The UTEP men's basketball team couldn't get a key stop late against Boise State and couldn't get enough rebounds at any point as they fell 72-67 Christmas Day to lose two of three games in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic.
The Miners trailed the final 16-45 in falling to 9-4 (1-4 away from the Don Haskins Center) but were within 67-65 with 26 seconds left after Daryl Edwards broke a field-goal drought of more than three minutes with a layup.
But inbounding with 2 seconds left on the shotclock, Boise found Derrick Alston (23 points, nine rebounds, six assists) for an open 5-footer and a four-point lead with 25 seconds left.