Jorell Saterfield and Jamari Sibley Find Scoring Touch for UTEP

UTEP came into last night's game against Florida A&M trying to prove that Monday night's awful 3-point shooting performance was a fluke. They also needed to find some scoring help with Souley Boum and Christian Agnew both out due to COVID protocols. The good news for head coach Joe Golding was that his team answered both questions against the Rattlers.

The Miners shot 8-23 from downtown, which is much more in line with their 37% shooting from 3-point range prior to the UC Riverside game. UTEP's overall field goal shooting against Florida A&M was an unimpressive 35.6%, but not a surprise. This team will struggle shooting the basketball this season because they lack the consistent outside shooters and low post finishers they need.

However, UTEP did have four players finish in double figures last night. It is no surprise that Jamal Bieniemy (21 points) and Keonte Kennedy (12 points) scored in double figures, although both players shot just 6-16 from the field. What did surprise me was that they were joined by Jorell Saterfield and Jamari Sibley.

Saterfield, the former Las Cruces Mayfield star, was 5-12 from the field including 4-9 from beyond the arc. That is music to the ears of Coach Golding, who needs the Ranger College transfer to continue his three-point shooting this season. Sibley was 3-5 from the field and 2-4 from downtown. He finished with 12 points, including a 5-6 effort from the free throw line. Despite his height, the 6-8 freshman plays more like a guard than a forward. That could help the Miners if Sibley develops his offensive game to become a consistent scorer this season. UTEP needs a supporting cast for Boum, and Saterfield and Sibley both showed that they could be up to the task.