In their final game of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off in Myrtle Beach, the Miners were playing to salvage one win from the three games in the tournament. The Appalachian State Mountaineers, who had also lost two games, had other ideas.
The hot shooting Mountaineers defeated the Miners 76-72 with a big first half, and despite a major UTEP comeback led by graduate transfer Keith Frazier’s 25 points, it was missed free throws down the stretch that doomed the Miners.
“They played really well. They shot the ball exceedingly well in the first half, making eight threes. We didn’t close to them very well,” said UTEP head coach Tim Floyd following the team’s third loss in four days.