Rio Grande Rivalry: Round Two

By: Anthony Esparza

New Mexico State’s Wendell McKines, right, passes New Mexico’s Drew Gordon on his way to a layup attempt during an NCAA basketball game at The Pit on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011, in Albuquerque, N.M. Photo by Zack Ponce

On Wednesday night, the New Mexico State men’s basketball team looks to do something it has not done since 1999: sweep the season series against instate rival New Mexico.

The Aggies left Albuquerque with a 62-53 victory on Nov. 15, snapping an eight-game losing streak at The Pit that dated back to 2002. The win came in front of a hostile crowd of 15,303, and NM State coach Marvin Menzies hopes Aggie fans will return the favor.

“They had a great crowd and we were fortunate enough to get out of there with a win,” Menzies said of the atmosphere at The Pit. “I’m very optimistic that we’ll get a good turnout. I think the city is behind us, and I’m hopeful that they get out and support us and give us the type of sixth man effect that we need to carry us to victory.”

The Aggies have gone 6-4 since the win in Albuquerque. Three of the four losses were in a row when the team fell to Arizona, Southern Mississippi and the University of Texas El Paso within a two-week span.

The good news for NM State is the team is riding a three-game win streak entering Wednesday’s game against UNM. The Aggies are also in the middle of a five-game home stand, which has allowed them to avoid traveling for the past week.

Senior forward Wendell McKines has anchored the team thus far, averaging a double-double on the season. McKines scored 14 points and pulled down nine rebounds in the first meeting against the Lobos.

The Aggies have also received a boost of energy off the bench from Daniel Mullings. The freshman guard recently started three games in place of Christian Kabongo, who was suspended for violating team rules.

“He’s just a freshman and he’s been playing really well,” NM State junior forward Bandja Sy said of Mullings. “He’s a really athletic player. He can run, he can jump and he’s been working on his shot.”

UNM is 9-1 since the loss to the Aggies last month. The Lobos come into the Pan Am Center on a nine-game winning streak, most of which were at a neutral location and at home.

The areas the Lobos have improved the most during the win streak are assists and rebounding. UNM ranks 15^th in the country in assists per game with 17.2, and 31^st in rebounding with 39.3 boards per contest. 

“This is about as healthy as we’ve been in a while,” UNM coach Steve Alford said after the Lobos’ win over Missouri-Kansas City on Dec. 22. 

The stage is set for a Rio Grande Rivalry showdown on the hardwood in Las Cruces Wednesday night.

“We know them well and they know us well,” Sy said of the Lobos. “It’s going to be a tough game.”

New Mexico’s Demetrius Walker (40) guards Renaldo Dixon of New Mexico State while he attempts a shot during an NCAA basketball game at The Pit on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011, in Albuquerque, N.M. Zack Ponce