UTEP vs. New Mexico State basketball recap

CUSA-fans.com has a new staff of team correspondents this fall to help bring you, the fan, more detailed Conference USA sports coverage. Today, our new UTEP Correspondent Robert Robles brings you a recap of the basketball game between UTEP and New Mexico State.

It seems as though the Battle for Interstate-10 is reaching a level it has not seen for seasons that most do not remember. The reasons are numerous, whether it is due to a mouthy Reggie Theus, questionable calls from the officiating crew, a much larger Aggie front line, a much younger and inexperienced Miner team, or just the fact that for at least the past 4 seasons, the teams have swept one another. The fact is, the rivalry has reached a level many can finally appreciate.

Whether it was the waving of Little Caesar’s Pizza Boxes, or the constant badgering of Referees by Theus, it was an excited atmosphere in the Don Haskins center on Saturday night. Not only was it exciting, it was emotion at it’s best, something every fan naturally would love to be a part of.

Stefon Jackson and Elijah Ingram proved that they can be both the emotional leaders for their teams. Ingram scored a team high 15 on Saturday night to contrast Jackson’s impressive 21.

The Miners were out-rebounded in an extremely big way, having only 28 rebounds to the Aggies 38. Shooting may be another reason why the Miners fell at home, hitting only 20 of 55. Free Throws were the bane of the Miners more than anything, especially when you only hit 14 of 26, compared to the Aggies 25 of 43, obviously a difference maker.

With the 68-62 win, the much improved Aggies add to their streak, which is currently comprised of 6 straight, and improves their season record to 7-3. The loss results in a series sweep of the Miners and drops them to 5-5.

Tony Barbee and the Miners hope to do something that they failed to do on Saturday, that is rebound, and they hope to do so against a reeling Texas State team on Tuesday in the Don Haskins center.