If UTEP’s 2-7 record and No. 337 RPI ranking (351 schools) going into Wednesday night wasn’t convincing enough, the Miners’ matchup with Maryland Eastern Shore proved that UTEP is playing some of the worst basketball in Division I.

Out of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, Maryland Eastern Shore (2-11) exploited the current struggles of UTEP (2-8) to get its first win of the season over a Division I opponent -- beating the Miners 71-66 in the opening round of the Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational and extending UTEP’s losing streak to seven.

“We haven’t been able to finish games,” Maryland Eastern Shore coach Bobby Collins said. “I thought, tonight, we really grew up: we played together. We only had six turnovers, and that played a big part -- and we were able to execute on the other end

“That’s a very talented basketball team [UTEP]. I know -- once they get it together -- that they’re going to be a special team. They can make a big run because they’re talented: They have the size; they have the speed; they can knock down shots.”

Bakari Copeland led the Hawks with 27 points (seven rebounds), Dontae Caldwell put up 13 (nine rebounds), and Ryan Andino added 11 as Maryland Eastern Shore led for 31 of the game’s 40 minutes.

The Miners had three players foul out of the game -- Matt Willms, Paul Thomas, Jake Flaggert -- and four score in double figures. Willms led UTEP with 16 points (seven rebounds), Thomas scored 13 (five rebounds), Dominic Artis had a double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds), and Omega Harris put up 12 (six rebounds).

Both teams struggled to score through the first 10 minutes, putting up a combined 23 points and missing a total of 21 shots.

After exchanging five lead changes through that sloppy first quarter of the game, UMES put an end to the ugly back-and-forth contest and held on to its time-dominating lead into the second half.

The Hawks led by as many as nine points through the course of almost 22 minutes, until UTEP hustled back to create the game’s second tie with 9:19 to play (48-48) -- when the game had really just begun.

Through the final nine minutes, the Miners and Hawks exchanged 12 lead changes and tied seven times.

A 3-ball from Bakari Copeland with 2:35 to play gave UMES the game-clinching lead as UTEP finished 2-of-5 from the field with a missed 1-and-1 free throw.