LAS CRUCES – The guys who had never been a part of their adoptive state’s biggest sports rivalry made sure to leave their imprint on it in a hurry.
In a game that featured a 50-minute delay due to a power outage on the New Mexico State University campus, Lobo newcomers Jaelen House (31 points) and Jamal Mashburn Jr. (19) lit up the Pan American scoreboard in a 101-94 UNM win over the host Aggies in the first time the rivalry has been played in Las Cruces in just over two years.
“We made big offensive plays,” said Richard Pitino, the first-year Lobos coach also experiencing his first taste of the in-state rivalry.