EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — UTEP men’s basketball outlasted Battle of I-10 rival New Mexico State, 91-88, in an overtime thriller Saturday night inside the Don Haskins Center.

After trailing by as many as 14 points in the first half, the Miners stormed back in the second half and carried that momentum into overtime to secure the rivalry win.

It marked the first overtime meeting between UTEP and NMSU since the 2001-02 season. The last time the two went to OT, UTEP earned an 85-81 win in El Paso on Feb. 20, 2002.

New Mexico State appeared to be in control late in regulation after an Elijah Elliott free throw gave the Aggies a 66-56 lead with 6:13 remaining. But UTEP responded with a 12-2 run, capped by a Caleb Blackwell three-pointer that tied the game at 68 with 2:34 to play.

NMSU’s Jemel Jones, who finished with a game-high 26 points, answered with back-to-back jumpers to put the Aggies back in front, 72-68, with 1:19 remaining. UTEP trimmed the deficit to three before Kaseem Watson delivered the moment of the night, drilling a game-tying three in the final seconds to force overtime.

In the extra period, UTEP came out firing, opening on an 11-2 run to take an 83-74 lead with just over two minutes left. The Aggies battled back to make it a two-point game late, but a crucial loose-ball scramble swung the momentum for good. After a missed three and what appeared to be a possible shot-clock violation, UTEP won the loose-ball battle, drew a foul, and sealed the win at the free-throw line.

The Miners went 7-of-8 from the charity stripe down the stretch to close out the victory.

With the win, UTEP has now defeated New Mexico State in back-to-back meetings for the first time since 2012.

UTEP improved to 9-15 overall and 5-8 in Conference USA play with seven games left in the regular season.

NM State fell to 11-12 overall and 4-9 in Conference USA play. The Aggies sit in 11th place in the league standings.

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