UTEP spotted Western Kentucky 21 points early Thursday night and then almost ran the Hilltoppers down.
Almost.
Western Kentucky raced away to a 26-5 lead in the opening minutes Thursday night and then held on, held on, held on to survive one last Miner shot, dropping UTEP 65-62 in front of 3,859 fans in E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Ky.
The loss stopped UTEP's brief three-game winning streak, leaving the Miners at 5-14 overall, 3-4 in Conference USA play. Western Kentucky, now 7-1 at home this season, is 10-11 overall and 4-4 in conference play.