LAS CRUCES, N.M. - Denied an opportunity to tangle with their longtime borderland rivals last season, it was clear the NM State men's basketball team relished the opportunity to go toe-to-toe with one of its fiercest rivals Saturday night.
Coming on strong in the second half, Rice scored 12 of his team-high 15 points through the final 21 minutes of action and a key 21-9 NM State run over a span of nearly six minutes in the deciding frame proved to be the difference as the Aggies held on for a 77-71 victory over UTEP inside the Pan American Center.