There’s always drama for the New Mexico-New Mexico State Rio Grande Rivalry, but things went to another level on Monday night at The Pit in Albuquerque.
The game was tied 76-76 in the final seconds, when New Mexico State’s Nate Pryor made a wild shot with his back to the basket for a buzzer-beater, giving the Aggies a 78-76 road victory.
New Mexico State players then went to center court and stomped on the Lobos’ logo while the home crowd booed. They even allegedly spit on the logo. New Mexico athletic director Eddie Nuñez rushed onto the floor to stop the Aggies’ players.
The logo-stomping was seemingly because of New Mexico State being unhappy with how New Mexico players acted on the Aggies’ court last Tuesday, when the Lobos won 101-94.
In the following clip, you can see a New Mexico player making a kicking motion and another player slamming the ball down at center court, as well as a player picking up the ball and dribbling in front of a camera:
But if that’s all it was (and to be fair, only so much can be seen in that video), New Mexico State’s response seems a bit extreme.
How did first-year New Mexico head coach Richard Pitino feel about the court-stomping?
“I’m more offended by our defense in the last play,” Pitino said.
So, each team got a road victory to split the series, and the rivalry is now more heated than ever.
New Mexico State improves to 7-2 on the season with the win, while New Mexico falls to 5-4 with the heartbreaking loss.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.