GAME NOTES: The quarterfinal round of the Conference USA Tournament kicks off in the afternoon Thursday as the 10th-seeded FIU Panthers battle second-seeded Texas-El Paso Miners at Legacy Arena.

The winner of this game will advance to Friday's semifinal round of the league tournament.

FIU upset seventh-seeded Texas-San Antonio on Wednesday in the first-round matchup in the C-USA Tournament thanks to game-winning heroics for a 57-54 margin. The Panthers head into the quarterfinal clash on a three-game win streak that goes back to the end of the regular season.

Texas-El Paso finished up the regular season with a 21-9 overall record, and went 13-5 against conference competition. The Miners have won two consecutive games entering the tournament, but like most teams in Conference USA, they are searching for their first league title.

FIU and UTEP played only once during the regular season, and the outcome wasn't what the Panthers were looking for. The Miners captured a tight 67-64 victory in Miami back in the early part of February over FIU.

With four seconds left on the clock on Wednesday, UTSA star Keon Lewis drilled a 3-pointer to pull even with FIU, 54-54. But on the ensuing possession, Dennis Mavin buried a game-winning mid-court heave as time expired to give his Panthers the three-point victory, advancing them to the next round. Mavin finished the game with 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists (and six turnovers), while Ray Rodriguez added 14 points of his own. The Panthers held the Roadrunners to a mere 33.9 shooting percentage in the win.

Mavin finished the regular season ranked third in the conference in scoring, netting a team-best 17.1 ppg mark for the Panthers, who as a unit scored 62.3 ppg. Wednesday's win was FIU's first as a member of Conference USA, as last season the Panthers were knocked out after one game. In FIU's loss to UTEP earlier this season, the Miners were able to hang on down the stretch thanks to some crucial free throws. Mavin scored 23 points in the loss, while Daviyon Draper added 21 points and Adrian Diaz tallied a 12-point, 11-rebound double- double.

UTEP closed out the regular season on a high note, defeating Rice by a 68-65 margin. Vince Hunter tallied a double-double of 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Julian Washburn, the conference's Defensive Player of the Year, added 19 points with five assists. Cedrick Lang chipped in with 11 points in the victory.

Hunter concluded the regular season as UTEP's leading scorer, averaging 15.2 ppg with a team-best 9.3 rpg and 31 blocked shots. He was followed by Earvin Morris (11.1 ppg) in the scoring department, while Lang (10.3 ppg) and Washburn (10.0 ppg) also tallied double-digit averages. The Miners have won 10 of their 19 all-time games in the Conference USA Tournament, and will look for their third win this season over UTSA. UTEP beat the Panthers on Feb. 7 thanks to four double-digit scorers in the contest, led by Hunter's 18 points. The Miners held FIU to 3-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc in the win.

UTEP was one of the favorites coming into the new season to take the conference crown with an all-around sturdy lineup. That's still the case as the Miners combine strong guard play from Washburn and Cooper with a talented frontcourt in Hunter and Lang. They should be able to knock off FIU, which needs a strong game from Mavin plus a few others generally to keep pace.