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EL PASO, Texas – Otis Frazier III tallied 16 points to pace a trio of Miners in double figures, but visiting Liberty used a barrage of a 3-pointers to outlast the UTEP men's basketball team, 76-69, at the Don Haskins Center Saturday evening.
 
The Miners (17-8, 7-5 CUSA) led 53-46 with 9:35 to play before the Flames (21-5, 9-4 CUSA) unleashed a game-changing 16-3 run, including 10 straight to cap it, while pulling ahead by six (62-56, 4:54, 2H). UTEP kept battling and made it a one-possession game with 52 seconds left, but the visitors held on.
 
Liberty nailed 47.4 percent (27-57) from the floor, including bombing home 14-29 (48.3 percent) from 3-point range. Four of those triples came during the decisive run. UTEP nailed 42.6 percent (26-61) and connected on nine treys on 26 attempts (34.6). The Miners also finished 8-9 at the free throw line.
 
Terrell Jr. stuffed the stat sheet again, with 10 points to go along with team highs in rebounds (six), assists (seven) and steals (three). He's the first Miner to have at least six assists in six consecutive contests since Fili Rivera enjoyed an eight-game streak in 2004-05.
 
Ahamad Bynum and Trey Horton III each drilled a trio of 3-pointers to contribute nine points off the pine while Derick Hamilton added six.
  
UTEP registered 14 assists while making only six turnovers. The Miners also blocked four shots, with wo from Frazier III.
 
Taelon Peter (23 points, 10 rebounds) and Owen Aquino (13 points, 10 rebounds) each recorded double-doubles to lead the way for Liberty. The Flames utilized great ball movement with 21 assists on 27 made field goals.
 
"The whole gameplan was to take away the three (point shot), and we gave up 14 of them," UTEP head coach Joe Golding said. "You're not going to win (when that happens). They controlled the game down the stretch. I'll our guys credit. We fought. We had some looks down the stretch to get it a one-possession game. They've got a really good team. We'd beaten them three times in a row. You're not going to keep beating a good team all the time. Eventually the tide is going to turn a little bit. They had a toughness to them. The game was back and forth. The crowd was great. It was a good college basketball game. They made the shots down the stretch."
 
Both teams came out very sharp defensively. UTEP held a 9-7 edge almost seven minutes into the contest after Hamilton hammered home a one-handed dunk on the drop-off dish by Terrell Jr. UTEP kept the Flames to below 30 percent shooting in that sequence while also forcing five turnovers, including three in a three-minute stretch.
 
Another Hamilton basket nudged the Miners' margin to four (11-7, 11:29, 1H), but it was answered immediately by one of the visitor's eight 3-pointers in the half. Frazier III then beat the shot clock with a reverse lay-up. Liberty misfired on the ensuing possession. Bynum collected the board. He sent an outlet pass ahead to Terrell Jr., who dropped it to a cutting Frazier III for the transition score to force a timeout from the Flames with the Orange and Blue up five (15-10, 10:13, 1H).
 
Bynum knocked down a pair of triples over the next two minutes, stretching UTEP's advantage to eight (23-15, 8:04, 1H). After another Liberty trey, consecutive 3-pointers from Horton III in a span of 33 seconds allowed the Miners to vault out by 11 (29-18, 6:12, 1H).
 
The difference was still double digits (31-21, 4:21, 1H) before back-to-back triples from the Flames suddenly whittled UTEP's lead to four (31-27, 3:10, 1H). A Hamilton post score was followed by a floater from Camper Jr., inching the cushion to eight (35-27). Liberty pitched a shutout over the final 2:15 while using a layup and 3-pointer to cut the Miners' margin to three (35-32) heading to halftime.
 
Kevin Kalu got the Miners on the board to start the second half, using the backboard nicely to shield the defender. Two free throws from Frazier III put the Orange and Blue back out by seven (39-32), with the Miners forcing three turnovers over the first two minutes of the frame. After a Liberty layup, Frazier III buried a wide-open 3-pointer. The visitors hit two quick baskets to whittle the lead in half (42-38).
 
UTEP was up five (44-39) before Terrell Jr. scored on consecutive trips, racing up the court for a layup and then using a deft touch in the paint to float home the shot. Liberty countered with eight in a row, with the Orange and Blue lead down to two (48-46, 10:24, 2H).
 
Bynum filled up his third 3-pointer of the tilt, which was followed by a transition score from Camper Jr., to stop things temporarily with UTEP up by seven. The Flamers drilled back-to-back 3-pointers, making UTEP cling to a one-point edge. Frazier III answered with a 3-pointer to send the Miners back ahead by four (56-52, 7:57, 2H).
 
The Flames roared back on the strength of a 10-0 run, including consecutive triples to force the Miners to call timeout down six (62-56, 4:52, 2H). Camper Jr. stopped it with hook shot but Liberty shoved the margin to nine with another 3-pointer.
 
The Miners fought back to make it a one-possession affair, but a driving layup from the Flames to beat the buzzer essentially sealed UTEP's fate.
 
UTEP will be back on the road for a pair of games. The Miners start the trip off by making their first visit to Kennesaw State for a 5 p.m. MT/7 p.m. ET tip on Thursday. UTEP will then wrap up the week by battling league-leading Jax State at 3 p.m. MT/4 p.m. CT on Feb. 22. Jon Teicher (44th year) will be on the call on "The Home of UTEP Basketball" 600 ESPN El Paso, with audio available on the UTEP Miners App as well. It will also be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required)
 
 
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