Watson leads UTEP against Western Kentucky after 23-point outing

By Canadian Press on January 10, 2026.

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (9-6, 2-2 CUSA) at UTEP Miners (5-10, 1-3 CUSA)

El Paso, Texas; Saturday, 4 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: UTEP hosts Western Kentucky after Kaseem Watson scored 23 points in UTEP’s 83-80 overtime win against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders.

The Miners are 5-2 in home games. UTEP is 2-1 in one-possession games.

The Hilltoppers have gone 2-2 against CUSA opponents. Western Kentucky ranks eighth in the CUSA with 13.4 assists per game led by Teagan Moore averaging 2.6.

UTEP scores 70.7 points per game, 6.3 fewer points than the 77.0 Western Kentucky allows. Western Kentucky scores 9.0 more points per game (81.9) than UTEP allows (72.9).

The matchup Saturday is the first meeting this season for the two teams in conference play.

TOP PERFORMERS: Elijah Jones is averaging 14.1 points for the Miners. Watson is averaging 14.3 points over the last 10 games.

Ryan Myers averages 2.2 made 3-pointers per game for the Hilltoppers, scoring 9.9 points while shooting 41.8% from beyond the arc. Moore is shooting 46.0% and averaging 16.3 points over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Miners: 2-8, averaging 66.3 points, 30.0 rebounds, 11.2 assists, 7.3 steals and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 41.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 73.8 points per game.

Hilltoppers: 5-5, averaging 78.9 points, 36.8 rebounds, 13.3 assists, 7.2 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 39.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 77.4 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The Associated Press