The Marshall University men’s basketball team defeated the University of Texas at El Paso Miners in the first round of the 2020 Conference USA Tournament in Frisco, Texas with a final score of 86-78.

The Herd improved to 17-15 (11-8 C-USA), and the Miners capped off its season with a 17-15 (8-11 C-USA) overall record.

“It was a good ball game. We knew it was going to be a good game,” Marshall Head Coach Dan D’Antoni said. “UTEP is a talented team and well-coached. We knew it was going to be a tough game. We made some mistakes at the end, but it was a good game. It’s tournament time so we just have to make sure to get to the next one against a really good tough LA Tech team.”

Marshall was led by sophomore guard Taevion Kinsey, who had 26 points. This was Kinsey’s sixth conference game of the season with 20+ points.

Redshirt freshman guard Andrew Taylor finished with 15 points, junior forward Mikel Beyers had 14 and junior guard Jarrod West capped off the double-digit scoring with 10.

“Taevion did a great job and taking what the defense was giving him and making shots,” West said. “It wasn’t just scoring; he had a great game overall and carried us.”

Redshirt junior forward Jannson Williams’ three blocks puts him in third place all-time with 151, passing Omar Roland (1988-90).

UTEP had three players finish in double-digits. Forward Bryson Williams had 25 points, guard Jordan Lathon finished with 22 and guard Souley Boum had 13 points.

Up next for the Herd, it will face the No. 3 seed Louisiana Tech University on Thursday night at the Ford Center at the Star at 10 p.m ET / 9 p.m. CT.

The rest of the Conference USA Tournament will be closed to the general public due to the ongoing concerns of COVID-19 outbreak. Marshall will be playing without fans to help cheer them through its upcoming game.

“We just have to bring our own energy, just like in practice,” Kinsey said. “We know what we have to do on the bench and on the court during the game. “

Taylor Huddleston can be contacted at [email protected].