WKU Men’s Basketball endured a second-half comeback from the UTEP Miners Thursday night, claiming their second straight win in an 80-73 victory in El Paso.
The Hilltoppers led by as much as 25 in the first half, shooting over 50% while the Miners made just seven field goals in 32 attempts. However, WKU found themselves hanging on to a tight lead as UTEP brought the game to as close as six in the closing moments.
The Miners scored 50 points in the second half with 25 of those coming from the free-throw line. UTEP shot 33-43 from the charity stripe for the game, with the 10 misses proving to be the difference.
Senior forward Tyrone Marshall Jr. led the way with 16 points and nine rebounds, while senior guard Don McHenry added 15 points and five rebounds. Senior guard Braxton Bayless scored 14 points on 5-9 shooting with six rebounds, and sophomore guard Jack Edelen added 11 points off the bench.
WKU shot 50% from the field despite shooting 2-10 from the 3-point range and attempting only one in the second half. The Hilltoppers outrebounded the Miners 48-36 and scored 44 points in the paint.
UTEP found success on defense, limiting WKU from beyond the arc and forcing 13 turnovers. However, the Miners shot 4-25 from beyond the arc and did not tie or lead in the game after the 18:08 mark of the first half.
WKU buried UTEP to open the game on the offensive end, shooting 51.7% from the field in the first half. The number one team in Conference USA at forcing steals only managed one in the first half with the Miners unable to limit the Hilltopper offense.
While only shooting 2-9 from beyond the arc, WKU outrebounded UTEP 28-18 and led for all but 25 seconds of the first half.
Bayless led all scorers with 12 points and added four rebounds. Marshall Jr. added seven points and five rebounds.
UTEP shot 7-32 from the field, a 21.9% clip, and 1-13 from beyond the arc in the first half.
The Miners dug themselves out of a double-digit hole in the second half, scoring 50 points on 37.9% shooting from the field. They turned defense into offense, forcing 10 WKU turnovers and blocking two shots. They also used 18 Hilltopper fouls and turned them into 25 points from the free-throw line.
WKU used 22 bench points and a 3-12 shooting performance from beyond the arc by UTEP to hold on for the win.
First Half
UTEP won the opening tipoff and opened up scoring at the 18:08 mark. WKU responded with a 7-0 run over 1:49, holding the Miners at two points until they ended the drought with free throws at the 15:54 mark.
Free throws put WKU up 21-11 at the 10:23 mark. The Hilltoppers added to their score off of a 17-2 run that put them up 38-13 with 3:20 remaining. It was part of a larger 21-2 run that had UTEP on a 3:15 scoring drought into a timeout at the 3:08 mark.
WKU scoring stalled to end the first half as UTEP ended the period on an 8-2 run. The Hilltoppers led at the half 40-23.
Second Half
Three turnovers to open the second half helped UTEP open the half on an 8-2 run, putting them down 42-31 with 15:59 remaining. A Miner 3-pointer at the 10:31 mark brought their deficit to 54-45, single digits for the first time since early in the first half.
Miners forward Kevin Kalu threw down two monster alley-oops, the second one sparking a 5-0 run that put UTEP down 56-50 with 9:34 remaining. The Hilltoppers responded with an 8-0 run that put them up 69-57 with 3:47 remaining.
Out of a timeout, Marshall Jr. was found under the basket for an easy layup to put WKU up 75-67, but the Miners answered with a quick three to pull within five with 1:06 remaining in the game.
Edelen put the game away with two clutch free throws with 49 seconds remaining that put WKU up 77-72. UTEP missed four consecutive field goals to end the game, and WKU came out with an 80-73 win.
The Hilltoppers will look to make it three wins in a row at New Mexico State on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m.
Sports reporter Michael Givner Jr. can be reached at michael.givner586@topper.wku.edu.
