Editor’s Note: This is not the most recent UTEP men’s basketball game.
After an intense game against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (16-12, 7-8 CUSA), the UTEP Miners (17-11, 7-8 CUSA) fell short 80-73 at the Don Haskins Center on Feb. 28.
Senior forward Kevin Kalu won the jump ball and scored first by driving in with a layup, but it did not take long for Western Kentucky to respond and tie the opening minutes of the game from a jump shot by guard Braxton Bayless.
After that, the Miners never regained the lead.
Throughout the match both teams went blow-for-blow, with WKU gaining a large advantage of 17 points, leaving the score 23-40 by the end of the first half. UTEP attempted to make a comeback, reducing the 17-point lead to only 7 by the end of the second quarter.
The Miners stepped on the toes of the Hilltoppers in the second half, with key players stepping up to close the lead. Junior guard Devon Barnes helped the Miners by scoring 14 points. Senior forward Kevin Kalu also played a crucial role, finishing with 13 points.
However, despite their efforts, the Miners struggled to convert crucial shots down the game, allowing the Hilltoppers to maintain the lead for the rest of the game.
Sophomore guard David Terrell Jr. led the Miners not only in points (14) but also in rebounds (eight), assists (five), and steals (three). Even though Terrell left everything on the court he expressed his frustration with the team’s performance.
“We dug ourselves in a big hole to start the game, so we decided not to look at the score and just play as hard as we can and just fight,” Terrell said. “Obviously, we don’t want to fight from behind, but, you know, you just got to keep fighting but we just got to have better plays down the stretch, and players got to step up.”
Head Coach Joe Golding stressed the importance of translating the intensity of practice into game execution, recognizing that the team must regain its confidence heading into the final stretch of the season.
“I thought we had a good week of practice, we’ve got to carry practice over to the floor,” Golding said. “Obviously, offense dictated our defense, that’s about as bad as you can play offensively. I thought we got some good looks, some wide-open looks. Confidence is just an amazing thing in this game. We need some confidence right now.”
UTEP took on Middle Tennessee on March 1.
Diego Cruz-Castruita is a staff photographer and can be reached at [email protected] and @dddieggoo11 on Instagram.
