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UTEP Men’s Basketball Goes Down Fighting At Middle Tennessee, 71-68

MURFREESBORO, Tennessee (KVIA) -- David Terrell Jr. posted his first career double-double (15 points, career-high 11 rebounds) while dishing out six assists to pace a quintet of Miners in double figures for scoring, but the UTEP men’s basketball team was held off at Middle Tennessee, 71-68, Saturday afternoon.

The Miners (15-7, 5-4 CUSA) outscored the Blue Raiders (15-7, 6-3 CUSA) in points in the paint (40-34) and second-chance points (11-10) while being competitive on the boards (37-36, Middle Tennessee). Both UTEP (28-64, 43.8 percent) and Middle Tennessee (26-55, 47.3 percent) shot similar overall percentages, in addition to from distance (UTEP, 7-18, 38.9 percent, MT, 8-20, 40 percent). Both teams took good care of the ball as well, with 10 turnovers by the Miners and 12 from the Blue Raiders. UTEP was 5-6 at the free-throw line while the home side finished 11-24.

There were seven lead changes and 11 ties. It was tied at 68 with 3:10 to play following a score from Derick Hamilton (season-high 14 points) before defense ticked up from each side. MT went ahead on a basket at 70-68 with 2:25 remaining, and it would hold on. UTEP had multiple chances to tie or take the lead, but shots wouldn’t go down.

The Miners’ final opportunity came after MT missed two free throws with 19 seconds left, and Terrell Jr. grabbed the rebound. Corey Camper Jr, who came off the bench to score 10 points, drove to the hole where MT collapsed and knocked the ball out of bounds. UTEP inbounded with seven seconds left, but it was unable to get a shot off as Otis Frazier III (14 points, four assists, two steals) was swarmed in the paint before losing the ball. A free three at the other end with 0.9 seconds accounted for the final point in the contest.

Kevin Kalu (10 points, seven rebounds) joined Camper Jr., Frazier III, Hamilton and Terrell Jr., who played the entire 40 minutes, in double figures for scoring. Terrell Jr. became the first Miner to pace the squad in points, rebounds and assists since Zid Powell did so against Liberty in the quarterfinals of the 2024 CUSA Tournament.

Middle Tennessee was led by 21 points from Jlynn Counter while Mostafa (17 points, 11 rebounds) and Jestin Porter (14 points) also hit double figures. Camryn Weston was scoreless but registered 14 assists.

“When you look at the stat sheet, we played it exactly how we wanted to play it,” UTEP head coach Joe Golding said. “We only got outrebounded by one, only had 10 turnovers. We outscored them in the paint. I thought we had some good looks down the stretch. It was a tough, physical game. I believe in getting the ball to the rim. We got to the rim late, we just didn’t finish.”

UTEP ripped off eight straight to start the contest. Ahamad Bynum started it with a triple from the left wing, followed by a patient post move by Kalu. After a forced turnover, Frazier III knocked down his own 3-pointer to cap the run three minutes into the contest

MT scored the next four points before back-to-back buckets from Hamilton and Frazier III. That made it 12-4 (15:07, 1H), but the home side drilled consecutive treys to cut UTEP’s margin down to two in the blink of an eye. Terrell Jr. halted the run with a driving lay-up. After a jumper from the Blue Raiders, Camper Jr. buried a straightaway 3-pointer. It was answered immediately by MT, as the two sides went back and forth.

Both squads kept trading scores, with the Orange and Blue holding a one-point edge (26-25, 8:07, 1H) before MT ripped off five consecutive points to take the lead at 30-26. After UTEP misfired on a shot, Hamilton outworked everyone for the offensive rebound and putback.

The Blue Raiders nudged their advantage to six (36-30, 2:54, 1H), but UTEP pitched a shutout a rest of the way to keep the contest within striking distance. A Camper Jr. free throw and a basket by Kalu allowed the Orange and Blue to trim the deficit to three (36-33) heading into halftime.

The Miners blitzed the home side with five points in 45 seconds to regain the lead and prompt a timeout from MT. Kalu slammed home an alley-oop on the find from Terrell Jr. Barnes then walled up and fought off a shot by Mostafa. UTEP raced up the court where Barnes made the extra pass to a wide-open Camper Jr., who buried the triple.

MT tied it on the ensuing possession, setting up a sequence where every Miner basket or free throw would be matched. There were six ties alone in the first six minutes of the stanza. It was a one-point Miners’ lead (50-49) before Terrell Jr. swished home a 3-pointer as the shot clock was winding down.

The Miners were still ahead by three (59-56) following a nifty move in the paint from Frazier III where he showed off fancy footwork. Middle Tennessee countered with five straight to take its first lead since early in the second half. Terrell Jr. answered immediately, blowing by his defender to put UTEP back out by one (61-60, 7:01, 2H).

The Blue scored the next four points to go back out by three (64-61). Camper Jr. tied the tilt with a corner trey on the ensuing possession. The two teams traded scores the next couple of trips before MT found a way to pull it out.

UTEP will be idle for a week before concluding a stretch of three straight on the road when it plays at I-10 rival NM State at 7 p.m. MT on Feb. 8. Jon Teicher (44th year) and Steve Yellen(22nd year) will be on the call on "The Home of UTEP Basketball" 600 ESPN El Paso, with audio also airing on the UTEP Miners app. The contest will also stream on ESPN+ (subscription required).

Help support UTEP student-athletes by making a gift to the Miner Athletic Club. Visit givingto.utep.edu/mac 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

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Bea Martinez

UTEP Athletics

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