The UTEP men’s basketball team took its best shot against Louisville, but the signature win eluded the Miners as they came up on the wrong end of a 77-74 score in a game that featured 13 lead changes and 10 ties.
UTEP’s Corey Camper had an open 3-pointer with 1 second left that could have tied the game, but on a night where the Miners shot 45% from 3-point range and Camper finished with 19 points, he couldn’t get it to fall and Louisville survived.
On the final play, UTEP inbounded under its basket after a pair of Cardinals free throws with 6.8 seconds left and scrambled down the court. The Miners got it to their hottest player, but it didn’t work out.
The Cardinals went to 6-4, while the Miners fell to 6-3.
“We’re getting this program where we don’t just want to come here; this isn’t about moral victories,” UTEP coach Joe Golding said. “We thought we could win this basketball game up until the end, and we got a great look. We executed and got the look.
“Some nights that goes in, some it doesn’t, but the execution was there. We’re not into moral victories. We thought we could come in and win, our guys believed it, we just didn’t come out on top.”
Louisville vs UTEP updates
UTEP was within a possession most of the way in the final 6 minutes of a game in which the Miners outshot the Cardinals 51-40%, but the Miners were ultimately doomed by their season-long rebounding issues and some uncharacteristic turnover issues.
With the Miners within 72-70 in the final 90 seconds, Louisville got back-to-back rebounds off missed 3-pointers and eventually made one-of-two free throws with 1:01 remaining. It outrebounded UTEP 40-29 and won second-chance points 17-6.
UTEP settled for two-pointers around a pair of Cardinal free throws to set up the final sequence. A UTEP team that came into Wednesday’s game fifth nationally in turnover margin and averaged 12.6 giveaways was minus-4 on this night when they turned the ball over 15 times.
Rebounding, turnovers a problem
“We lost the game in the second half,” Golding said. “Offensive rebounds, we couldn’t keep them off the glass. We got three stops there and we’re down one or two, and we can’t get the rebound. Then turnovers. We had 11 in the second half.
“It was a tough game. Our kids competed, our effort was there our competitiveness was there. Our guys stepped up.”
Stars of the game
Devon Barnes scored 16 before fouling out, and Ahamad Bynum made 4-of-5 3-pointers to finish with 14 points.
Louisville was 25-of-34 from the line, while UTEP was 7-of-11 on a night when it outflowed the Cardinals 27-13. Barnes fouled out, while Camper and point guard David Terrell each had four fouls.
A big sequence in the second half came when Louisville scored back-to-back fast-break baskets to go up 63-55. Golding subbed out four starters and put in four reserves, and they immediately went on an 8-2 run to get the Miners back within a basket.
“I was so proud; we went down eight, their crowd was going nuts, I subbed four guys out, and those four guys who came in changed the game again,” Golding said. “That’s the togetherness we’ve been searching for.”
It just didn’t quite add up to a victory.
UTEP up 4 at half
The Miners outshot Louisville by 10% and used a late 12-3 run to take a 36-32 lead to the locker room.
The Cardinals were trying to break open a close first half when they eased out to a 25-18 lead, but UTEP answered with a 12-2 run and led after a first half where they shot 47% to Louisville’s 37%.
Ahamad Bynum and Devon Barnes each scored nine points in the first half when UTEP turned the ball over just five times and limited Louisville to four second-chance points despite a 21-16 Cardinal rebounding advantage.
Up next
UTEP returns to the Don Haskins Center to take on its old coach, Billy Gillispie and his Tarleton State team, Monday night. The 7 p.m. tip will be streamed on ESPN+ and carried on 600 ESPN El Paso.
The game is part of a “Teddy Bear Toss” promotion. Anyone who brings a teddy bear in new or good condition and presents it at the Don Haskins Center or at the Eisenberg Ticket Office will receive a half-price ticket. The bears will be presented to the El Paso Children’s Hospital.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: UTEP men’s basketball falls to Louisville basketball 77-74
