SMU Edged By UTEP, 59-56
DALLAS (AP) – UTEP clinched a bye in the first round of the Conference USA tournament by defeating SMU 59-56 on Saturday. SMU finishes 8-8 in Conference USA and will be the No. 7 or No. 8 seed in the Conference USA Championship. The eight wins are the most for the Mustangs since joining Conference USA. SMU will face Rice, Houston or UCF in the first round on Wednesday.
The Miners (23-8, 11-5), who will host the conference tournament in El Paso, got 18 points from Christian Polk, 16 from Jeremy Williams and 13 from Randy Culpepper. They will carry the No. 2 or No. 3 seed into the tournament, depending on the outcome of Tulsa’s game later Saturday.
Papa Dia, a Conference USA Player of the Year finalist, led SMU (17-13, 8-8) with 19 points and eight rebounds. Collin Mangrum added 14 points and Mike Walker had 11. The Mustangs will be a No. 7 or No. 8 seed and play their first-round game on Wednesday.
SMU got a 3-pointer from Walker with 5 seconds left in the game to pull within 57-56, and then fouled immediately. But Culpepper hit both two free throws for the Miners and a last-second 3-pointer by the Mustangs’ Robert Nyakundi was off the mark.
