk. After another giveaway, this one on an offensive foul, Frazier III blew past the defense for a lay-up to prompt a timeout from UCSB.
 
UTEP was up seven (62-55, 13:08 2H) before it unleashed a 10-0 run to get the Don rocking and essentially seal the deal. The surge was capped on a fantastic fastbreak. Hardy, as he was falling to the ground, somehow found Camper Jr. for the lay-up that put the icing on the cake, affording the Orange and Blue a 17-point advantage (72-55) with roughly 10 minutes to play.
 
The Miners didn't let UCSB truly threaten down the stretch, with the margin never getting closer than nine.
 
UTEP will look to stay perfect on the young season when it plays host to Austin Peay at 7 p.m. MT Friday. Tickets start as low as $9.15 and may be purchased by calling (915) 747-UTEP or by visiting www.UTEPAthletics.com/tickets.
    
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