It might not be Duke vs. North Carolina on a national scale, but when interstate rivals New Mexico and New Mexico State meet on a basketball court it can be as intense as any rivalry in the country.
That was evident on Dec. 6 when New Mexico State claimed a dramatic 78-76 win in overtime at the Pit in Albuquerque. The Aggies earned the victory on a last-second over-the-shoulder reverse lay-up by guard Nate Pryor. NMSU players stormed the court and some players celebrated by stomping and spitting on the Lobos logo at mid-court. Lobo fans booed the action as coaches and athletic officials rushed to clear the visitors from the floor.
In his post-game comments shared by KRQE, NMSU head coach Chris Jans didn’t condone his players' actions but said it resulted from harsh feelings that lingered after UNM beat the Aggies 101-94 six days earlier in their first meeting in Las Cruces.
“I showed my team it,” Jans said of a video from the end of the first game, where one Lobo player kicked the logo and another slammed the basketball on the logo at mid court. “I’m not going to lie to you, it was motivation. We needed to do what we had to do to get our hair on our back to stand up and understand what we were about to face. And so I did show them. I certainly didn’t tell them to do it, and I’m not condoning it, and I’m not happy with them and we’re going to talk about it. But I just want to make sure everybody understands how it got to this point.”
The post-game antics that included a couple of Aggies taunting the UNM student section shouldn’t take away from what was a classic game that came down to a miracle shot by Pryor.
"Certainly, a large portion of the fans were Lobos fans, and I'm sure they're upset and mad that their team lost, and we all understand that,” Jans told reporters after the game. “Our fan bases are loyal to their teams, but I think at some point everyone will say that was in the building, it was somewhat of a classic. Overtime, big shots down the stretch, it was a heck of a ball game. ... As the clock was ticking in regulation and overtime, you could feel it. Every play was critical, and both teams made some big plays. And fortunately for us, we made the last one."