|
UTEP's Christian Polk got hot in the second half and scored from beyond th arc.
Photo: Brax - VPC
|
UTEP Miners Take Over First Place with Win Over Tulsa.
|
UTEP's Claude Britten joined in the great effort and just got this 3-point shot over the defenders outreached hand.
Photo: Brax - VPC
|
T
he stage was set for a big 'ol showdown at the "Don", Don Haskins Center at the Univerity of Texas at El Paso, as the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes cames into town tied with UTEP for the lead in Conference - USA. The winner was going to have sole possesion of first place with just a handful of conference games to be played before the conference championship tournament got underway.
So there was no pretense or misunderstandings or need to make excuses Saturday night; both teams knew what was on the line and played tough right from the start. In fact, everyone at the Don knew what was at stake and the game had drawn a sold-out capacity crowd of 12,092 and the place was loud. Not Duke or Kentucky loud but loud compared to most games.
Tulsa, who had won four straight games against UTEP and the last two times in the "Don" came to El Paso to rip the heart out of the Miners and end thier six game conference win streak. But, this is the 2010 Miners. And as we stated in an earlier article... the loss in the CBI last year at home seems to have made an impression on this team and they have plenty of fight in them.
UTEP used the crowd to gain some momentum and got out to an early lead en route to a 73-59 victory as the Miners blew the stuffing out of the Hurricanse in the second half. But Tulsa will have one more shot at UTEP in two weeks at Tulsa hoping for perhaps a coin flip to get the conference crown.
|
The Minder banged in the paint as well as shooting from outside.
Photo: Brax - VPC
|
In the first half the Miners came out very aggressive against Tulsa. Derrick Caracter was dominanting under the boards and hit some long shots early to give the Miners plenty of momentum which got the fans off of their seats. Caracter cooled off later in the first half but continued to shot and he stayed in the game because of his rebounding. He got hot again in the second half and finished the game with 12-points and 12-rebounds.
Caracter was named Conference USA Rookie of the Week following two great games against Houston and Tulsa. He added to his double-double total in both games.
UTEP's season had been streaky. They started the season with five straight wins then lost to NMSU on their home court after beating them in Las Cruces the week prior. Then they lost a bunch as there were close loses to big schools and on the road.
Against Tulsa, the Miners looked like the pieces were finally falling into place as the Miners put the finishing touches on a seven-game winning streak which just happens to be the longest conference winning streak for UTEP since the 1986-87. Back then the Miners, who were then in the Western Athletic Conference, posted eight consecutive victories.
|
These diehard Miner fans were part of the capacity crowd at the "Don" to watch the Miners take on Tulsa.
Photo: Brax - VPC
|
Arnett Moultrie had a big game as well. Head coach Tony Barbee said that “A lot of our guys played well, but tonight was Arnett’s best performance of the season," as he also achieved a double-double. Barbee added "It has been one of our goals (to be in first place)", and "we have put ourselves in the driver’s seat". Moultrie had 10 points and 11 rebounds but was key in keeping the Miner offense running smoothly with key tip-ins and rebounds.
After the teams battled to a 30-30 stalemate at the half, UTEP limited Tulsa to seven field goals and 35 percent shooting in the second period. The Miners forced nine turnovers after halftime. But, the Miners were up by 7-points before Tulsa came back to take the lead in the first half on the shooting of Tulsa star Jerome Jordan.
The Miners trailed 37-33 then got back in form at the start of a big run and led 59-46 after it, holding Tulsa to two field goals in-between. Jordan picked up his third personal foul early in the second half with his team leading 35-31 and that seemed to jump-start the Miners, who scored 16 of the game’s next 19 points to surge to a 47-38 lead. The Golden Hurricane couldn’t get closer than eight points after that.
A key for the Miners was a 38-29 rebounding advantage, including 29-21 on the defensive glass, over a Tulsa team that led the league with a margin of +8.2 entering the night.
Four UTEP players scored in double figures led by Jeremy Williams, who scored 10 of his 15 points in the second half. Williams was lighting it up with near pin-point perfection, shooting 6-out-of-7 shots while making both of his 3-point attempts. In addition to his 15 points Williams added four rebounds.
The first half shooting percentages were equal at 44% but the Miners shot at a torrid pace in the second half at 52% while Tulsa cooled off to 35% especially with Jerome Jordan picking up 3 quick second-half fouls and having to sit a good portion of the seond half. The Miners shot 48.1 percent for the game.
With their seventh straight conference victory, the Miners (17-5, 8-1 C-USA) moved a game ahead of the Golden Hurricane (18-5, 7-2 C-USA) into sole possession of first place in the Conference USA standings. UAB is tied with Tulsa for second place at 19-4 overall and 7-2 in league action.
The win over Tulsa is just the kind of win that has been missing in past years. A Miner victory that didn't fizzle in the second half. And against a good team like Tulsa this may be a key victory in what may be a long run toward gaining a berth in the NCAA Championship Tournament. But, for now, the Miners have their sights on the C-USA crown and the automatic bid.
There's no point in leaving the tournament invitation to luck or to the selection committee. The Miners have yet to be given any respect by the Coaches poll even though Tulsa and UAB have been given votes... and the Miners beat them both.
Prepared by WestsideReader staff.
(Photos: Brax - Valley Publishing Company)
Send feedback to:
Editor,
WestsideREADER.com
| 
