Playing against a team that won 20 games last year as a member of the Horizon League, UTEP knocked down 14 of 24 free throws while the Norse made 30 of 33, wiping out a number of things UTEP did well in the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon in Sioux Falls, S.D.
UTEP trailed most of the game, rarely by double figures, and was within 69-66 inside 4 minutes to go before a five-point NKU run proved more than the Miners could overcome. The Norse shot 50% to UTEP's 38% and the Miners made 8-of-30 3-pointers, as some other old problems of shooting arose. UTEP also struggled to contain NKU's guards, accounting for much of the 24 Miner fouls.
“We’ve got a starting point now,” coach Joe Golding said. “There's plenty that we’ve got to get better at on both sides of the floor. Offensively we shoot 39% for the game, we let them shoot 50%, and then the free throw line they outscored us 16. We had 14 offensive boards and only got 10 points out of it.
“If I'm frustrated with anything, it's the toughness. We’ve got to get tougher on both sides of the ball. There is plenty of work work to do on the offensive and defensive ends. We have to get a lot better this week.”
The Miners lost the boards 39-33.
Freshman Willie Foster led NKU with 24 points and 10 rebounds and senior Noah Pagotto also had a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds.
Freshman Youssouf Traore led the Miners with 18 points and six rebounds, Donovan Criss added 13 points and Augusto Cassia had 10 points.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: NKU opens season with win in Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon