It is closing in on the closing act of a basketball season and the drama was an inch thick Saturday afternoon in the Don Haskins Center.
UTEP, though, did its best to clear the air of any drama on this February Saturday, outrunning and outgunning and outscoring Louisiana Tech 91-80 in front of 7,313 noisy, enthusiastic, appreciative fans.
The Miners needed this one. So did the Bulldogs.
Each team came into the old arena white hot Saturday — UTEP winner of five straight, Louisiana Tech winner of three straight and seven of eight. At stake is the fourth spot in the Conference USA standings .