Stevens: Lobos & Aggies Go At It Again in Cruces

December 19, 2014

New Mexico Lobos Men’s Basketball – On The Road

Who: New Mexico Lobos (7-3) at NMSU Aggies (4-7)

When/Where: 7 p.m. (MT) – Pan American Center, Las Cruces

On The Air: ROOT Sports (Comcast 261/814, Dish 414, DirecTV 583); 770-AM KKOB

GoLobos.com: Game Story, Complete Stats,

By Richard Stevens – Senior Writer/GoLobos.com

Lobo Coach Craig Neal says, “It’s always tough to play somebody twice,” referring to New Mexico’s 7 p.m., tip in Las Cruces with the New Mexico State Aggies.

Yeah, and it’s sometimes tough to beat somebody twice especially when that somebody really doesn’t want to lose to Lobos twice in the same season.

And especially when those New Mexico State Aggies are defending their home turf.

Craig Neal The Lobos debuted the name WisePies Arena in admirable fashion on Dec. 3 by climbing out of a 13-point hole and putting together a solid 30 minutes of basketball. The Lobos might need to shoot for a solid 40 minutes in the Pan American Center.

For sure, the Aggies are seeking revenge for their 62-47 loss in The Pit. It looked like the Aggies were going to be able to play with the Lobos – and then it didn’t. Lobo Deshawn Delaney was a big reason the Lobos rallied for the win as the 6-foot-5 senior had a career-high 22 points.

There are so-called “trap” games in college basketball where one team might be looking past a team that is capable of pulling the upset. This is another kind of trap game. The Aggies probably will be playing like a steel bear trap looking to change the Lobos’ domination on the court. UNM has won 12 of the past 15 meetings between Lobos and Aggies.

More motivation for NMSU: The Lobos have won six straight in Cruces.

The Aggies, like the Lobos, have been hit by injury this season and NMSU probably isn’t happy with its 4-7 record. But the Aggies can play well at home and all four of their wins have come on the Pan American Center’s floor.

The Aggies also are riding a 14-game home winning streak and are 33-2 at the Pan Am since the beginning of the 2012-13 season.

The big blows to the NMSU lineup are the loss of guard Daniel Mullings and 6-10 post Tshilidzi Naphawe. This duo represents the Aggies’ top guard and probably their top inside presence. Nephawe is hoping to return by conference play and Mullings (finger surgery) probably won’t return until February. Mullings was an Associated Press honorable mention All-American and the 2013-14 Western Athletic Conference Player of The Year. He is the league’s preseason POY for 2014-15.

The Aggies average 80.8 points in the Pan American Center, but face a Lobo team that only gives up 56.5 points a game. The Lobo defense has held each of UNM’s first ten opponents under 70 points. The Lobos ride a four-game win streak into Cruces allowing 55, 46, 46, and 47 points in that streak.

The Aggies probably would like to see some up-tempo basketball on Saturday, while the Lobos would like to see transition baskets only from Lobos. “You have to make them score in the half court,” said Neal. “They try to do things to speed up the game.”

NMSU is coming off a 66-55 loss at Baylor. NMSU was down 34-32 before a 15-2 Baylor run allowed the Bears to take control of the game.

The Aggies are led in scoring by senior Remi Barry with a 13.6 average. He shoots 54.4 percent from the floor. Redshirt freshman Pascal Siakam averages 11.3 points and 6.5 rebounds.

The Lobos are led by Delaney’s 14.5 average followed by Hugh Greenwood at 10.4 points per game. Delaney hauls down 7.0 boards per game.

The X factor on Saturday is the emotional edge that comes from a Rio Grande Rivalry game. There are state bragging rights on the line. This is a pride game. .

“It’s as big as any rivalry I’ve been a part of,” said Coach Neal. “It’s as good as it gets. It’s going to be a tough, hard-fought game.”

Editor’s Note: Richard Stevens is a former national award-winning Sports Columnist and Associate Sports Editor at The Albuquerque Tribune. You can reach him at rstevens50@comcast.net.

NEW MEXICO LOBOS 2014-14 ROSTER

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