UTEP Miners fall short in CUSA title game 78-71

FINAL SCORE- Western Kentucky defeats UTEP 78-71

UPDATE - Western Kentucky leads UTEP 40-36 at halftime.

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The #5 seed UTEP Miners are taking on the #3 seed Western Kentucky Hilltoppers with a CUSA championship title on the line. UTEP's Men's Basketball team took down the CUSA regular season champs Sam Houston St on Thursday.

The winner will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. A win for UTEP would be the first CUSA win in school history. UTEP had previously won the WAC in 1984, 1986, 1989, 1990 and 2005.

WKU and UTEP split the season series, and now face a winner take all in the third matchup between the two programs.

This game also serves as a grudge match for the Miners, as Western Kentucky ended UTEP's season in the first round of the CUSA tournament in 2023.