WKU Mens Basketball picked up their second consecutive loss on Saturday to the UTEP Miners, 93-87,  taking their third loss in their last five games. 

Coming off a catastrophic second half performance in Thursday’s loss to the New Mexico State Aggies, where the Hilltoppers blew a 23-point lead, WKU looked to pick up a road win, but instead they moved to 2-3 in conference play.

It has now been over a month since the Hilltoppers won a game on the road, their last coming against the California Baptist Lancers on Dec. 19.

First Half

The first half was a half of runs. Both the Hilltoppers and Miners had multiple 6-0 and 7-0 runs. Ultimately, when it came down to the end of the clock, the Miners’ Corey Camper Jr. hit a long two to send UTEP into halftime with a two-point lead. 

Babacar Faye was at the helm of the WKU offense for the first half. The junior guard had 10 points to accompany his two blocks. After a cold outing against New Mexico State, Don McHenry found his footing. The guard had seven points, two assists, and a rebound. 

The Miners’ first half was played predominantly behind the arch. UTEP attempted over a third of their shots from three-point land. Senior guard Tae Hardy was in control for the Miners through the first 20 minutes. The Georgia native, who sits in fourth place for scoring in Conference-USA,  had 15 points, two rebounds, and an assist on 5-12 shooting, two of those coming from beyond the arch. 

Team First Half Statistics: 

WKU: 17-32 FG, 3-9 3FG, 3-4 FT | 16 Rebounds: 13 Defensive, three Offensive.

NMSU: 15-34 FG, 5-12 3FG, 7-7 FT | 18 Rebounds: 12 Defensive, six Offensive.

Second Half

The second half was a back-and-forth battle for the first 15 minutes. Yet, when it came to crunch time, the Miners’ defense was strong enough to shut down the Hilltoppers, and advance their lead to six, where it stayed until the final buzzer.

The second half offense for WKU was led by Teagan Moore. The freshman guard had a career-high 15 points, with 10 of those coming in the second half. To complement his points, Moore also had a pair of rebounds and an assist before fouling out.

UTEP’s Camper Jr. had himself a career night as well. The junior guard from Little Rock, Arkansas, had an 11-point second half to bring his total to 19 points on the night. Camper Jr. also had three rounds and three assists in the second half. 

Full Game Statistics:

WKU: 39-63 FG, 4-12 3FG, 5-12 FT | 33 Rebounds: 27 Defensive, six Offensive.

NMSU: 31-67 FG, 7-20 3FG, 24-29 FT | 34 Rebounds: 22 Defensive, 12 Offensive.