Game Book
HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Jamal West Jr. (22 points) and
Caleb Blackwell (career-high 21 points) both had big scoring nights while the UTEP men's basketball team defended with a vigor, but homestanding Sam Houston held off the hard-charging Miners, 70-66, at Johnson Coliseum Wednesday evening.
UTEP (8-15, 4-8 CUSA) kept the Bearkats to 34.4 percent (21-61) from the floor and 13 points below their seasonal average, aided by not allowing a field goal (0-7) over the final 5:43 of the game. The defensive effort helped the Miners turn a nine-point deficit (63-54) with just under six minutes left into a one-point edge (64-63, 1:27, 1H) in the waning minutes of action.
The Bearkats pulled back in front by two (66-64) and managed to hold on, with their final seven points all coming at the charity stripe. West Jr. had a solid look at on a reverse layup to tie the tilt with eight seconds left, but it spun off the rim while refusing to go down. Following two tosses at the line, Blackwell once again cut it to two with four seconds on the clock, but Sam Houston iced the affair with a pair of free throws.
"I'm proud of our guys for competing. This is a tough place to play," UTEP head coach
Joe Golding said. "They (Sam Houston) are playing really well. They came in here with a six-game winning streak. They're a good team, very well coached and have good players. I thought we had a great game plan and executed it well. There were some times there in the second half where they out toughed us, but I think we matched their toughness overall. It came down to some big plays."
Kaseem Watson joined in on the offensive efforts with 13 points while snaring seven rebounds to match
Elijah Jones for the team lead in the department.
KJ Thomas and Jones each finished with four points while
Cassius Brooks chipped in two points to round out the scoring.
UTEP shot a better percentage (26-65, 40.0 percent) than Sam Houston, took great care of the ball (six turnovers) while converting 12 giveaways from the Bearkats into 17 points. Sam Houston compensated through its effort on the glass and at the charity stripe. The Miners were outrebounded, 50-37, which was hindered by allowing 13 offensive rebounds. Another factor was a discrepancy in free throws. The Bearkats finished 21-27 at the line compared to UTEP's readout of 10-14, in part to their activity on the boards.
Sam Houston snuck out to an early 7-1 advantage before West Jr. converted on an old-fashioned 3-point play to make it a one-possession game (7-4, 18:01, 1H). After it was stretched to a five-point contest, West Jr. pump faked and banked home a shot. The Bearkats answered, bolting down the court for a layup before Thomas became the first Miner other than West Jr. to put his name in the scoring column with a floater to beat the shot clock.
The home side stretched the margin to five before UTEP dug in defensively and held Sam Houston scoreless for four minutes. The Miners took advantage with 10 straight points on the way to vaulting ahead by five (18-13, 10:18, 1H). All 10 points were courtesy of West Jr. and Watson. West Jr. started things off with a score down low before consecutive baskets for Watson, including a nifty hook shot. West Jr. tallied the final four points of the streak to propel the Orange and Blue in front by five.
The margin was four (20-16) after Thomas snuck in a shot before the buzzer, but this time it was the Bearkats who had a big response. It came with their own 10-0 surge as UTEP slipped behind by six (26-20, 6:33, 1H). Blackwell halted the surge with a jumper. After Sam Houston nudged it back to six, Blackwell drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to pull UTEP even at 28.
The Bearkats punched back with eight straight, but the Miners kept their composure, tallying the final five points of the frame, including a slam from West Jr, to cut the differential to three (36-33) at the break.
Both squads came out firing to start the second half, with the Miners twice creeping within one over the first minute of the frame thanks to scores from Watson and West Jr., respectively. After Sam Houston made it a five-point tilt (44-39), Blackwell buried another 3-pointer to bring UTEP within two (44-42).
The Bearkats had a response, going on an 11-2 run as the Miners suddenly faced a double-digit deficit (55-44, 12:46, 2H). The Orange and Blue fought back within single digits after reeling off eight straight points. Jones started it with a turnaround jumper before a steal and score from Brooks. He ripped the ball out the opposition's hands and went up for the easy layup, prompting a timeout from Sam Houston.
UTEP kept coming after the break with a jumper by Watson and a driving layup from Blackwell. After a free throw from Sam Houston, West Jr. had a hoop and harm to let the Miners inch within two (56-54, 7:29, 2H).
Sam Houston responded with seven in a row to extend its lead to nine (63-54, 5:43, 2H). UTEP refused to quit, tallying eight straight. Blackwell started the push with two makes at the charity stripe before a Watson triple dropped through to bring the Miners within four. UTEP got another stop and Jones calmly connected on two free throws, on a one-and-one opportunity, to cut it to two.
The deficit got to one after Blackwell split a trip to the line. The Orange and Blue produced another stop, and Blackwell blew past his defender for a layup as the Miners grabbed a one-point edge.
The lead was short-lived, with Sam Houston using two free throws on the next trip after it was fouled on a putback attempt following an offensive rebound to regain the cushion. The Miners had a couple of good chances down the stretch, but the Bearkats escaped with their seventh straight win.
UTEP returns home to challenge I-10 rival NM State at the Don Haskins Center at 7 p.m. MT Saturday. Fans who buy a ticket for the Miners' matchup with the Aggies will be able to get in free to the women's contest at 2 p.m. vs. Sam Houston. For further ticket information for the matchup with the Aggies, call (915) 747-UTEP.
Support the Miner Athletic Club
Help support UTEP student-athletes by making a gift to the Miner Athletic Club. Visit https://am.ticketmaster.com/utep/donor-level/MTY%3D today!
For complete coverage of UTEP men's basketball, be sure to follow the Miners on social media at @UTEPMBB (Twitter), @utepmbb (Instagram) and on Facebook @UTEPMensBasketball or visit the official home of UTEP Athletics at www.UTEPMiners.com
