UTEP's season officially ended on Wednesday night as they fell to former WAC rival Fresno State 61-56 in the opening round of the CBI.

For the 5,688 fans in attendance, it was a harsh reality that this was the final time they will see their team play this year.  The Miners simply fell apart at the most crucial part of the season and got ice cold going into March when everything is on the line.  When the 16 team field was announced for the CBI many speculated that UTEP could go quite far in the tournament or even win the whole thing.

This team which flourished in January and half way through February simply ran out of gas and their lack of efficient guard play finally caught up to them.  The game was a classic renewal of the former conference foes going back and forth for much of the contest.  It came down to the wire when Fresno State led 54-53 with 1:57 left.  Following a Bulldog's turnover Julian Washburn missed a three pointer with 1:03 remaining in the game.  The miss proved to be crucial as Fresno State put the nail in the coffin when Paul Watson hit a three pointer with just 27 seconds left to put the Bulldogs up 57-53.

For the Miners the loss also meant the end to a brilliant collegiate career for John Bohannon who displayed his obvious frustration by slamming the ball on the court as the final buzzer sounded.  Bohannon finished his UTEP career by scoring 18 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks.  He tallied 1,204 points as a Miner which is 17th best in school history.  The Miners are usually a virtual lock to win on their home court, but this season they lost seven games at home, including their final two games and four of their last six.

They finished up the season with a respectable 23-11 record and will forever live on in the hearts of Miner fans for their resilient and fearless play throughout a turbulent season.  Following the game Coach Floyd discussed the loss and also talked about how he feels that fans will remember this team.  Here is the complete post game audio.

 

 

 

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