EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The UTEP men’s basketball team suffered a 74-70 loss to New Mexico on Monday night in an exhibition game at The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The Lobos took an 11-0 lead early in the game. UTEP overcame the tough start and battled back to make it a competitive game against one of the best mid-major college basketball programs in the entire country.

Otis Frazier III led the Miners in Monday night’s contest by scoring 21 points on 8 of 14 shooting from the floor. UTEP’s only preseason All-CUSA team selection made four three-pointers and had two steals in the contest. The only other Miners player to finish the game with double-digit points was senior forward Derick Hamilton. The Baton Rouge, Louisiana, product had 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor. Hamilton also had five rebounds. Hamilton was the leading scorer on the UTEP bench, scoring 28 points.

UTEP forced New Mexico into 25 turnovers in the contest.

New Mexico’s leading scorer in the game was Donovan Dent, who scored 19 points on 5 of 6 shooting from the floor. Dent also shot 8 of 10 from the free throw line. Tru Washington was the Lobos’ second-leading scorer in the game with 17 points.

UTEP will see a lot of New Mexico when it joins the Mountain West in 2026, but for now the Miners have their sights set on next Monday’s 2024-25 season opener against Sul Ross State at the Don Haskins Center.

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