UTEP soars past Seattle for 3rd win in a row
EL PASO, TEXAS (KVIA) -- The UTEP men’s basketball team roared past defending CBI champion Seattle U, 88-72, to notch its third straight victory in a Saturday matinee at the Don Haskins Center. It was a 25-point advantage (48-23) at the half, which was aided by a 24-2 run. That marked the largest lead against a Division I opponent for the program through 20 minutes of action since also being up by 25 (40-15) against Southern Miss (40-15) on Jan. 10, 2015.
The 88 points are the most against a DI foe this year for the Miners (6-2). UTEP took control early, unleashing a 24-2 run to turn a 6-5 lead into a 23-point advantage (30-7, 9:57, 1H), and the Redhawks (3-6) never got closer than 16 the rest of the way.
Otis Frazier III stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points, a team-high five assists and four rebounds to lead the charge, but he had plenty of help. Kevin Kalu tied his career high for points (13), doing on 5-6 shooting, while matching his career best for blocked shots, including a swat that sent the 4,500+ fans on hand into a frenzy.
Ahamad Bynum poured in 19 points in just 18 minutes while shooting 7-9 from the floor, including a perfect 2-2 showing from distance by the top 3-point shooter by percentage in the country. Derick Hamilton also made his presence felt as a reserve, tallying 12 points (5-6, FG) while snagging a squad-best five rebounds. Corey Camper Jr. netted eight points, four assists while KJ Thomas pitched in seven points off the pine.
The Miners were very crisp offensively, making 56.1 percent (32-57) from the floor. That included a readout of 41.2 percent (7-17) from distance. The unselfish play proved big, with the Orange and Blue assisting on more than half (18 of 32) of their made field goals. The 18 helpers are the most vs. a DI opponent this campaign for UTEP. The Miners were practically perfect at the charity stripe, setting a season high by knocking down 89.5 percent (17-19).
UTEP controlled things down low to the tune of a 50-22 advantage for points in the paint while winning all the other specialty stat categories as well. The Miners were +11 (44-33) in bench scoring, +7 (27-20) in points off turnovers, +6 in fastbreak points (20-14) and +4 (12-8) in second-chance points.
Seattle U, which has posted three consecutive 20+ win seasons, was overwhelmed by UTEP’s pressure, particularly in the opening frame. The Miners, who lead the nation in both turnovers forced per game and steals per game, harassed the Redhawks into 12 giveaways during the first 20 minutes. Overall, Seattle U finished with 17 turnovers that led to 27 UTEP points. The Miners also won the rebounding battle (31-27).
“That first half might be the best we played since I’ve been here,” UTEP head coach Joe Golding said. “The UC Santa Barbara first half was pretty good too and there’s been some times with Souley, JB and that group that first, but I thought offensively and defensively the first 20 minutes we were really locked in and ready to go. (The game) never got close. We kept it at 20+ points for the majority of the game. Our ball movement was terrific. Seattle U is a good team. They’ll compete in the WAC for a championship. I’ve got so much respect for (Seattle U head coach) Chris Victor. He does such a good job.”
Seattle U got a 3-pointer on its opening possession of the contest before the Miners scored six straight, including a pair of lay-ups (one tip-in) down low by Kalu to stake a 6-3 edge (18:21, 1H).
The Redhawks halted things with a score, but UTEP put the pedal to the floor with a 24-2 run over the next seven minutes. Six of Seattle U’s 12 first-half turnovers came during the crushing sequence by the Orange and Blue, with several plays bringing the fans to their feet.
One of those highlight-reel plays fittingly kicked off the game-deciding run, with Devon Barnes finding Frazier III for an alley-oop dunk to bring the roof off the Don. Barnes also came up with one of his game-high four steals in the stretch, deflecting a ball and then hitting the deck to secure it while Golding called timeout.
Frazier III followed his dunk with a triple from the corner. Hamilton then scored on consecutive possessions before another dunk by Frazier III, which was set up by a steal from David Terrell Jr. A Bynum step back 3-pointer and the second career trey by freshman KJ Thomas also helped power the run. Overall, Hamilton had eight of his 12 points during the run.
Seattle U finally got a bucket with 9:35 left in the half to halt the crushing 24-2 surge, and the game was essentially in the books for the Miners at that point. The lead was 25 at the break and greater than 20 the rest of the way until the waning minutes when the Redhawks made things a little more aesthetically pleasing.
UTEP hits the road to play at perennial ACC power Louisville at 5 p.m. MT/7 p.m. ET on Dec. 11. It is the only contest out of the next nine (including Saturday's matchup vs. Seattle U), that will be outside of El Paso. Jon Teicher (44th year) will be on the call on "The Home of UTEP Basketball" 600 ESPN El Paso. It will also be broadcast nationally on the ACC Network.
