When Marvin Menzies left NMSU for UNLV in the offseason, a chance was created for UTEP to reset the current downward trend of being outcoached and outmatched by the Aggies. With the Miners having lost six of the last seven meetings with NMSU, there was hope that UTEP could renew the Battle of I-10 by actually making it a battle again.

Instead, UTEP continued its ongoing submission to the Aggies -- falling 79-68 to make it seven losses out of the last eight matchups and the fourth loss in a row.

Ian Baker put up 20 points for NMSU, Jemarrio Jones added 18 (13 rebounds), and Eli Chuha had 11 (8 rebounds) in a game that was nowhere close to what the final score indicated.

UTEP left nothing to be optimistic about as the Miners missed easy layups, shot 60 percent from the free-throw line, and refused to follow their shots in a game which they missed 32 attempts.

After the Aggies got out to a 9-2 lead within four minutes of play, UTEP used the subsequent four minutes to go on a 13-5 run that cut the early deficit to one (15-14). That was all the fight the Miners had in them.

The Aggies played their way to a 16-point lead at halftime that ballooned to a game-high 22 points with 10:31 to play.

After the Miners got the deficit down to nine points in the final moments -- as fans did their part to rattle the Aggies with their voices -- UTEP failed to get any closer to a comeback at the Haskins Center.