BOCA RATON, Florida (KTSM) – UTEP (13-16, 6-12 Conference USA) men’s basketball fell to Florida Atlantic (26-3, 16-2 Conference USA) at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena on Saturday.
UTEP’s first and solely lead of the sport got here from the primary basket of the competition. After that, FAU got here again with a 30-8 run to place UTEP down double-digits early on. UTEP managed to chop the deficit right down to 9 factors earlier than halftime however by no means received any nearer.
“Credit to FAU, they stuck together and didn’t move to the portal (last year),” UTEP head coach Joe Golding stated. “They got here again and have a darn good basketball workforce. They hit 11 3-pointers and we had no likelihood. Our ball motion wasn’t good tonight. I assumed we took robust pictures. When you are taking robust pictures and switch it over, they get in transition. It wasn’t fairly for us.
Calvin Solomon led the Miners in scoring with 13 factors on 6-of-10 taking pictures from the ground. Ze’Rik Onyema posted his second profession double-double, as he recorded 11 factors and a career-high 11 rebounds. They had been the one two UTEP gamers to succeed in double figures within the scoring division.
FAU had 4 gamers end the sport in double figures when it got here to scoring. Alijah Martin led the way in which with 21 factors. Johnell Davis had 12 factors. Michael Forrest and Brandon Weatherspoon every contributed 10 factors.
With the win, Florida Atlantic clinched the Conference USA common season title, the primary in program historical past, together with the No. 1 seed within the convention match. The Owls additionally completed the season with an ideal 17-0 report when taking part in at dwelling.
A brief-handed UTEP workforce is prepared to return dwelling to the Don Haskins Center to complete up the common season after their journey to Sunshine State.
“We’ve got to get back to El Paso,” Golding stated. “We’re banged up, we’re hurt. We competed at times, but we have a short bench.”
UTEP will set its sights on grabbing two wins at the Don Haskins Center to complete up the 2022-23 common season. The Miners kick issues off by taking part in host to Western Kentucky on March 2 at 7 p.m.