EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- Stefon Jackson scored a career-high 22 points and Jason Williams collected 17, 11 rebounds and 10 assists to lift Texas-El Paso to an 85-66 triumph over Lipscomb in the opening round of the National Invitation Tournament.
It was the 10th consecutive home victory for the Miners (21-9), who advanced to a first-round matchup at top-seeded Michigan on Friday.
The top defensive team in Conference USA, UTEP limited Lipscomb to 36 percent (8-of-22) shooting in the first half and jumped to a 44-23 lead at the break.
A freshman swingman, Jackson shot 4-of-6 from the arc and dished out five assists.
Edgar Moreno and Kevin Henderson scored 13 points apiece for the Miners, who forced 17 turnovers and shot 58 percent (30-of-52).
Playing in its first NIT since 2001, UTEP improved to 4-2 without leading scoring and rebounder John Tofi, who suffered a torn ACL at Memphis on February 22.
Brian Fisk scored 23 points to pace Lipscomb (21-11), which made its first appearance in national postseason play. Eddie Ard added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Bison, who combined for just 27 victories over their previous four campaigns.
