New Mexico State basketball assured that this season’s Rio Grande Rivalry would be split. It dealt New Mexico an 84-71 in Las Cruces, New Mexico on Saturday night.
The loss dropped the Lobos’ record to 6-4, extending their road losing streak to three games. The Aggies, meanwhile, improve their record to 8-2 overall and remain hot having won six games in a row.
NMSU's last loss was on Nov. 18 during the first rivalry game of the season, when the Lobos took a 72-59 contest at WisePies Arena.
NMSU hadn’t won against UNM in Las Cruces since 2007, and the result also broke the Lobos five-game winning streak over the Aggies.
The game was played much differently than the teams’ first meeting as the Aggies appeared to be the more confident team from the opening tip.
The Lobos scored its first two points with 19:13 on the clock, but the offense didn’t show up again until nearly five minutes into the game, at which point they trailed 12-4.
UNM shot just 40 percent in the first half and never held a lead in the game, while NMSU went nearly 60 percent from the field to sprint out to a 43-26 lead at the end of the half.
The beginning of the second half was a little slower for the Aggies. They didn’t score a field goal until the 15:19 mark on a jumper by Eli Chuha, but still led 46-40.
The Lobos outshot the Aggies 49 percent compared to 41, but it was not enough for the cherry and silver to pull ahead.
NMSU senior guard Ian Baker scored a season-high 26 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field. He recorded four 3-pointers, and made six of his seven free throws.
Junior guard Elijah Brown led the Lobos with 18 points, but it came on 5-of-14 shooting. He made seven out of nine from the foul line.
The Lobos didn’t do themselves any favors, shooting just 65 percent from the charity stripe as a team.
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Senior forward Tim Williams, who had been on the bench due to a concussion, was able to return to the court on Saturday. He logged 33 minutes and scored 15 points with an efficient 6-of-9 shooting night.
Teammate Dane Kuiper also went 6-of-9 shooting to match Williams’ point total, putting three Lobos in double figures.
With 14:39 on the clock, Williams successfully made a jumper to cut the lead to 48-45, but it was the closest the Lobos came to the Aggies in the second half.
The Lobos will try to right the ship when they return home, where their record is unblemished at 5-0. The team is hosting the Arkansas Pine-Bluff Golden Lions on Saturday at 6 p.m.
Isabel Gonzalez is a sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. She mainly covers men’s soccer and basketball. She can be reached at sports @dailylobo.com or on Twitter @cisabelg.
