The New Mexico State Aggies (13-13, 6-10 CUSA) men’s basketball team played a home game against conference rival UTEP Miners (10-17, 6-10 CUSA) on Saturday, Feb. 21. This game marked the final Battle of I-10 as a conference game, and lived up to the hype, as a packed Pan American Center added to the tense atmosphere. The Aggies walked away with the 67-63 victory.
The game was energetic from the get-go, as both teams had something to prove. The historic rivalry as a conference game is coming to a close, as UTEP is moving to the Mountain West conference. The Miners were hoping to end the series on a win, while the Aggies viewed this as a revenge game.
(Karla Hernandez Chew)
Both teams saw some struggles offensively. UTEP as a team shot 40% from the field and 30% from beyond the arc. They were efficient from the free throw line, as they shot 11-13 on the night. Jamal West Jr. led the way for the Miners offense, with 22 points, followed by Caleb Blackwell with 18. Kaseem Watson hauled in 13 rebounds, which helped in the Miners’ efforts.
The Aggies were just a step ahead of the Miners the whole way through. Collectively, they were 41% from the field, and 31% from the three– pointer line. Jamel Jones was the Aggies top scorer on the night with 21 points, and Jae’Coby Osborne followed behind with 16 points.
The tense matchup ended in an on-court scuffle. Following the buzzer, tensions flared after an exchange between the teams, and security had to step in to separate players, and keep fans off the court.
New Mexico State has two away games at Western Kentucky on Feb. 26 and Middle Tennessee State on Feb. 28. They close out the regular season with two straight home games. With this win, the chances of the Aggies making the CUSA tournament look favorable.
UTEP hopes to finish the season strong to sneak into the CUSA tournament. Their next games are in reverse order of the Aggies, taking on Middle Tennessee State on Feb. 26 and Western Kentucky on Feb. 28.
