HUNTSVILLE – Sam Houston led the bulk of the way, but a late 3-point bucket by UTEP pushed the Miners to a 64-62 win on Saturday afternoon at Johnson Coliseum. 

The Bearkats (7-5, 0-2 CUSA) held a 53-46 advantage heading into the final quarter; however, the Miners outshot the Bearkats 48 percent to 35 percent in the final period. 

That lead remained until the final minute when UTEP finally surged ahead, 61-60 on a layup from Ndack Mbengue with 41 seconds to play. The Bearkats responded to go back up by a point when Whitney Dunn canned a 15-foot jumper on the ensuing possession.  

But the Kats could not get the stop they needed on the Miners' final trip when guard Delma Zita found Ivane Tensaie on the right wing where she canned UTEP's sixth triple of the game with less than six seconds to play.  

Sam Houston got off one final attempt, but Sydnee Kemp's last-second 3-pointer went wayward. 

Deborah Ogayemi scored a career-high 19 points for Sam Houston, just missing a double-double with nine rebounds and five steals. 

Kyleigh McGuire and Dunn each added 12 points, while Aysia Ward-Strong contributed 10. Fanta Kone was also just shy of a double-double with 11 rebounds and nine assists. 

Sam Houston will head east to face Liberty on Thursday. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT and will air on ESPN+.