Boxscore

UTEP hit on 71.4 percent of its shots in the second half Thursday as the Miners took a 76-65 win over Louisiana Tech before a crowd of 2,517 of Thomas
Assembly Center.

The Miners climbed to 21-5 overall and 12-4 in the Western Athletic Conference while the Bulldogs are now 13-12 and 7-8.

It wasn't that the Bulldogs didn't keep things close; Tech led as late the final 3:15 of the first half and trailed by as few as three points with 11 minutes remaining.

UTEP's largest advantage was by 13 points, and the Miners simply had too much firepower for the younger Bulldogs to overcome.

"I can't fault our players because the effort was there," Tech coach Keith Richard said. "We knew going in we'd have to play very well to win. UTEP is a very good team and we're just not there yet. They've got more and they showed that tonight."

Omar Thomas put on much of the show for UTEP as the 6-5, 205-pound forward hit on 13-of-18 shots from the floor while pouring in a career-high 32 points and adding seven rebounds.

"He's a mismatch for everyone they play," Richard said of Thomas. "He's fast and can get around a big defender or just go up over a smaller guard."

Dean hit on 8-of-19 shots from the floor and led the Bulldogs with 20 points while Paul Millsap chalked up his 16th double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds for Tech.

Louisiana Tech connected on 40.3 percent (25-62) of its shots from the floor while the Miners hit on 53.7 percent (29-54) of their overall shots, including a blistering 15-of-21 in the second half.

"They have what you call great athletes," Richard said. "They move easy on the floor and that's why UTEP is so good at pressuring and playing man-to-man."

UTEP had a decided advantage at the free throw line, hitting on 14-of-17 attempts while the Bulldogs connected on 6-of-9 attempts from the charity stripe.

"They drew fould and made free throws," Dean said. "They lead the conference in free throws and we tried to keep them from getting to the line, but they just stuck to their game plan and did what they do best."

Tech did win the battle of the boards, outrebounding UTEP 37-30. But 20 turnovers forced by UTEP's swarming defense proved costly for the Bulldogs.

Filiberto Rivera added 13 points for UTEP while Roy Smallwood chipped in with 10.

Tech returns to action on Saturday when the Bulldogs play host to Boise State in a 7 p.m. contest at the TAC.