Bearkats Claw Past Miners at Don Haskins Center in Conference Tussle

The University of Texas at El Paso Miners fell to the Sam Houston Bearkats with a final score of 65-54, leaving both teams with their respective records; the Bearkats now stand at an unranked position, while the UTEP Miners also remain unranked. The game unfolded at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, where 5,010 fans witnessed a hard-fought battle.

The UTEP Miners started strong in the first half, scoring 25 points against the Bearkats' 29. Despite their efforts and an eight-point contribution from fast breaks, they trailed by four points as they headed into halftime. The second half saw them add another 29 points to their tally but it wasn't enough to overcome their opponents who scored 36 points in this period.

The home team's offense was led by aggressive plays that resulted in them scoring more than half of their total points inside the paint (28 out of 54). However, shooting efficiency was not on their side; they made only six out of twenty-two three-point attempts which translated to a mere twenty-seven percent success rate from beyond the arc. From closer range, they fared slightly better with a forty-eight percent completion rate on two-point attempts.

Defensively, The Miners showed tenacity with eight steals but were unable to convert these opportunities into significant offensive gains as evidenced by only five points off turnovers compared to thirteen by Sam Houston. Furthermore, despite recording ten assists throughout the game – one more than Sam Houston – and maintaining a higher assist-to-turnover ratio (1.11), it was not sufficient for victory.

On rebounding duties for UTEP were twenty-three personal rebounds including seven offensive boards which contributed to eleven second-chance points; however this effort fell short against Sam Houston's thirty rebounds.

Looking ahead for The Miners is an away game against Jacksonville State Gamecocks scheduled for February 29th at Pete Mathews Coliseum located in Jacksonville Alabama Zip Code:36265. Fans can catch this encounter live on ESPN+ starting at 6:00 PM Central Time as The UTEP Miners look forward to bouncing back from this setback.