El Paso, TX (Sports Network) – Randy Culpepper poured in 33 points to lead the Texas-El Paso Miners to a 76-64 victory over the Houston Cougars in a Conference USA matchup at the Don Haskins Center.
Claude Britten added 14 points for the Miners (20-6, 8-3 C-USA).
Alandise Harris paced Houston (12-13, 4-8) in defeat, as he netted 18 points. Maurice McNeil added 13 points and seven rebounds and Zamal Nixon finished with 11 points and six assists.
The Miners jumped out to a 36-28 lead at the break, as they held Houston to just 32.3 percent first half shooting.
Texas-El Paso put the game away by connecting on 16-of-18 free throws over the final 20 minutes of action.
The Miners played physical ball, outscoring the Cougars 36-28 in the paint.