UTEP could never overcome a nightmare of a beginning.
Old Dominion could not miss and the Miners could not make and, as a result, the Miners found themselves in a deep, deep hole ... trailing 21-4 Thursday night in Norfolk, Va.
And, though they cut that lead to four points with over six minutes still to play, UTEP could never climb out of that deep hole. A crowd of 6,887 cheered as the Monarchs cruised to the 74-53 win in the Ted Constant Center.
The Old Dominion win not only dashed UTEP's six-game winning streak, but it might have been a body blow for the Miner hopes of earning that fourth-place finish in the Conference USA standings, the fourth place finish that earns a first-round bye in next month's Conference USA Tournament in Birmingham, Ala.