UTEP, NMSU Set To Tangle Sunday At ‘The Don’
EL PASO, TEXAS ? UTEP and NM State will complete its annual two-game set with a matinee at the Don Haskins Center on Sunday, Dec. 11. The Miners and the Aggies will square off at 3 p.m. MT as the SONIC Battle of I-10 Rivalry Series resumes. NMSU won the first matchup between the schools, 89-73, on Nov. 19 in Las Cruces.
UTEP will return to action after dropping a tough 64-59 decision at Oregon on Nov. 29. The Miners stayed within striking distance of the Ducks for the full 40 minutes as sophomore guard Michael Perez poured in a career-high 18 points.
?We can get better in all areas,? UTEP coach Tim Floyd said. ?Oregon is a fine basketball team. We made strides. We grew a little bit offensively and defensively, and we got a little better on the boards. We did a little better job in terms of our game planning and assignments.?
The Aggies bring a 5-3 mark into the game and are coming off back-to-back losses to Arizona (83-76) and Southern Miss (74-66).
UTEP led for a large portion of the first half in the initial meeting at the Pan American Center, then sliced a 22-point deficit down to 10 in the closing minutes. The Miners shot 45.5 percent from the field and placed three players (D?Von Campbell, John Bohannon, Cedrick Lang) in double figure scoring, but were outrebounded 42-27.
?We hope we?re a better team,? Floyd said. ?We?re sure that they?re a better team. They have three difficult losses since the last time they played us. We?ll try to do some of the things that we did last time, but certainly try to do them better.?
Senior forward Gabriel McCulley missed the Las Cruces game due to injury, but will make his home debut on Sunday, facing the Aggies for the ninth time in the process.
Floyd said the significance of McCulley?s presence is immeasurable.
?He is important [to have] just from a confidence standpoint,? he said. ?Our team lacks that right now. We need somebody who has been through some battles. He is a guy we can rely on for some coverage defensively while offering some athleticism and experience.?
Free pom pons will be presented to the first 5,000 fans, courtesy of SONIC, at Sunday?s game. UTEP will honor Nolan Richardson with the retiring of his jersey as part of the ?Miner Legends? series, with another surprise in store for fans at halftime.
Tickets are available by calling (915) 747-5234. Fans can also vote for the Miners in the SONIC ?Favorite Team poll? by visiting www.utepathletics.com.
Source: UTEP Athletics
