East Central University out of the Division II's Lone Star Conference arrived at the Haskins Center on a cold, rainy night for a matchup with the Miners that amounted to a practical, glorified exhibition.

As UTEP tunes up for a rematch with NMSU in Las Cruces, Kaden Archie made his debut -- showing glimpses of his high-level playmaking ability -- but Bryson Williams became the night's center of attention in the Miners' 91-71 win over East Central.

Williams finessed his way to a 15-of-17 performance from the field, dominantly crafting a 33-point, 12-rebound double-double in just 25 minutes. Nigel Hawkins (12 points, 8 assists) and Daryl Edwards (11 points) followed Williams in double digits, while six other Miners scored.

Though the Miners led the entire way, it was a game of contrasting halves as the Tigers played with a competitive intensity in the first half but were unable to sustain it -- withering away in the second.

After Bryson Williams scored the game's first nine points 2:36 into play, East Central responded with five points that made it 9-5 as the clock read 14:25. Through the next 10 minutes, UTEP's lead fluctuated from a high of 10 (15-5, 17-7) to a low of 1 (18-19) and back to 10 (31-21) with 4:00 on the clock.

The Miners went on to take a half-high lead of 15 (36-21) at 2:55, but East Central finished on a 9-0 run that mirrored UTEP's start to the game -- putting the Tigers within 6 (36-30) at halftime.

UTEP scored the the first eight points out of the locker rooms that put the Miners up 14 (44-30), but the Tigers played their way back within 5 (45-40) after a 10-1 run. East Central was within 5 (47-42) a final time at 14:32 after the teams exchanged baskets, and UTEP sprinted away to lead by double digits for the final 13 minutes.

The Miner lead ballooned to a game-high 27 points twice (81-54, 83-56) before settling back down to the game-deciding 20.