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Surging UTEP topples preseason favorite LA Tech, 70-60; Miners win 5th straight

EL PASO, Texas - Otis Frazier III registered his second career double-double (21 points, career-high 11 rebounds), and the Miners forced 20 turnovers while committing only three (tied for fewest in four years) in an impressive 70-60 win against preseason Conference USA favorite LA Tech in the league opener for both squads at the Don Haskins Center Thursday evening.

The Bulldogs (11-3, 0-1 CUSA), who had won four straight and were off to their best start in nine years, jumped out to a 14-6 advantage nine minutes into the game.

The Miners (11-3, 1-0 CUSA) regrouped and closed out the half on a 30-13 run to carry a nine-point lead (36-27) into the locker room.

UTEP, which had been outscored in the second half in seven straight contests, held a 34-33 advantage over the final 20 minutes of the affair, to keep the visitors at bay.

The Miners have now won five in a row and eight of the past nine to continue the best start at the school in 14 years.

UTEP also remained undefeated at home (8-0) while being spurred on by nearly 4,700 rowdy fans.

The victory is yet another against a top-100 NET program (LA Tech entered at No. 94) in what was a showdown between two College Insiders Inc. Mid-Major Top-25 programs (LA Tech No. 11, UTEP No. 25) according to the poll on Dec. 30.

UTEP stifled LA Tech, holding the Bulldogs to 20.5 points below their season average (80.5).

The visitors also boasted the nation’s 12th-best field-goal percentage (50.1), but the Orange and Blue kept them in check to the tune of 20-50 (40.0 percent).

That was aided by holding LA Tech to 29.0 percent (9-31) from distance.

The league’s preseason player of the year, Daniel Batcho, managed just 10 points and one block after coming into the game at 20.0 ppg (second CUSA/17th CUSA) and 2.7 bpg (first CUSA/ninth NCAA).

UTEP shot 37.9 percent (25-66) on the night, hit six triples and filled up 82.4 percent (14-17) at the charity stripe.

The Miners held their own on the boards (41-34 in favor of LA Tech), thanks in part to 11 offensive rebounds.

Seven of those were by Frazier III, helping UTEP enjoy an 11-7 edge in second-chance points.

The Miners also outpaced LA Tech in points off turnovers (24-3), points in the paint (36-20) and fastbreak scoring (24-7).

Corey Camper Jr. played 39 minutes in the contest, buoying Frazier III with 17 points, a team-high tying four steals, six rebounds and one assist (no turnovers).

Devon Barnes added 11 points, including two triples, while Kevin Kalu netted nine points and five boards. David Terrell Jr. ran the offense effectively with six points, a season-high five assists (one turnover) and two turnovers.

Ahamad Bynum had an off shooting night (0-8) but recorded a career-high four steals while sticking his nose in among the trees for two boards. Elijah Jones did his part off the bench with three points and five rebounds (one shy of career high) while logging 16 minutes with both Kalu and Derick Hamilton in foul trouble.

“Up and down the line, I thought there were some really good things tonight,” UTEP head coach Joe Golding said. “For us to get to 70 points and only hit six threes, that’s a heck of a sign for us. We’ve been a resilient group all year, sometimes it doesn’t look the prettiest. Our guys played for each other, they played for UTEP tonight. Our crowd made a difference tonight. When they (LA Tech) made a run, they got into it and they helped dictate the game. We’ve got to enjoy tonight and then get ready for a really, really good Sam Houston team coming in here in 48 hours. That’s the job now.”

The Miners got on the board first with a steal and breakaway dunk by Camper Jr. After three LA Tech turnovers, the visitors went ahead with a triple (3-2, 17:08, 1H). The two sides traded baskets, including a tip-in by Kalu, before Camper’s jumper knotted the tilt at six as he curled off a screen. The Bulldogs countered with eight straight on the way to staking a 14-6 cushion (11:21, 1H), prompting a timeout from Golding.

UTEP executed out of the break, with Barnes drilling the Orange and Blue’s first triple of the tilt. After forcing another turnover, KJ Thomas drove to the lane for the hoop and harm, cutting the deficit to two (14-12, 9:45, 1H). The Miners came up with another stop, setting up a Barnes bucket inside. Terrell Jr. followed by picking the pocket of his defender. He soared in for the And-1, taking the hit from Bacho and scoring. The sophomore converted the free throw, extending the run to 11 straight and propelling the Miners back in front by one (17-14, 7:29, 1H).

LA Tech ended a scoreless drought of more than four minutes with a 3-pointer from the top of the line, tying the affair for the third time (17-17, 6:58, 1H).

Another Bulldogs’ trey made it a 6-0 run before Frazier III buried one from the corner.

LA Tech came down and got a friendly roll on a triple, to go out by three (23-20, 4:54, 1H).

UTEP countered with a quick 5-0 spurt, with a driving lay-up Terrell Jr. followed by a straightaway trey courtesy of Jones.

After LA Tech split a pair of free throws, Frazier III timed his leap perfectly for the hoop and harm.

UTEP then got another stop and Camper Jr. was pure on a trey in transition.

The bucket vaulted the Miners out by seven (31-24, 2:32, 1H), put the finishing touches on a 25-10 UTEP run and forced a timeout from the visitors with the Don rocking.

The Bulldogs tallied the next three points on free throws after being fouled on a corner trey, but Barnes’s circus shot the as the shot clock expired made it a moot point.

Camper Jr. then was fouled on a loose ball. He knocked down both tosses at the line, allowing the Orange and Blue to hold a nine-point advantage (36-27) heading into halftime.

LA Tech scored five of the first seven in the second half before two tosses from Kalu made it an eight-point contest (40-32, 16:56, 2H).

Another push cut the Miners’ margin in half, but a Kalu hook shot and another goaltending call-this one on a driving lay-up by Camper Jr.- reinstated an eight-point edge (45-37, 14:49, 2H).

Bacho got a score down low, but it didn’t faze the home side. UTEP forced another turnover as Camper Jr. stepped in front of pass.

Kalu slammed home an alley-oop on the other and. After yet another giveaway, Frazier III cleaned up a miss with another tip-in, allowing the Miners to lead by 10 (49-39).

LA Tech gave it away again, and Frazier III drilled the triple on the feed by Terrell Jr., making it seven straight.

The visitors ended the streak with a triple of their own, with the difference at 10 (52-42, 10:54, 2H) in favor of UTEP at the under-12 timeout.

The Miners scored out of the break, as Frazier III banked in an offensive rebound.

After a trey by LA Tech, Frazier III’s driving reverse lay-up reinstated a double-digit lead (56-45, 9:25, 2H).

A LA Tech 3-pointer basket stemmed the tide, but Frazier III scored on the next two trips to keep the home side in control.

The visitors inched within nine before a dunk by Camper Jr. and another score from Frazier III afforded the Miners a 13-point lead (60-47, 7:10, 2H).

It was a 14-point advantage (63-49, 5:56, 2H) before LA Tech ripped off seven to slice the Miners’ margin in half (63-56,) Frazier III put an end to the run and any comeback aspirations in the process by slamming home a missed shot.

He secured a double-double in the process. Good free-throw shooting down the stretch salted away the game.

UTEP challenges defending Conference USA regular-season champion Sam Houston State inside the Don Haskins Center at 7 p.m. MT Saturday.

Jon Teicher (44th year) and Steve Yellen (22nd year) will be on the call on "The Home of UTEP Basketball" 600 ESPN El Paso, with audio also airing on the UTEP Miners app.

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Adrian Ochoa

Adrian Ochoa is ABC-7’s Sports Director.

UTEP Athletics

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