Mustangs pelted by first place Miners

Following head coach Mike Dement’s dismissal, themen’s basketball team looked to avenge a 62-88 loss in ElPaso to the UTEP Miners earlier this season when the teams metSaturday night.

The game started out promising for the Mustangs, until animpressive lay-up by UTEP’s junior guard Omar Thomas broke a14-all tie midway through the first half. The momentum swung toUTEP and sent the Miners on a 22-2 run en route to an 81-71 victoryover the Mustangs.

Interim head coach and longtime SMU assistant Robert Lineburgsaw his squad keep pace with the Miners in the beginning of thefirst half.

The Mustangs led by as many as five at 14-9 following a freethrow by junior forward Eric Castro with 16:13 to play in the firsthalf.

Rebounds and defense soon proved a problem for the Mustangs, asthey managed just 18 boards in comparison to the Miners’29.

The lack of defensive rebounds led to 14 second-chance pointsfor UTEP.

Thomas’ sharp shooting aided the Miners’ scoringspurt that saw nearly six minutes tick off the clock without an SMUbasket. The Philadelphia native had 11 points by halftime, andwould finish with 16 to go along with a team-leading foursteals.

One of the strengths for the Miners was their bench (includingThomas), which contributed 25 points. The SMU bench managed onlyseven points, including four from freshman forward DevonPearson.

Sophomore guard Jason Williams led the UTEP charge with 21points, nine of which came via free throws stemming from Mustangfouls.

UTEP’s three-point wizard Chris Craig chipped in 14points. He was four-of-eight from beyond the arc.

Following a fast break lay up by sophomore guard Giovanni St.Amant with 2:35 remaining in the first half, the Miners enjoyedtheir largest lead at 41-21.

A quick charge led by a rebound and lay up from senior guardKris Lowe helped the Ponies inch a bit closer. The halftime scorestood at 44-29.

A three-pointer from junior guard Justin Isham in the openingminute of the second half was the beginning of an SMU attack thatsaw UTEP’s lead shrink to 52-44 with 14:12 to go. Isham wouldfinish with 14 points.

Bryan Hopkins, who led the Mustangs with 23 points, poured in 14in the second half, as a late SMU run was able to silence the roarof originating from the crowd of UTEP fans in attendance.

One of Hopkins’ four three-pointers came with 1:14remaining in the game, and closed the Miners’ lead to five at74-69.

The final minute of play, however, saw UTEP gain seven points onfree throws. Four of the free throws came from the hands of juniorguard Filiberto Rivera, who finished with 14 points and sevenassists.

A jump shot by junior guard Lavardicus Atkins with 10 secondsremaining would not be enough as the first place Miners’improved their record to 22-5 (13-4 WAC).

With the loss, the reeling Ponies, 2-9 in their last 11 games,fall to 10-16 (4-12 WAC). The Mustangs last win came against SanJose State on February 12th.

The Mustangs will next travel to Tulsa this Thursday to play theGolden Hurricane at 7:05 p.m.