GAME NOTES: The Texas-El Paso Miners and the Auburn Tigers will face off in the third-place game of the Diamond Head Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu.
The game represents just the third meeting between the Miners and Tigers, and the former has won both previous meetings, the last one taking place back in 1986.
UTEP will be playing its fifth game in nine days and enters with a 5-6 overall record. The Miners beat Clemson in the opening round of this tournament before losing to Kansas State, 78-70, its last time out. UTEP led in the second half of that semifinal-round matchup before the Wildcats staged a late comeback to end the Miners' modest three-game win streak. Coach Tim Floyd's preaches sound defense to his squad, and it has responded by holding its previous seven opponents under 70 points.
Jacques Streeter scored a season-high 15 points, including 11 in the second half, to lead the Miners against Kansas State. UTEP has shot 48.8 percent from the field in its two Diamond Head Classic games, while foes have made 38.3 percent of their field goals. Michael Perez has scored in double figures in six of the seven games, averaging 16.6 ppg during the stretch. He tallied a career-high 25 points versus Clemson on Thursday, and Perez is the only Miner to score in double figures in both Diamond Head Classic games. Cedrick Lang has reached double figures in two of the last three outings, and he tied his career-high with 12 points on Friday.
Auburn enters this contest with an 8-2 record after dropping a 64-43 decision to Long Beach State on Friday. The loss snapped a four-game win streak as the Tigers reeled off victories over South Florida, North Florida, Florida A&M and Hawaii before the 49ers knocked them off. LBSU held Auburn to a season-low 26.3 percent shooting from the field and a season-low 43 points. Coach Tony Barbee's team will try to bounce back closer to its season averages of 68.1 ppg and 44.8 percent shooting.
Frankie Sullivan was the lone bright spot for the Tigers in their last outing, as he finished with 22 points and six rebounds. Rob Chubb, Kenny Gabriel and Chris Denson, all of whom own double-digit scoring averages for the season, will need to step up against UTEP to help their team avoid its first two-game losing streak of the year.
The Tigers should be able to recover from their poor outing and get back on track against the Miners. UTEP has been playing well lately, but its rebounding ability is inferior to its counterpart in this one.
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Source: http://www.bradenton.com/2011/12/25/3749095/texas-el-paso-5-6-vs-auburn-8.html
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