By Diego Cruz-Castruita
The UTEP’s men’s basketball (12-4, 2-1 Conference USA) team took on New Mexico State University’s (NMSU) men’s basketball (10-6, 3-0 CUSA) in a sold-out Don Haskins Center on Jan. 11, ending with the Miners falling short 85-57 in the Battle of I-10.
Since their first encounter in December 2004, the Miners and NMSU Aggies have gone head-to-head 39 times, sparking a rivalry between the two to claim the 1-10. The Aggies have dominated, having 23 wins, leaving the Miners with 16 wins in men’s basketball.
While the Miners sought victory for the first seven minutes of the game, leading 13-12, the Aggies eventually got the lead. The Miners faltered having a gap no less than 11 points throughout the game.
In the first half, a surge in points by the Aggies led to a 16-point deficit from the Miners. With almost five minutes of unanswered points, junior guard Ahamad Bynum scored a 3-pointer, and sophomore guard David Terrell Jr. made back-to-back layups to help close the gap, ending the half with a score of 38-25.
Entering the second half, the Aggies continued their onslaught and gave the Miners no room to respond. To end the game, the Aggies led with a 28-point difference, 85-57.
Losing their six-game win streak, the Miners suffered in their shooting percentages. The Miners connected on 36% while the Aggies surpassed them with 56.7%.
Terrell said the major point deficit was a learning curve to bounce back and keep working hard.
“We got to get back to practicing hard. I feel like we got comfortable in practices when we start winning, we can’t do that,” Terrell said. “It’s a tough league and we can’t expect to win any game when we get comfortable.”
Even though Terrell had a career-high of 17 points, he said that he needs to improve on making a difference in practice for him and his own teammates.
“I’m not telling people what they need to do. I feel like I have to amp it up in practice, I feel like my teammates got to come behind me too,” Terrell said.
Not only did the Miners express their frustration with their performance but Head Coach Joe Golding acknowledged the team’s lack of confidence during vital moments of the game.
“They (NSMU) were quicker to the ball, they wanted the ball more, they were going after the ball, (but) we weren’t boxing out,” Golding said. “We were playing the victim, we were trying to make excuses and not putting on a body.”
Golding took the responsibility for his players’ actions as he feels that he let down the fans, emphasizing that they need to deliver better performances from now on.
“You (the UTEP men’s basketball team) just got embarrassed and popped at home in front of a great crowd,” Golding said. “I’m embarrassed for our crowd, you know, they deserve better than that, and that’s all on me.”
Diego Cruz-Castruita is a staff photographer and can be reached at [email protected] and @dddieggoo11 on Instagram.
