The New Mexico State Aggies (11-12, 4-9 CUSA) men’s basketball team travelled down the road to take on the UTEP Miners (9-15, 5-8) in the second to last installment of the Battle of I-10, Feb. 7. The Aggies hoped to continue the momentum they got after defeating Louisiana Tech, while UTEP needed to bounce back after a loss to Sam Houston.
The game was a tense matchup, given the nature of this historical rivalry. Late in the second half, there was a scuffle after a foul on NMSU. Benches cleared, but no one was ejected from the game.
The game started strongly in the Aggie’s favor, as their offense took advantage of opportunities, and they were able to maintain steady pace over the Miners. The Aggies shot 44% from the field, and 42% from beyond the arc, while UTEP was 39% from the field and 34% from the three.
Struggles began for the Aggies when UTEP began capitalizing on the weak help side defense, getting a hold of 49 rebounds. UTEP gave the Aggies trouble in the paint, and their defense ended the night with eight blocks.
With the Aggies steadily leading throughout the whole game, momentum took over in the Miners’ favor. The Miners started responding to opportunities and slowly started chopping away at NMSU’s lead. The second half favored the Miners, and they eventually forced overtime.
Overtime was a close back and forth slug fest, but the Miners took the lead on late free throws by Caleb Blackwell with only seconds to spare. The Aggies hoped to respond, but a close miss sealed the game for the Miners.
Jemel Jones led the way for the Aggies, having 26 points on the night, with Anthony Wrzeszcz following behind with 14 points. On the Miners side, two players had over 20 points, with Caleb Blackwell cashing in 21, and Jamal West Jr. close behind with 20.
New Mexico State now is ranked 11th out of 12 in the CUSA standings, and hopes of making the CUSA tournament in Huntsville, AL look bleak. However, they’ll have an opportunity to respond as they eye a potential upset against the CUSA frontrunner Liberty Flames (20-3, 12-0 CUSA). UTEP has a meeting in Jacksonville against the Jax State Gamecocks (13-10, 8-4 CUSA).
