The UTEP men’s basketball team struggled from the start, finding themselves in a 15-0 deficit just five minutes into their contest against Utah Valley on Saturday afternoon. Despite their efforts, they ultimately fell 89-60.
The Miners (1-1) managed to cut the deficit to six points (18-12) midway through the first half, but the Wolverines (2-0) responded with a 23-8 run to dampen any comeback hopes. By halftime, UTEP was down 43-28 and couldn’t make any significant progress in the second half. The Miners were hampered by poor shooting, hitting just 26.3 percent (15-57) from the field, while Utah Valley shot 52.1 percent (25-48).
UTEP excelled at the free-throw line, making 86.2 percent (25-29) of their shots, and registered 10 steals while forcing 19 turnovers. They also hit five three-pointers (5-15, 33.3 percent). However, these positives were not enough to overcome their shortcomings in other areas.
Devon Barnes led UTEP with 13 points, followed by Otis Frazier III with 11 points. Ahamad Bynum contributed nine points, AJ Thomas added a career-best eight, and Corey Camper Jr. scored seven. Kevin Kalu grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
Dominick Nelson led the Wolverines with 21 points and eight rebounds, with four Utah Valley players scoring in double figures, helping them improve to 45-11 at home since the start of the 2020-21 campaign.
“That game resembles nothing about UTEP basketball,” head coach Joe Golding said. “I don’t know what it was. We got our butt kicked. Give Utah Valley credit, they deserve it all. It’s ultimately on me. I’m the head coach. We’ve got to get a lot of things fixed in a hurry.”
Utah Valley jumped out to a 15-0 lead before Frazier III knocked down a pair of free throws to get UTEP on the board. A 10-2 run allowed the Miners to cut the deficit to single digits (18-12) with 10:35 remaining in the half.
Bynum hit a three-pointer for UTEP’s first field goal, followed by an old-fashioned three-point play from Kalu. Barnes then stole an inbounds pass, leading to a layup, and Bynum made two of three free throws after being fouled on a three-point attempt.
However, Utah Valley regrouped with a 23-8 run to take control of the game at 41-20 with 1:49 left in the half. UTEP responded with eight straight points, including back-to-back three-pointers by Barnes and free throws by Frazier III, cutting the deficit to 13 (41-28). A late layup by Utah Valley sent them into the locker room with a 43-28 lead, with the game-opening 15-0 surge proving pivotal.
Despite their efforts in the second half, UTEP was unable to get back into the game.
