UTEP can’t keep pace with Louisville down the stretch; Cardinals top Miners, 77-74

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky - The UTEP men’s basketball team went toe-to-toe with perennial ACC power Louisville before ultimately succumbing, 77-74, at the KFC Yum! Center Wednesday evening.

The Miners (6-3) had a chance to tie the game in the waning seconds, but Corey Camper Jr.’s 3-pointer wouldn’t go down as the Cardinals (6-4) managed to survive.

It was a back-and-forth contest that featured 13 lead changes and 10 ties, with the Orange and Blue giving UofL everything it could handle.

UTEP connected at a 50.9 percent (29-57) clip from the floor, including going a stout 9-20 (45.0 percent) from distance, while piling up 38 points in the paint compared to 34 by the UofL.

The Miners got after it defensively and held the Cardinals to 39.7 percent (23-58) shooting, including a chilly 17.6 percent (6-34) from beyond-the-arc.

Free throws were instrumental for the home side, which finished 25-34 at the charity stripe.

UTEP was 7-11 at the free throw line.

The Miners were called for 27 fouls while Louisville was whistled for 13 infractions.  

Rebounding also factored in.

The Cardinals controlled the boards to the tune of 40-29, aided by pulling down 16 offensive rebounds.

Camper Jr. paced UTEP in both points (19) and assists (three) while adding a pair of steals.

Devon Barnes (19 points) and Ahamad Bynum (14 points) also reached double figures in scoring.

Bynum, who entered the game as the national leader in 3-point percentage, drilled a ridiculous 4-5 from distance.

Otis Frazier III (seven points, six rebounds) and Kevin Kalu (six points, nine caroms) also got after it for UTEP.

Terrence Edwards Jr. tallied 22 points, aided by going 8-10 on free throws, to pace a quartet of Cardinals in double figures.

“It was a tough, tough game. I thought our kids competed. The effort was there, the togetherness was there,” UTEP head coach Joe Golding said. “Up and down the lineup we got some good things. It’s a tough one. I feel for them. We lost the game in the second half. We couldn’t get them off the glass and then had 11 turnovers in second half. Overall, I’m proud of the effort. It’s a tough place to play. They’re a good team, and I thought we came in here and competed.”

UTEP got on the board first with a driving fastbreak basket by Barnes after he picked off a pass and raced down the court for the score high off the glass.

The two sides traded buckets the next couple of trips, with Camper Jr. putting UTEP up by one (6-5, 16:52, 1H) after he deflected a pass that led to a transition lay-up.

The UofL snuck back ahead before the Miners peeled off five straight. Kalu converted down low, and Bynum buried a pull-up triple to fuel the mini run and afford the Orange and Blue a 13-10 cushion (13:05, 1H). UTEP maintained the three-point edge (17-14, 11:32, 1H) before the Cardinals kicked things into high gear.

They unleashed an 11-1 run in a four-minute span to suddenly surge out by seven (25-18, 7:18, 1H).

To their credit, the Miners kept their composure and began to battle back.

Bynum drilled a 3-pointer from the corner to halt the run.

Camper Jr. then drilled a jumper, and suddenly it was a two-point tilt (25-23, 5:41, 1H). UTEP wasn’t done yet, though.

After the UofL split a pair of free throws, another 5-0 run lifted UTEP back in front.

Frazier III split the defense down the lane for a driving lay-up before Bynum filled up another triple.

He was called for a technical after the play, allowing the home side to knot things up with two charity stripe tosses.

The Miners continued to bomb away from distance in the waning minutes, with a long triple from Barnes and a trey with four seconds left in the stanza by Elijah Jones helping them hold a four-point lead (36-32) going into the locker room.

After the Cardinals scored on a putback dunk on the opening possession of the half, strong takes by Terrell Jr. and Frazier III, allowed the Miners to nudge the differential to six (40-36). It was a seven-point UTEP lead before the UofL struck back with seven consecutive points in the blink of an eye to tie the tilt. The Orange and Blue then forced a turnover and Camper Jr. was fouled in transition. He connected on both free throws to put them back up one.

After a few lead changes, Camper Jr. sank another 3-pointer as the Orange and Blue regained the lead at 50-48 (13:31, 2H). UofL struck back and moved ahead before Frazier III connected on a triple, making it 55-54 (9:34, 2H) in UTEP’s favor.

The Cardinals regrouped and counted with a 9-0 blitz to go out by eight (63-55, 7:38, 2H) and force a timeout by Golding. Camper Jr. stopped the push with an old-fashioned 3-point play. After two free throws by the Cardinals, KJ Thomas sliced to the goal for a score to make it a two-point affair (67-65). The Cardinals nudged it back to five (70-65), but UTEP clawed eventually back to within two (72-70).

A couple of missed box outs allowed UofL to get another trip to the charity stripe and extend the margin to three (73-70, 1:01, 2H). The Miners raced up the court where Barnes knocked down a pull-up jumper.

The Cardinals got a dunk at the other end to sneak out by three again. Barnes’s runner in the lane was cleaned up on a two-hand slam by Kalu, cutting the deficit to one (75-74). UTEP then fouled immediately. The UofL sank both free throws. Camper Jr.’s 3-pointer to tie it looked good but wouldn’t go down, allowing the home side to escape with the victory.

UTEP returns home to play host to Tarleton State at 7 p.m. MT on Monday (Dec. 16). The contest is part of the WAC/CUSA Challenge. It will feature a teddy bear toss at halftime. The special promotion, which is sponsored by UTEP Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, affords fans the opportunity to give back to the community while also receiving discounted tickets to the game. All teddy bears, which must be new or in good condition, will be donated to the El Paso Children's Hospital. Fans who present a teddy bear to the ticket office will have a 50 percent discount. They must do so either at the ticket window of the Don Haskins Center or at the Eisenberg Ticket Office.

The game is the first of seven straight at home for the Miners, including the first three league contests. Jon Teicher (44th year) and Steve Yellen (22nd year) will be on the call on "The Home of UTEP Basketball" 600 ESPN El Paso. It will also be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required), with Andy Morganand former Miner assistant coach Bobby Braswell describing the action. For tickets, please visit www.UTEPMiners.com/tickets or call (915) 747-UTEP.