UTEP fall 67-59 to No. 24 FAU
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The Miners were in search of their first win against a ranked opponent at home since 2001, but a slow start saw UTEP fall 67-59 to No. 24 FAU in front of 5,421 fans at the Don Haskins Center Saturday.
The Miners struggled to find any sort of rhythm early and had seven offensive turnovers which allowed the Owls to jump out to a 12-0 lead.
Calvin Solomon (16 points) went on a 5-0 run of his own to cut the lead to seven early but the closest the Miners would get all game was six.
“Our guys were connected, there was good energy on the bench,” Head Coach Joe Golding said. “It would have been real easy to get negative with everything that was going on. I’m proud of our team for that. I’m disappointed with the way played, but again that’s on me. Our effort was there tonight."
The game marked the first time this season that UTEP never led in a contest. In large part because the Miners shot at 30.8 percent from the floor compared to FAU's 42.6 percent.
FAU stays undefeated in conference play (9-0), while the Miners move to 4-5. They'll have a chance to get back 0.500 next Saturday when they begin a three game road stretch at North Texas at 4 p.m.
