Balanced offense leads UTEP men’s basketball past Division II UTPB, 78-58

EL PASO, Texas - The UTEP men’s basketball team bolted to a 20-4 lead and never looked in the rearview mirror on the way to a wire-to-wire 78-58 victory against Division II UTPB at the Don Haskins Center Tuesday.

The Miners (2-1) featured a balanced attack, with Otis Frazier III tallying 17 points to pace a quintet of players in double figures for scoring.

He added a career-best seven assists while also coming up with four steals.

Kevin Kalu tallied 12 points (one shy of his career high) while grabbing a team-most seven boards.

It marked the third time that he’s reached double figures with the Orange and Blue.

Corey Camper Jr. (12 points, career-best five steals), Devon Barnes (12 points) and Trey Horton III (10 points, career-high six rebounds) all reached double figures in scoring as well.

UTEP connected on 58.8 percent (30-51) from the floor, including a sizzling 64.3 percent (18-28) in the opening frame to build a 27-point halftime cushion (46-19).

The Miners piled up 18 assists on 30 field goals made in the game, with Frazier III leading that charge.

At the other end of the court, the Orange and Blue held the Falcons to 36.7 percent shooting (22-60), including a paltry 17.6 percent (3-17) from distance.

UTPB was particularly flustered by the pressure in first 20 minutes when it shot 21.4 percent (6-28).

UTEP also forced 20 turnovers, marking the third opponent in as many contests to commit at least 19 giveaways.

“In the first half that was the best we’ve looked defensively all year. We were really good and were flying around,” UTEP head coach Joe Golding said. “Then the second half was completely a flipped script. Our effort wasn’t as good, we weren’t flying around, and we got exposed. It was a great lesson (to have) on tape. It’s a week until we play again, and we’ve got a lot of things that we’ve got to continue to work on. W

Barnes buried a triple and was fouled for the rare four-point play to begin the contest.

Kalu then came up with a steal to start the break, which he finished on an alley-oop dunk after Frazier III found him in transition. 

Following another turnover by UTPB, Kalu drove to the hoop for a lay-up to make it 8-0 and prompt a timeout by the visitors.

UTPB had four unanswered out of the break, cutting UTEP’s lead in half.

The Miners struck back with 12 in a row, extending the differential to 16 (20-4, 12:57, 1H).

A nifty post move from Derick Hamilton (six points, 3-3 shooting), a transition pull-up 3-pointer by Barnes and a one-handed flush in traffic on the break by Camper Jr. highlighted the run.

UTPB finally halted the sequence, but the damage by the home side had been done.

The Orange and Blue’s defense continued to cause fits as the half wore on, with the Falcons missing 10 straight shots at one point.

That smothering pressure allowed UTEP to extend the margin to 25 (37-12, 5:47, 1H).

The home side eventually moved the lead to as many as 30 (45-15, 1:30, 1H) before settling for a 27-point margin (46-19) heading to the locker room.

The Falcons regrouped to start the second half, taking advantage of some Miner turnovers and heating up from the field to inch within 16 (56-40, 12:26, 2H).

It included a 9-0 spurt, which was part of a bigger 14-2 run. Frazier III knocked down a pair of free throws to stop the sequence.

UTPB crept within 14 (58-44, 11:18, 2H), but UTEP countered with six straight points to go back out by 20 (64-44, 7:47, 2H).

A lay-up by Barnes was sandwiched by a pair of baskets by Kalu, one on an alley-oop and the other with a sneaky reverse lay-up that brought the bench to life.

The Miners put the game on cruise control down the stretch, getting the lead back to 24 before UTPB accounted for the final four points in the contest.

UTEP is off for a lengthy stretch, with the Miners not playing again until a road tilt at UCSB at 7 p.m. PT/8 p.m. MT on Nov. 20.

It is a return contest as part of a home and home series. Last year, the Orange and Blue blasted the Gauchos, 89-76, in front of more than 7,000 fans on Nov. 13, 2023. 

Jon Teicher (44th year) will be on the call on "The Home of UTEP Basketball" 600 ESPN El Paso and the UTEP Miners App. It will also be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required). The Orange and Blue will then have three games in as many days as part of the Ball Dawgs Classic in Las Vegas, Nev., from Nov. 25-27.

Single game and season tickets can be purchased through the Eisenberg Family Ticket Office by calling (915) 747-UTEP, emailing tickets@utep.edu, visiting www.UTEPMiners.com/Tickets, or in person at 201 Glory Road (Brumbelow Building, UTEP Campus), Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.