The road had been rough leading up to the second leg of the Battle of I-10 for a young UTEP squad struggling to find an identity and consistency on the basketball court. Then came the surprise return of fifth year senior swingman Gabe McCulley.

McCulley started his season off in an unexpected start against Oregon in which he added the much needed experience that the inexperienced team lacked. Despite not scoring in the game, McCulley added security that reassured the nativity that had been plaguing UTEP in their previous games.

The Miners fell in a tough loss to the Ducks in Eugene, but the play was much better, and if not for some missed free-throws UTEP had a chance to win the game. Sophomore guard Mike Perez had a breakthrough game, which saw Perez bust out for a career high 18 points.

The Miners were able to take their near miss into a twelve game layoff in which they could get some much-needed time honing their skills together.

The hard work paid off in their December 11 clash against rivals New Mexico State. In the previous last meeting between the two, the Aggies dismantled the Miners 89-73 in Las Cruces. Sunday’s game was different as UTEP started the experienced Gabe McCulley and a confident Perez in a revamped starting squad.

The game was fast paced as UTEP got off to a strong start by owning a 18-point lead at one point in the first half. The Miners ended the first half with three players in double figure scoring; McCulley scored 13 points and brought down seven rebounds, Perez scored 12 points and handed out four assists, and freshman guard Julian Washburn scored 11 points giving the Miners a 45-38 halftime lead.

The presence and experience that McCulley brought to the team was evident from the very beginning by taking the ball to the hoop and playing tough on defense.

UTEP started off the second half shaky, but were able to stay in the game with some critical rebounds and being aggressive down in the paint. There was a point in the game where the Miners started reverting back to their play in which they gave up easy points and turned the ball over on missed passes and misplaced dribbling.

It didn’t take a genius to see the body language from the fans to know many thought they were going to see the team start to crumble under the pressure of having a lead against their rivals. There was a nervous tension in the Don Haskins Center and rightfully so.

Enter Gabe McCulley, who gave his all and gave the Miners some much-needed baskets and strong defensive presence to put UTEP ahead late in the game. The simple fact that he wanted the game more than the New Mexico State Aggies was evident as he pumped his fist in the air and let out a guttural scream that invigorated the team and the fans in the seats.

As both teams battled down to the final minutes of the game, it was McCulley’s spark that helped give Perez and junior guard Jacques Streeter the will to win via a 7-2 run with under two minutes left in the game to seal the victory.

The game was exciting and nerve-racking all at the same time. More importantly, the win against New Mexico State gives fans a glimmer of hope as the youthful UTEP squad faces a difficult opponent in UNLV in Las Vegas.

UNLV defeated the number one ranked team at the time in North Carolina and it will be a difficult matchup for the Miners. It will take the combined efforts of McCulley, Perez, and Washburn that were displayed against Oregon and NMSU to ensure UTEP has a fighting chance to win.

It has a steep learning curve, but having McCulley back completely changes the look of UTEP.

Gus Contreras can be reached at show@minerillustrated.com or you can follow him on Twitter at @GusContreras21.