Middle Tennessee comes from behind to take down UTEP 76-75 in overtime thriller

Saturday, March 1

El Paso, Texas

3 p.m.

Middle Tennessee

20-9,11-5CUSA

UTEP

17-12,7-9CUSA

OT 1

Middle Tenn.

UTEP

3/1/2025 11:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Game Book

By: Logan Hasselbach

EL PASO, Texas – The Middle Tennessee men's basketball team's 20th win of the season was nothing short of exhilarating. The team traveled to the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas, to face an angry UTEP team that had dropped three-straight contests at the time in an environment that can feel overpowering at times. Despite trailing for most of the game, the Blue Raiders once again found a way, downing the Miners 76-75 in overtime, to sweep their West Coast road trip.

The game started as a low scoring affair, with Middle Tennessee taking the first lead of the game on a layup from Essam Mostafa off a Torey Alston assist. The two squads would exchange baskets back and forth in the opening half of the first frame, neither team getting more than a four-point lead. UTEP seemed to find its rhythm at the ten-minute mark, finally stretching its lead to five points with an and-one in the paint.

The Miners got up ten with seven minutes left in the first half for their biggest lead of the evening, but MT refused to let them get further. For each shot UTEP made, the Raiders were right there with one of their own through the back half of the first 20. MTSU shortened the lead to just two heading into the locker room at 33-31, though it was evident there was still room to improve in the second half. While the Blue Raiders held the Miners to just two made threes on 12 attempts, they also struggled to find the basket from deep, also making two on 15 attempts.

Coming out of the break, UTEP found an early dunk to get the lead back out to four. Alston then connected on a tip-in dunk from a missed Jestin Porter jumper, while Essam Mostafa drained his first three-point shot of the season to silence the El Paso crowd, as it became a one-point game. A couple of Blue Raider turnovers gave good balls to the nation's leading team in forcing turnovers, with UTEP getting out to a nine-point lead with 15 left to play in regulation. The score differential stayed right around eight until the under 4 media, where back-to-back three-pointers from Porter and Jlynn Counter immediately changed the momentum in favor of the Blue Raiders, who were back within four.

The Miners got a dunk right out of the timeout, which would prove to be their final points of regulation at 66, but MTSU refused to go away. The team, who had not seen a lead since less than six minutes into the first frame, kicked the ball out to Kamari Lands, who has been slowly increasing his minutes since returning from injury. In what seemed like a return to his pre-injury form, the junior nailed his second triple of the game to shrink the lead to three with two minutes left on the clock.

As MTSU's energy continued to climb, UTEP began to make little mistakes. A lost ball turnover from Kevin Kalu, who led the team in scoring on the evening, made its way to Counter from Lands. As he does in clutch moments, the senior drilled the shot for a tie game, forcing UTEP to take a timeout.

Though UTEP had two possessions in the final minute of play, both teams were unable to find the basket, sending the game into overtime, tied at 66 apiece. Prior to Saturday's game, MTSU had only played in one overtime game this season, against Ohio at the Myrtle Beach Invitational, emerging victorious in that contest.

In what was a quiet game from Porter, he got the first points of the overtime period on a driving layup from Counter. UTEP responded, getting its lead out to four with two minutes left in the extra time. Immediately following the media timeout, Mostafa drove the ball to the basket, followed by another layup from Counter to tie things up with 1:12 to play. A Blue Raider foul sent a Miner to the courtesy stripe, where they knocked down one of two free throws awarded to regain the lead with 20 seconds on the clock.

Unwilling to go away, MTSU struck again, this time on a Lands layup and foul with five ticks to go for the one-point lead. Though he missed the free throw awarded, UTEP was unable to capitalize on the final possession, with Counter getting the final block on a layup to keep the Blue Raiders in the win column.

Lands truly found his stride again in the contest, tallying 11 points, three rebounds and a team-leading four assists. Cam Weston was a difference-maker in the game, scoring 11 with five boards and four dimes as well. Mostafa earned his 50th career double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds, tacking on two blocks in his 12th of the season.

By the Numbers
2-0: Winning both contests in the NM State-UTEP road trip, the weekend marked the first time this season that the Blue Raiders have swept a road stand.
16: With 20 wins already, the 2024-25 season becomes the 16th 20-win season in MT history.
50: Scoring 16 pts and bringing down 16 boards, Essam Mostafa earned his 50th career double-double.
11: Kamari Lands earned his first double-figure scoring game since December 23, 2024, after missing most of conference play due to injury.