Men’s Hoops: Boise State rallies late to beat UTEP
Boise State rallied late to beat UTEP, 58-56, in the opening round of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Tournament in South Carolina Thursday.
The Miners led by five with 54 seconds to play after an Omega Harris lay-up. But a late Paul Thomas turnover and a missed free throw by Keith Frazier allowed Boise State to close the game on a 7-0 run.
Chandler Hutchison scored the game-winner with about three seconds to play after driving the length of the court and scoring a lay-up plus a foul.
UTEP found itself down double-digits early in the first half, but rallied thanks in large part to Keith Frazier, who tallied a team-high 22 points.
The Miners still trailed by nine at the break, but managed to take the lead in the second half behind the hot-hand of Frazier.
Frazier and Matt Willms (11 points) were the only two Miners to score in double figures. UTEP shot only 4-18 from beyond the arc in the game.
The Miners fell to 1-1 on the season with the loss, while Boise State improved to 3-0.
UTEP will now meet South Carolina, a Final Four team from last year, Friday at 8:30 a.m. MST on ESPNU. South Carolina was stunned in their opening game of the tournament by Illinois State.
