University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss falls on Saturday night at UTEP
2/11/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
EL PASO, Texas -- UTEP utilized its home-court advantage to shoot 53 percent and defeat Southern Miss 80-50 on Saturday night inside the Don Haskins Center.
"I thought we played well on the defensive end until we went a little cold offensively," head coach Doc Sadler said. "UTEP put together a few baskets and we just weren't executing well enough offensively."
UTEP expanded to its largest lead of the night after Kevin Holland hit a three-pointer on the first possession after halftime. The Miners' 20-2 run put them ahead 61-36 with 12:36 to play. Cortez Edwards knocked down a pair of free-throws after a Golden Eagle timeout that succeeded the Miner push.
Back-to-back offensive possessions featuring a Michael Ramey three-pointer and Raheem Watts layup gave the Golden Eagles a 9-7 lead with 14:55 left in the first half, but a 13-2 Miner run ensued that was stopped by consecutive Quinton Campbell triples that gave Southern Miss some relief with a 20-17 deficit at the eight-minute point.
The Golden Eagles next get one final weekend inside Reed Green Coliseum, first hosting FIU on Thursday at 7 p.m. Senior Day will be Saturday against Florida Atlantic at 4 p.m.
NOTES
-Southern Miss committed just eight turnovers, its second-fewest this season.
-Kevin Holland made three deep balls for the fourth time of his career (all this season).
-Cortez Edwards' team-high four assists gives him 22 over the last four games.
