UTEP tops Tarleton State, 67-62; Billy Gillispie returns to the Haskins Center
EL PASO, Texas - Otis Frazier III poured in 18 points, including going 10-10 at the line, to pace a quartet of Miners in doubles figures as the UTEP men’s basketball team picked up a wire-to-wire 67-62 victory against Tarleton State in the CUSA/WAC Challenge inside the Don Haskins Center Monday night.
The Miners (7-3) move to 4-0 at home this year while dampening the mood for the Texans (3-9), who ventured into the Bear’s Den under the direction of former UTEP head coach Billy Gillispie.
UTEP jumped out to an early 11-2 lead, and it would never relinquish it.
Three times the visitors got within a possession in the second half, and on each occasion the Orange and Blue had an answer.
TSU managed to shoot 50.0 percent (20-40) from the floor but the Miners, who lead the country in turnovers forced, harassed the Texans into committing 18.
That led to a significant 24-11 advantage in points off turnovers for UTEP, which proved to be a key component to the contest.
The Miners also attacked TSU at the rim, and they knocked down 23 tries out of a season-best 33 attempts. Frazier III’s 10 makes set a career high.
Corey Camper Jr. (11 points, three steals), Devon Barnes (11 points) and Ahamad Bynum (10 points) all hit double digits in scoring to buoy Frazier III.
Barnes, facing his former team, banged home a transition triple during a run late in the second half to help snuff out the Texans’ comeback bid.
David Terrell Jr. added seven points while pacing the Orange and Blue in both assists (four) and rebounds (career-high six).
Kevin Kalu contributed eight big points, aided by establishing career bests in both free throws made (six) and attempted (10).
All of that came in the second half, with his energy affecting the visitors. He added five boards and matched his career best in blocks (two).
UTEP had 10 assists on 19 field goals made, and it kept it close (26-25) on the boards.
Part of the reason was the Miners piling up 10 offensive rebounds, with three each from Frazier III and Kalu.
Bubu Benjamin played all 40 minutes of the game and scored 18 points to lead TSU.
“It’s exactly how I thought the game was going to play out,” UTEP head coach Joe Golding said. “Coach Gillispie had seven days to prepare for this game. This was a big game for him. I know it meant a lot to him. I knew it was going to be a grind it out, tough game. They were going to take the air out of the ball, they were going to grind us. It makes every possession so important. They took us out of everything we were trying to do in sets, which was like playing against us. We controlled the first half of the game, and they controlled the second. I love it. It’s college basketball, and there’s different ways to win games.”
UTEP staked an early 4-0 lead, all on free throws from Barnes. After a lay-up from the visitors, back-to-back jump shots were knocked down by Camper Jr., and Frazier III, respectively, to put the Miners up six (8-2) at the first media timeout.
Both used lethal pump fakes to lose their defender.
Terrell Jr. drained a 3-pointer on the other side of the break, extending UTEP’s run to 7-0 while inching the score to 11-2 (14:50, 1H).
The Texans got a basket to stop the surge, but UTEP countered with consecutive 3-pointers to suddenly boast a 13-point advantage (17-4, 13:13, 1H).
Bynum buried a trey to beat the shot-clock buzzer. After a TSU turnover, Bynum then found Camper Jr. in the corner for a triple of his own.
The Texans blitzed back with an 8-0 run, cutting the differential to five (17-12, 10:24, 1H). Terrell’s fastbreak score ended the sequence, but TSU got a basket on the ensuing trip.
The Miners responded with a quick 5-0 strike, with Bynum draining his second 3-pointer of the game and Frazier III cleaning up a miss in transition with a dunk.
That slam reinstated a double-digit lead (24-14, 8:12, 1H) for the home side. UTEP settled for a nine-point cushion (32-23) heading into the locker room.
Kalu set the tone at the start of the second half, scoring the first four points (two free throws and a dunk) to single handedly help the Miners equal their largest advantage of the tilt at 13 (36-23).
After TSU crept within nine, he soared in from the weak side to block a lay-up on a play that looked like it was a sure basket.
The Miners were up by 11 (40-29, 15:44, 2H) before a trio of turnovers over the next couple of minutes helped the visitors peel off six straight.
Kalu drilled a pair of free throws to stop the push. The Texans kept coming, getting within four (42-38, 12:29, 2H) after a corner triple.
Frazier III was fouled on the way to the goal, and he sank both tosses.
UTEP continued attacking the rim as the half wore on, with two more free throws from Frazier III allowing it to be up by eight (49-41, 8:57, 2H).
TSU punched back with five in a row to make it a three-point tilt, the narrowest margin since the Orange and Blue were up, 4-2. Frazier III found a wide-open Terrell Jr. on a cut for a lay-up.
The Miners then got a steal and Barnes filled up the transition trip, prompting a timeout from TSU, with UTEP up eight (54-46, 7:07, 2H).
The Texans tallied the next four points to sneak within four (54-50), but once again two Frazier III tosses halted the momentum. It was a six-point cushion (59-53) heading to the final media break of the contest. Bynum juked his defender and drained a fadeaway jumper, once again allowing the Miners to lead by eight (61-53).
The next six points went in favor of TSU, with Golding calling timeout and UTEP’s lead at a precarious two points (61-59, 56.7 seconds, 2H).
Camper Jr.’s floater late in the possession was knocked out of the air on the way down, resulting in a TSU goaltending call.
The Miners then got a stop, which essentially put away TSU.
Frazier III put the finishing touches with a pair of free throws with less than a second to play.
UTEP will serve as the host institution while taking part in the 63rd-annual WestStar Bank Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational from Friday through Saturday.
The Miners will lock up with Jackson State at 7 p.m. MT on Friday, hoping to advance to the championship contest to defend their crown from a year ago.
In the first contest on Friday, Akron will challenge Yale.
The winner from game one will face the victor from the second game while the losers from each matchup with do battle in the third/fourth-place tilt on Saturday.
