SE Closes Exhibition Run with Loss at UTEP

EL PASO, Texas – Southeastern got off to a slow start and found itself in an early hole it was unable to climb out of en route to a 105-58 loss on Sunday afternoon to Texas-El Paso in El Paso, Texas.
 
The loss brings the team's three-game Division I exhibition tour to a close with the season opener against Central Oklahoma at 2 p.m. on Nov. 14 in Tahlequah, Okla., now squarely in the team's headlights.
 
SE had a tough shooting night from everywhere on the court, hitting 35.9 percent from the field which included a 21.7 percent effort from behind the arc, while hitting 7-of-12 from the free throw line.
 
Conversely, the Miners shot 59.2 percent from the floor, including a 43.8 percent clip from three-point range.
 
Danny Powell paced the team with 14 points on 6-of-15 shooting, while Nathan Jackson added 12 points on 5-of-7 from the floor.
 
Taylor Smaller checked in with nine points, while Darius Harris chipped in eight, hitting both three point shots he put up.
 
Anton Cook collected a team-best three assists.
 
SE spread its rebounding around with Powell pulling down a team-high five boards, while seven of the 10 players who saw action pulled in at least three rebounds each.
 
UTEP scored the first four points of the game before Smaller connected on a three to put the Storm on the board.
 
The Miners would follow with a 9-2 run to open up a 13-5 lead before Antonio Worthy connected on a layup off a Cook pass.
 
UTEP would push its lead to double digits by the 14:19 mark at 17-7 and steadlily pull away over the remainder of the first half to take a 52-25 lead at the break.
 
The Miners scored first out of the break and led by 29 points, but a three by Powell and a layup by Jackson would cut the deficit back to 24 points, but that was as close as the game would get.
 
UTEP would score the next eight points and outscore the Storm 53-33 over the second half to open up the 105-58 final score.