EL PASO, Texas – The UTEP men’s basketball team (12-11, 3-5 CUSA) will conclude its three-game homestand by locking up with I-10 rival NM State (11-12, 5-3 CUSA) at 7 p.m. MT Saturday.
The Miners will honor all-time leading scorer Stefon Jackson by raising his jersey to the Haskins Center rafters in a special ceremony.
Both teams have been idle for a week, but plenty will be on the line Saturday night. The Miners are looking to split the season series with the Aggies, who notched a 63-53 triumph vs. UTEP in Las Cruces on Jan. 4.
The Orange and Blue will also be vying to move up in the CUSA standings, as they currently sit tied for seventh heading into the tilt.
UTEP is aiming to get back into the win column after a hard-fought 67-65 setback vs. Liberty on Feb. 3 in a contest that featured three ties and nine lead changes. It marked UTEP’s first home loss in league action (3-1) and dropped the Orange and Blue to 11-3 in the Sun City on the year.
The Aggies have posted back-to-back victories-both at home- and by a combined total of nine points. Most recently, they held off Jax State, 67-65, on Feb. 3. NM State, however, is winless on the year when not playing in Las Cruces. The Aggies are 0-9 on the road (0-3 CUSA) and 0-2 in neutral-site tilts.
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