FIU Pulls Away Late As UTEP Men’s Basketball Falls, 76-64, In Miami

WESTCHESTER, Miami --  Kaseem Watson went off for a season-high 25 points, aided by knocking down a career-best five 3-pointers, but a big second half allowed FIU to hold off the UTEP men’s basketball team, 76-64, at Ocean Bank Convocation Center Sunday evening.

The game featured seven ties and 18 lead changes. The Miners (4-10, 0-3 CUSA) held a one-point edge (30-29) at the break. The difference was two (46-44, 12:28, 2H) before the Panthers (9-5, 2-1 CUSA) ripped off a contest-altering 13-1 surge over the next few minutes to vault ahead by 10 (57-47, 9:03, 2H). UTEP tried to battle back, but it was not in the cards. 

UTEP took good care of the ball against the vaunted FIU press (12 turnovers), shared the ball effectively (13 assists on 22 FGM) and had a great shooting night from distance (10-27, 37.0 percent). It wasn’t enough, however, to propel the Orange and Blue to victory.

FIU nailed 50.9 percent (28-55) of its shots, despite the Miners holding the Panthers to a paltry 17.6 percent (3-17) on 3-pointers. Both sides notched 13 offensive rebounds, but FIU ultimately won the rebounding battle (41-33). UTEP also ran into foul trouble, with multiple players being in and out all game as result. FIU finished the tilt at 17-27 (63.0 percent) at the free-throw line compared to the Orange and Blue going 10-12 (83.3 percent).

Trey Horton III had nine points to go along with five boards and a career-high tying three steals before exiting with an injury. Elijah Jones, one of the Miners afflicted with foul trouble, managed eight points. It halted his double-digit scoring streak to start the season at 13, which was the longest since a 14-contest surge by UTEP great Randy Culpepper (2009-10). Jamal West Jr., fought through a trio of fouls to tally eight points and a team-best eight boards. KJ Thomas, who finished with four fouls, scored six points and recorded a squad-leading five assists.

Eric Dibami (15 points, 10 rebounds) and Hamed Olayinka (11 points, 10 boards) each had double-doubles to pace a quartet of four FIU players in double figures for scoring.

“They played as hard as we could play. We obviously ran out of gas there at the end. Adversity all over the floor,” UTEP head coach Joe Golding said. “Elijah (Jones), Boog (West Jr.), KJ (Thomas) all had foul trouble. I had to play eight minutes there in the second half without KJ. He’s the only point guard we have right now. The guys kept fighting, fighting and fighting. They played with pride, played for each other. I told them after the game, I was really proud of their effort.”

Both teams came out with defensive intensity, with a combined five turnovers over the first two minutes of scoreless action. FIU broke the deadlock with a pair of free throws, which was answered by a triple from Jones to get the Miners on the board. After a stop, Jones nailed another 3-pointer to put the Orange and Blue up by four (6-2). Good ball movement resulted in a clean look for Watson, who drained it to stretch the run to 9-0 and UTEP’s lead to 9-2 (14:48, 1H).

The Panthers countered with consecutive buckets before West Jr. came up with an offensive rebound. He fed it to Watson, who was pure on another triple. After FIU snuck within three (all on free throws), Jones drove it to the hole for layup to lift the Miners out by five (14-9, 11:19, 1H). The Panthers countered with five straight, but Horton III halted that with a driving layup.

It was back-and-forth the next couple of minutes, with FIU snaring its initial lead of the game (19-18) on a trey. West Jr. scored on the ensuing possession, setting off a string with seven lead swaps over the next five minutes. FIU had the slight edge (29-28) late in the first frame before two makes at the line by Watson, UTEP’s only attempts in the half, allowed the Miners to hold a 30-29 edge at the break.

Both teams scored on their first two possessions of the second half, including another 3-pointer from Watson, allowing UTEP to maintain a one-point advantage (35-34) two minutes into the frame. FIU pulled in front with four in a row before Horton III sank a 3-pointer to tie things up at 38.

A jumper from the home side flipped the lead in its favor, but CJ Smith drilled a trey to send the Miners ahead again (41-40, 16:02, 2H). UTEP went cold, and four straight points from FIU made it a three-point affair (44-41) in favor of the Panthers. The Miners regrouped and used a mini 5-0 run to claim a two-point cushion (46-44). West Jr. started it with an And-1, which was followed by a layup from Horton III.

The Panthers turned things up, unleashing a 13-1 run on the way to UTEP suddenly trailing by 10 (57-47, 9:03, 2H). Two free throw makes by Watson went down to stop the sequence, but plenty of damage had been done. The Miners continued to compete down the stretch, but they were unable to get back into it.

UTEP has a quick turnaround, returning to the Sun City for its CUSA home opener against Middle Tennessee at 7 p.m. MT Thursday. The game will be nationally televised by CBS Sports Network. Tickets may be obtained by visiting www.UTEPMiners.com/tickets or calling (915) 747-UTEP. Jon Teicher (45th year) and Steve Yellen (23rd year) will be on the call on “The Home of UTEP Basketball” 600 ESPN El Paso and the UTEP Miners’ App.