UTEP men’s basketball storms past 2nd place Jax State, 69-64

JACKSONVILLE, Alabama -  The UTEP men’s basketball team buried 11 3-pointers and used a big run in the second half to rally past second-place Jax State on the road, 69-64, Wednesday evening.

In a tilt that featured seven ties and 12 lead changes, it was the Miners (10-15, 6-8 CUSA) who got hot at the right moment.

With the Gamecocks (13-11, 8-5 CUSA) up by three (52-49) with nine minutes to play, UTEP unleashed a game-altering 15-3 surge to rip control of the contest and vault ahead by nine (64-55) with 4:19 remaining in regulation.

JSU punched back, but UTEP withstood the charge on the way to handing the Gamecocks just their second loss at home in CUSA play this year.

It marks the second straight victory for the Miners and the third in their past four outings, with the Orange and Blue starting to put things together.

Elijah Jones poured in 16 points and tied his career high for both 3-pointers made (five) and attempted (eight), including a trio during UTEP’s surge to propel the Miners into the lead for good.

Caleb Blackwell (16 points, six assists), Kaseem Watson (12 points, eight rebounds) and Jamal West Jr. (10 points, four blocked shots) joined Jones in double figures while filling up the stat sheet in numerous other categories.

KJ Thomas pitched in six points and a contest-best and career-most matching three steals, helping the Miners finish with 11 takeaways in the game. Jax State’s 13 turnovers resulted in 14 big points for the Orange and Blue.

Cassius Brooks provided some toughness off the bench with four points, three caroms and two assists while Trey Horton III knocked down a key 3-pointer late in the opening frame.

LA Hayes rounded out the scoring with two points while also snagging two steals.

“It would have been easy to quit (this year). Backs against the wall, everybody against us, but this team has stuck together,” UTEP head coach Joe Golding said. “You can see it in the last three weeks, it’s just starting to come together a little bit. Belief is a powerful word in athletics. Our guys are starting to believe right now. They’ve believing in each other, they’re believing in what we’re doing, and it’s the right time to play good basketball. This is a tough place to play. It’s extremely loud in here. They’ve got a great, great homecourt advantage. You can’t hear anything with that band playing, and they’ve got a really good team. It was a toughness game, and that’s where I’m proud of our guys.”

UTEP connected on 46.8 percent (22-47) of its shots, including 50.0 percent (11-22) over the final 20 minutes of action. The Miners also buried 11-25 (44.0 percent) from 3-point range and 14-19 (73.7 percent) from the charity stripe. It was an impressive feat given that JSU entered the matchup holding foes to only 39.4 percent (second CUSA/15th NCAA) shooting, including a paltry 29.2 percent (first CUSA/15th NCAA) from distance.

Watson (game-high eight boards) and Jones (six) got after it on the boards, helping UTEP keep it close (30-27) on the glass. West Jr. did a great job of making CUSA-leading scorer Mostapha El Moutaouakkil (18.4 ppg) work for everything he got. He finished with 16 points on 6-15 shooting.

The Miners took an early 5-2 edge behind a driving layup from West Jr. and a 3-pointer by Jones. UTEP kept firing, with Jones knocking down his second and the squad’s fourth triple of the stanza to afford the Orange and Blue a five-point cushion (14-9) five minutes into the game.

JSU blitzed back with an 8-0 run spanning two minutes to put the Miners down by three (17-14, 13:01, 1H). Blackwell, who had nailed a triple earlier in the tilt, ended the push by flying past his defender and banking his shot up and off the glass with a nice touch at a tough angle. After the Gamecocks moved the margin to four, Thomas buried a 3-pointer from the corner bring the Miners within one (20-19) at the midway point of the first half.

Following a pair of tosses at the charity stripe by the home side, a Blackwell trey and two free throws from Hayes fueled a mini 5-0 run to vault the Miners back in front by two. It went back-and-forth over the next few minutes with a trio of lead changes, including consecutive scores from JSU, as UTEP slipped behind by three (29-26). Blackwell halted that and made it a one-point affair (29-28) after a breakaway dunk. The sequence started with an emphatic block by Jones that led to the coast-to-coast score for Blackwell.

As baskets continued to fall for the Gamecocks, the Miners kept responding. Horton III was pure on a 3-pointer from the right wing after the feed from Watson, sending things into halftime knotted at 33.

The home side scored on its opening possession of the second stanza, but a putback to beat the shot clock by West Jr. and a layup in open space for Blackwell reinstated a small edge (38-37). JSU punched back with eight straight as the deficit hit six (43-37, 15:44, 2H). UTEP countered with five in a row, as Watson’s 3-pointer from the top of the key and a wide-open layup from Brooks on the find from West Jr. turning it into a one-point tilt (43-42, 13:31, 2H).

UTEP eventually snuck in front by one (45-44) but consecutive scores at the hoop afforded the home side a three-point edge. It remained a three-point differential in favor of JSU (52-49) before the Miners scored seven straight as part of the 15-3 run to sneak back in front. West Jr. started things with a free throw. Jones then drilled a 3-pointer and West Jr. capped it by fading away for a jump shot.

The Gamecocks halted the surge and tied the tilt with a triple on the next trip, but Jones answered with back-to-back treys. The surge hit nine straight after two free throws from Blackwell, following an intentional foul, and another make at the line from Jones. When the dust settled, the Miners’ lead was nine (64-55).

JSU responded with seven straight in the blink of an eye, whittling the advantage to two (64-62). With the home fans roaring, West Jr. went to work with a tough move in the paint off an offensive rebound to stop the surge and afford UTEP a four-point advantage (66-62, 1:30, 2H). The Gamecocks didn’t get closer than that down the stretch, with the Miners salting away the contest at the charity stripe.

UTEP returns home to play host to league-leading Liberty for a special 12 p.m. tipoff on ESPN2 on Saturday. Jon Teicher (45th year) and Steve Yellen (23rd year) will also be on the call on “The Home of UTEP Basketball” 600 ESPN El Paso. Fans who bring a teddy bear and purchase a ticket in person prior to the game will receive 50 percent off their tickets. For all ticket specials for the tilt against the Flames, call (915) 747-UTEP.