Sacramento State’s first trip to El Paso was an unpleasant one.

Not only did the Hornets (2-4) fall to UTEP 69-51, but junior point guard Dylan Garrity left the game in the first half with a left ankle sprain and did not return.

He finished with 6 points off of two early 3-pointers in his 13 minutes of play. 

Sac State started the game in foul trouble as senior forward Jordan Salley, freshman center Eric Stuteville and sophomore guard Cody Demps ended the half with four, three and two fouls, respectively.

The Miners shot 13 more free throws in the first half and finished with a16-5 run.

In the second half, with Garrity on the bench, the Hornets stayed in foul trouble as both Salley and Demps fouled out. They shot a combined 1-5 from the field with 2 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. 

Sac State brought the deficit within 14 points in the second half, but UTEP responded as three players finished the game in double figures, highlighted by McKenzie Moore’s 14 points and seven rebounds.

Although the Hornets shot a season-low 29 percent from the field, junior guard Mikh McKinney finished with a game-high 22 points on 8-17 shooting. He also grabbed four rebounds and took part in four assists.

Sac State returns home to The Nest Dec. 14 to face William Jessup University. The Warriors are  5-7 as an NAIA school with losses against San Francisco State and Cal State East Bay. Tipoff is at 7:05 p.m.

Ryan can be reach on Twitter at @rskuhn