EL PASO, Texas (AP) - Omega Harris set career highs with 27 points and 10 rebounds, and UTEP held off Charlotte 74-67 in Saturday’s regular-season finale to clinch the No. 4 seed in next week’s Conference USA Tournament.
Paul Thomas added 15 with 11 boards for his sixth double-double of the season for the Miners (14-16, 12-6), who shot 44 percent from the floor and held the 49ers to 38 percent. Matt Willms scored 11 points and Dominic Artis had 10.
Charlotte twice closed to within two points early in the second half, but UTEP led 40-31 after Thomas’ layup and by 11, 54-43, on his jumper with 9:38 left. The 49ers closed to within three on Braxton Ogbueze’s 3 with 3:31 to go, but the Miners got four straight stops and led 71-60. Charlotte closed to 72-67 on Hudson Price’s layup with 30 seconds to go but got no closer.
Andrien White scored 15, Austin Ajukwa had 13, and Benas Griciunas 10 for Charlotte (13-16, 7-11).
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