EL PASO, Texas  — John Bohannon had 17 points and 14 rebounds and UTEP closed the game on an 18-6 run Wednesday night to defeat East Carolina 70-56.
Gabriel McCulley added 16 points for UTEP, which shot 52 percent from the field and out-rebounded the Pirates 39-19. Julian Washburn had 12 points and Michael Perez 10.
Maurice Kemp and Miguel Paul each had 14 points, and Darrius Morrow added 12 for East Carolina (9-8, 0-4), which has lost four straight.
Paris Roberts-Campbell put East Carolina ahead, 45-43, with a 3-pointer and 12:26 showing on the clock. The Miners then scored nine unanswered points to take a seven-point lead, 52-45.
The Miners (10-9, 3-2 Conference USA) led 52-50 with 8:25 left in the game, but pulled away when East Carolina missed all eight of its 3-point attempts, was 2-for-12 overall from the field and committed two turnovers down the stretch.
The Pirates held brief leads on three occasions against UTEP — at 7-6, 42-41 and 45-43 — marking the first times at any point in the last four games they have been ahead on the scoreboard.
Both teams shot the ball well in the first half with the Pirates connecting on 50 percent of its field goal attempts (13-26) and UTEP shooting an astonishing 71.4 percent (15-21). The Miners scored 24 of their 36 first half points in the paint.
UTEP made 18-of-21 free throw attempts while the Pirates didn’t shoot their foul shot until there was less than two minutes remaining in the contest.
The Pirates travel to Houston to face the home standing Cougars on Saturday at 8 p.m. EST.