It began with a glimmer of hope. Just a glimmer.
It ended in another New Mexico State romp.
UTEP came out defending well, knocking down 3-balls and playing some pretty good basketball, playing well enough to forge a 9-point lead midway through the first half — playing well enough to create that glimmer.
But NMSU calmly, almost methodically, pushed the 9-point Miner lead aside, took a four point lead at halftime and never again looked in the rear view mirror, racing away to a 96-69 win over the Miners in front of 6,125 fans in the Pan American Center in Las Cruces.