It was a wild night in Las Cruces when the New Mexico and New Mexico State men’s basketball teams squared off last week, with the Lobos coming away with a 101-94 win over the Aggies after nearly an hour of stopped action due to a blackout, according to Golobos.com.
The intensity of a rivalry game with an amped up crowd apparently fired up the New Mexico squad. The visiting Lobos had their offense firing on all cylinders in what was a season-high for points to come away with the victory.
“I am really, really proud of the effort and the togetherness,” said coach Richard Pitino. “This group grew today. We have not had a lot of experiences together. This group hadn’t played in a rivalry game on the road before. The elements were difficult. The crowd was hostile and then you have the blackout. I thought our guys kept their focus the whole time and then made big plays. We played a very talented team and we made big offensive plays and we finally outrebounded a team. I’m happy for our players and happy for our fans. I know how much it means to them. We will celebrate it tonight and then start to get ready to play them again next week.”
The game started off tight with New Mexico State holding a 9-7 lead before the power went out and play was stopped for approximately 50 minutes. The tight play continued after the stoppage, with the Lobos managing to take the lead on a three-point play by Jaelen House, who hit a layup and was fouled on the way to the hoop, then sank the free throw.
The Lobos went on a 10-0 run and had a 25-18 lead with nine minutes to go in the half, but then New Mexico State retook the lead with an 8-0 run to go up 26-25. It was a 49-42 New Mexico lead at the half, and then in the second half each team went off for 52 points.
Both teams shot 46.77% from the field, and rebounding and turnover numbers were just about neck and neck, so it came down to 3-point shooting and free throws to make the difference. New Mexico shot 40% from behind the arc compared to 29% for the Aggies. From the free throw line, New Mexico shot 83.3% and New Mexico State shot 77.14%.
House scored a career-high 31 points, which was his second 30 point game this season. He also added five assists. Jamal Mashburn Jr. had 19 points, including 15 second-half points. Jay Allen-Tovar posted his first career double-double with 15 points and 11 boards. It was also his career high for rebounds.
New Mexico is 5-0 when scoring 80 or more points this year. The Lobos improved to 5-3 while New Mexico State fell to 5-2.