EL PASO, Texas – Jamal West erupted for a season-high 28 points (11-14 shooting) while adding seven rebounds and a campaign-best five assists while Elijah Jones (14 points) and LA Hayes (12 points) also reached double figures in scoring to help the UTEP men's basketball team topple FIU, 83-77, at the Don Haskins Center Thursday night.
 
The Miners (7-12, 3-5 CUSA) pounced on the Panthers (9-10, 2-6 CUSA) early, bolting to a nine-point advantage (16-7) just five minutes into the game. FIU clawed its way back to take a one-point lead (20-19), but UTEP punched back on the way to leading by as many as 12 (40-28) late in the first half. The difference was eight (47-39) at the break, and the Miners answered every push by the visitors to win for the second time in the past three contests.
 
All 12 of Hayes's points came in the first half, including a triple that capped a big run and forced FIU to call timeout. Caleb Blackwell provided seven points and five assists while KJ Thomas added seven points and four helpers. West Jr. became the first Miner this season to share for or pace the team outright in points (28), rebounds (seven) and assists (five) in a contest.
 
With Jones in foul trouble (four fouls), Mouhamed Mbaye gave a spark off the bench with three points and three rebounds in an impactful seven minutes of action. Trey Horton III pitched in five points while Cassius Brooks sank two key free throws down the stretch.
 
UTEP lit up FIU by connecting on 51.7 percent (31-60) from the floor, aided by nailing 11-25 (44.0 percent from distance. The 11 treys matched the Miners' campaign best. UTEP also dished out 20 assists, its most vs. a DI foe this year. The 83 points equaled the season high for the Orange and Blue against DI competition.
 
FIU connected on 27-54 (50.0 percent), including 6-13 (46.2 percent) from 3-point range. The Panthers had a big advantage for free throws (17-27, 63.0 percent, UTEP 10-14, 71.4 percent), but the Miners compensated for it by their shot making. UTEP also converted 13 FIU turnovers into 19 points. Hamed Olayinka paced FIU with a double-double (19 points, 14 rebounds).
 
The Orange and Blue led for 36:22 and never trailed by more than one point. There was one tie and eight lead changes. UTEP played from in front for the final eight minutes after West sank a 3-pointer to put his squad up by a pair (69-67). He then sealed the game with a dunk in the waning seconds after the Miners broke the full-court press from FIU.
 
"I thought we got off to a great start, especially offensively with 13 assists in the first half as we scored 47 points. The second half was not as good on both ends of the floor," UTEP head coach Joe Golding said. "We really didn't guard them all night. We've got to get better on that end of the floor but give credit to FIU. They're really, really skilled offensively and have a lot of length, size and get downhill. We got three in double digits (for scoring) tonight and two close with seven. We got to 20 assists, and we were better offensively."
 
UTEP struck first courtesy of a 3-pointer from Jones, which came off an offensive rebound. After four straight from FIU, Jones drained another triple to send the Orange and Blue in front by a pair (6-4). The margin was moved to seven (12-5, 15:53, 1H) following West Jr.'s team-leading 12th And-1 of the season and a corner trey from Hayes.
 
The Panthers halted the 6-0 surge with a pair of free throws, but UTEP answered with a 7-2 run. Blackwell was involved in every point of the sequence, with two baskets and an assist to help the Orange and Blue extend the difference to 10 (19-9). FIU blitzed back with 11 straight, as the Miners fell behind (20-19, 11:19, 1H) for the first time of the tilt.  
 
West Jr. halted the surge with a hard-fought layup amongst plenty of traffic. After a defensive stop, West Jr. pump-faked past a defender and slammed it home with one hand to vault the Miners ahead by three (23-20, 9:38, 1H). The Panthers tied things up with a trey, but the Orange and Blue punched back with five straight (28-23, 8:44, 1H). West Jr. was left open for a 3-pointer, and he nailed it. Kaseem Watson then deflected the ball away and made a leaping pass before falling out of bounds to Thomas, who had an uncontested layup.
 
UTEP stretched the run to seven straight after forcing another turnover that led to a pair of Hayes free throws after he attacked the rim. It remained a seven-point game (35-28) before the Miners blitzed FIU with five straight in the blink of an eye. West Jr. converted a layup which was followed by a corner 3-pointer from Hayes. The mini run extended the lead to 12 (40-28, 4:09, 1H) while also forcing a timeout by the visitors.
 
FIU fought back to get within seven (42-35), but UTEP did enough to go into the locker room up by eight (47-39).
 
The Miners opened the second half by scoring six of the first eight points, including a powerful slam from West Jr., to once again go ahead by 12 (53-41, 17:15, 2H). Thomas also had a layup on the feed from West Jr.
 
The Panthers struck back with at 13-4 run to cut the Miners' advantage to four (58-54, 13:56, 2H) and force Golding to call timeout. After a UTEP turnover, FIU kept coming with a free throw and a putback on a missed toss at the line. That extended the overall run to 16-4, including nine in a row, as the lead was trimmed to just one.
 
Jones halted things with a straightway triple, with the Miners going back out by four (61-57). After UTEP moved it to five with a dunk through the middle of the lane by West Jr, FIU tallied four in a row (3-pointer, and a free throw) to creep within one (63-62, 10:35, 2H).
 
Mbaye split a pair of free throws, and the visitors regained the edge (65-64) following a 3-pointer. Following a miss from FIU, which halted a stretch of eight straight shots made, Mbaye finished down low as UTEP pulled in front by one (66-65, 8:53, 2H).
 
The Panthers got a basket, but West Jr. answered immediately with a 3-pointer as FIU once again left him open. The visitors crept within one before a score from Blackwell, on a great feed by West Jr., and a jumper from West Jr., allowed the Miners to move out by five (73-68, 6:28, 2H). Watson then responded to a basket from a score by the Panthers with a trey, making it a six-point tilt (76-70, 5:41, 2H).  
 
FIU got a score after an unlucky turnover, but two free throws by Brooks reinstated a six-point cushion (78-72 2:40, 2H). FIU split a trip to the line and then used a layup to cut the margin to three (78-75, 1:50, 2H). UTEP had a response, with an old-fashioned 3-point play from Thomas.
 
The Panthers relied on the free-throw line to get within four (81-77) but that was as close as they would get. UTEP misfired on its next trip, but the Panthers airballed a shot. It went out of bounds as the Miners took over possession, still leading by four, with 23.0 seconds to play.
 
FIU went full-court pressure, but UTEP handled it perfectly. The Orange and Blue beat it with a multitude of passes and then got a dunk from West Jr to seal the contest.
 
The Miners continue their four-game homestand by locking up with Missouri State at 2 p.m. MT on Saturday. They will then wrap it up against LA Tech (7 p.m. MT, 1/28) and vs. Delaware (7 p.m., 1/31). Fans can purchase all remaining seven home games and sit anywhere in the arena for just $9.15 per game. They also have the option to buy all five remaining Saturday home games and sit anywhere in the arena for just $60 ($9.15 per contest). Every single-game premium-priced ticket (over $20) will be $20 for the rest of the 2025-26 campaign.  The lowest ticket price continues to be just $9.15.  Jon Teicher (45th year) and Steve Yellen (23rd year) will be on the call on "The Home of UTEP Basketball" 600 ESPN El Paso. It will also be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required), with Andy Morgan and former Miner assistant coach Bobby Braswell describing the action.
 

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