SMU forward Mouhammad Faye dunks a rebound during play against UTEP Wednesday night at Moody Coliseum. (MICHAEL DANSER/The Daily Campus)

The SMU men’s basketball team’s dream of upsetting Conference USA’s top ranked team was crushed last night at Moody Coliseum, when the University of Texas at El Paso overcame a slow first half for their second win of the season over the Mustangs, 62-51.
 

This is the second meeting this season between the two teams. The Mustangs traveled to El Paso over winter break on January 6 and fell just short in that game, 49-45. However, a recent stretch of victories boosted confidence for SMU and the team entered the game with high hopes.
 

The first half was a slow affair, with each team testing out the other’s defense. UTEP scored first with a 3-pointer by Jeremy Williams; however, SMU answered right back with a 3-pointer by sophomore Robert Nyakundi.
 

The Miners scored again and kept the lead for most of the first half, with the Mustangs playing catch-up the whole time. However, with five minutes remaining, SMU went on an 8-1 run to take the lead heading into the locker room, 24-22.
 

A large part of SMU’s success in the first half was their rebounding advantage over the Miners, 20-13. The Mustangs also shot the ball better, making 38.1-percent of their shots, compared to just 29.6-percent for UTEP. But, SMU allowed the Miners to stay in the game with eight turnovers that led to nine points for the Miners.
 

The second half was all UTEP from the start. The Miners’ Derrick Caracter was a force in the paint, totaling 12 points and five rebounds in the second half alone.
 

While the Mustangs held the edge in rebounds in the first half, UTEP took over in the second, claiming 25 rebounds to SMU’s 10. The Mustangs attempted to get back in the game via 3-pointers, but were only able to make two out of their 10 attempts.
 

While SMU’s shooting percentage dipped a little in the second half, from 38.1-percent to 31-percent, UTEP’s shooting percentage doubled, going from 29.6-percent to a staggering 60.9-percent.
 

The Mustangs take to the court again in Houston to challenge the University of Houston Cougars on Saturday, Feb. 13. This will be the first game of two between the Mustangs and Cougars this season.