UTEP Outlasts Alcorn State in Double Overtime, 73-61

In a game that went through highs and lows, the UTEP men's basketball team squeezed out a double overtime victory over Alcorn State, 73-61, in the first game of the Jim Forbes Classic.

Without Otis Frazier III (leg injury in the first half) and Mario McKinney Jr. (out), the Miners were forced to go into a crunch time situation against Alcorn State shorthanded. They got the most out of Calvin Solomon (13 points, nine rebounds), Shamar Givance (10 points) and Tae Hardy (20 points) in the final stretch to earn a win.

The back-and-forth game featured nine lead changes and 10 ties. UTEP led for 36:03 of the game but it much closer than the win indicated. The Miners were able to score nine points in the double overtime portion and never looked back to take the win.

However, their abysmal free throw shooting (22-of-43) and 3-point shooting (1-of-18) hindered the Miners' performance. Not to mention, the Braves forced 12 turnovers against the UTEP offense, which shot 46% from the field.

Both teams combined to go 3-of-40 from beyond the arc. The Braves shot a troubling 30% from the field as well. They were led by Dominic Brewton (17 points) and Byron Joshua (14 points). They also won the rebounding margin, 53-43.

Up next, UTEP (3-1) will face CSU Bakersfield Wednesday, who knocked off Texas A&M Corpus-Christi  (73-66) on Tuesday night. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at the Don Haskins Center. The status for Otis Frazier III is still unknown for the Miners.