This time the UTEP men didn't leave it to the last. This time, when the Miners jumped on Southern Miss on Saturday afternoon, they didn't open the door, they didn't throw away the ball, they didn't throw away the game.
UTEP opened the second half with an eight-point run, added a seven-point run shortly after that to go up 15, got contributions from everywhere and rode it home to a 77-62 victory Saturday in Hattiesburg.
A road split still stings after the late blown lead Friday, but road wins are rare enough at UTEP that their trip to Mississippi can count as a success.