Tigers stunned by UTEP 60-58

A last second three point attempt by Tigers sophomore Will Barton fell short as the University of Memphis Tigers basketball team ((19-8, 9-3 in Conference USA) lost a game that they once controlled by as many as 13 points to Texas-El Paso (13-13, 6-6 in C-USA) at home, 60-58.

Memphis easily was the aggressor in the first half. The Tigers began the game on a 9-0 run before UTEP finally scored a bucket. The lead quickly grew to 13, at 19-6, but the Miners began to fight back. By halftime the score was initially ruled 28-22. But a last second three point attempt to beat the halftime buzzer by UTEP was ruled late and the Tigers took a 28-19 into intermission.

After halftime the Tigers came out lethargic. UTEP started the second half on a 5-0 run to close the gap to 28-24. The Tigers would answer back with a couple of buckets of their own, but UTEP would not be pushed over. Poor shooting and offensive execution by the Tigers down the stretch allowed the Miners to take their first lead of the game at 57-55 after a pair of free throws by UTEP's Cedrick Lang. And that's what set the stage for an upset of the Tigers - Will Barton's missed three-pointer at the buzzer gave UTEP its second win in Memphis in six games.

"When you lose a game, the coach has to take the blame so I got to take it all," said Josh Pastner, head coach for the Tigers. "Nobody played well today, besides Tarik Black. Everyone else laid an egg today - including me."

Tigers' sophomore Tarik Black had the game of his life in a Tigers uniform. UTEP had no answer for the Memphis big man. Being the only person on Memphis to score in double figures, Black finished the game with 26 points, 10 rebounds, on 10-of-13 shooting from the field. No other Tigers player scored more than 10 points - Will Barton was the closest Tiger to Black, scoring nine points.

"It wasn't just a game we lost, we lost more than that today and it really hurts," Barton said. "I let the team down, I let my coaches down, I let myself down. I can't play like this and expect us to win. "I was terrible, defensively I was off," Barton said. "I sucked today - and I can't do that."

The Tigers will remain home for their next C-USA matchup. On Wednesday they take on the Pirates of East Carolina. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.