Aggie comeback falls short against UTEP

Miners defeat Aggies to split season series

 By: Anthony Esparza

UTEP's Julian Washburn, right, fouls New Mexico State's Hamidu Rahman on a shot attempt during an NCAA basketball game at the Don Haskins Center on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011, in El Paso, Texas. Zack Ponce

The New Mexico State men’s basketball team could not complete the season sweep of the University of Texas El Paso Saturday afternoon, falling 73-69 to the Miners at the Don Haskins Center.

Turnovers plagued the Aggies in the early minutes of the game, as the Miners jumped to an 18-3 lead. UTEP was able to drive to the basket for easy points in the paint early on.

“They just shot the lights out and really were aggressive,” NM State coach Marvin Menzies said of the Miners’ quick start. “I think rebounding was the key early. They got a lot of put-backs off of their own misses and had a chance to convert.”

The Aggies cut down on turnovers midway through the first half and started playing tighter defensively. As a result, the Miners’ lead was cut to five.

However, UTEP was still coming down with offensive rebounds and scoring in the paint. The Miners scored 13 second-chance points in the first half and took a 45-38 lead into the locker room at halftime.

NM State continued inching closer to UTEP early in the second half. A pair of free-throws by freshman guard Daniel Mullings gave the Aggies their first lead of the game midway through the half.

The Aggies had opportunities to increase their lead, but both teams struggled from the free-throw line down the stretch. NM State shot 10-25 from the line in the half and UTEP went 7-17 from the charity stripe in the second half. 

New Mexico State’s Daniel Mullings shoots the ball while guarded by two UTEP players during an NCAA basketball game at the Don Haskins Center on Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011, in El Paso, Texas. Zack Ponce

“They’re going to beat themselves up over their foul shooting, and we really should as well,” UTEP coach Tim Floyd said of both teams’ free-throw struggles. “But they make some free-throws and it’s a different basketball game.”

NM State led by as many as five points, but UTEP took a 72-69 lead with 17 seconds remaining. Senior forward Wendell McKines missed the potential game-tying three-pointer with nine seconds to play in the game.

“We got the look we wanted. “We were actually going for a quick two, but they did a good job clogging it up,” Menzies said of the possession. “We had a good look, but it was just short.”

The Miners went on to win by a final of 73-69. The team was led by senior forward Gabriel McCulley who finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds.

“He’s an experienced guy that understands the rivalry,” Menzies said of McCulley. “He was the one I was really concerned about just being a glue-guy for them. I think he was the difference maker and the stabilizer for them.”

Senior guard Hernst Laroche was the Aggies leading scorer, finishing with 16 points 5-7 shooting. Although he finished with a team-high 11 rebounds, McKines was limited to four points on 4-11 shooting.      

“It kind of caught me off guard. I was waiting for us to make the proper adjustments and we didn’t do that until the second half,” McKines said of the Miners’ defensive strategy. “At the end of the day, we can make all the excuses in the world but we just didn’t execute down the stretch.”

Menzies said the Aggies also let missed shots frustrate them throughout the game.

“You can’t get frustrated when there are so many other things you can do in a game besides score,” Menzies said. The game is full of nuances, but this generation sometimes gets caught up on the wrong stats. “

With the win, the Miners snapped their three-game losing streak and improve to 2-4 on the season.

The Aggies have now dropped three consecutive games and are now 5-4 on the season. The team returns to the Pan American Center to face Western New Mexico on Wednesday.