LAS CRUCES - The men's basketball game between bitter rivals UNM and NMSU was everything it was hyped up to be.
In front of a raucous crowd full of Aggie faithful, NMSU beat the Lobos in a 67-48 battle that was reminiscent of a twelve-round boxing match.
In a sloppy first half, NMSU exerted their depth and height advantage en route to a 32-23 halftime advantage. Duane John, a 6-foot-6 forward, using an array of jump shots inside and outside the arc, single handedly charged his team into the lead with 18 points.
The game was John's first game of the season after sitting out the Aggies first three.
From the tip, the Lobos looked overmatched. They were undersized and came out of the gates somewhat timid.
Their timidness showed with only one basket in the first three and a half minutes. After trading baskets, John scored 12 points in a row for the Aggies, building a 24-15 advantage. The Lobos then scored six unanswered points, beginning with an alley-oop dunk by Alfred Neale, bringing the Lobos within three at 24-21. It seemed the Lobos had stopped the bleeding, but the Aggies finished the half with an 8-2 run, giving them a nine-point halftime lead.
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Two personal fouls on Neale and Walters sent two starters to the bench for the final minutes of the half.
The second half turned into defensive battle.
"Defense had a lot to do with this game," NMSU head coach Lou Henson said. "This was a defensive struggle. I mean both teams played excellent defense. Both teams are hard to guard. A game like this is going to be this way."
The Lobos came out without fear to start the second half and with more intensity, but UNM could not stop the dynamic duo of John and talented forward James Moore.
John finished the game with 33 points on 12 of 20 shooting. Moore ended the night with a double-double, 16 points and 10 boards.
While the final score may not indicate it, the Lobos had some chances to stay in the game with stellar team defense. It was their perimeter offense that let them down. The Lobos shot a miserable five of 26 from behind the 3-point arc, along with a total field goal percentage of 32.8 percent.
A six-point deficit was as close as the Lobos would come to NMSU.
The one bright spot for UNM was sophomore David Chiotti. He had a heroic effort on both ends of the floor scoring 17 points and grabbing nine rebounds in 34 minutes.
"We won't go against a better post man on position," Henson said. "He was tremendous. I have to tip my hat to him. He wasn't even the same player that showed up here last year."
The Lobos will have to regroup quickly as they face a team just as talented on Saturday in Texas Tech.
Head coach Bob Knight and the Red Raiders will be in town Saturday. Tipoff at The Pit is scheduled for 1 p.m.
