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Tense game sparks heated argument between Colorado State player, New Mexico coach

Jeff Eisenberg
·Senior writer

The animosity that flared up throughout New Mexico’s 84-71 victory over Colorado State was nothing compared to what happened after the game was over.

A Rams player and a Lobos assistant coach engaged in a verbal altercation that was on the verge of turning physical before Colorado State coach Larry Eustachy intervened.

The incident began when Colorado State forward Emmanuel Omogbo exited Moby Arena and encountered several New Mexico coaches standing alongside their team bus. Albuquerque Tribune reporter Geoff Grammer began shooting video soon after Omogbo and New Mexico assistant Terrence Rencher began exchanging words.

“You’re lucky my coach is holding me back. I’d whoop your ass,” Omogbo shouted at Rencher with Eustachy standing between them.

“You ain’t whipping nothing, buddy,” Rencher responded.

Eustachy, frustrated that Rencher wasn’t trying to diffuse the situation, then turned toward the New Mexico assistant and said, “Will you grow up, [expletive]?”

Finally, as Eustachy steered Omogbo in the opposite direction, Rencher got in the last word by yelling, “Learn how to lose, boy. That’s all.”

Grammer tweeted that from what he observed, Omogbo instigated the argument, but the Colorado State forward disagreed. Omogbo tweeted at Grammer, “Get your story right sir. I came outside and he said something first. He was talking crazy before the game and after.”

The Mountain West issued a statement Saturday that the league “is aware of the situation and a review is already underway.”

The ugly postgame scene was the culmination of chippy game between two Mountain West foes hoping to gain ground on first-place Boise State.

Hostilities finally boiled over late in the second half after a pair of plays that drew the anger of Colorado State players.

With 5:53 remaining and New Mexico comfortably ahead by 17, Elijah Brown made a steal, got out all alone in transition and lobbed the ball off the backboard to Joe Furstinger for a flashy alley-oop dunk. You could argue such showmanship was needless, yet it’s Colorado State’s responsibility to get back and stop it.

Soon afterward, Furstinger laid out Colorado State guard J.D. Paige with a hard screen in the frontcourt. You could argue that the ensuing laughter and high fives on the New Mexico bench were uncalled for, yet it was a perfectly legal play and it’s the other Rams’ job to warn their teammate that the screen was coming.

Players on both teams exchanged words and a fight nearly broke out. New Mexico assistants Chris Harriman and Rencher were both ejected for coming onto the floor to try to get their players back to the bench.

Colorado State star Gian Clavell was among the most frustrated players on the floor.

The New Mexico staff also reportedly had some words for the Rams.

That alone would have built up some intrigue for the Feb. 21 Colorado State-New Mexico rematch in Albuquerque, but it was the postgame incident between Omogbo and Rencher that will probably get the most attention now.

Omogbo shouldn’t be threatening to fight an opposing coach. And Rencher needed to act like an adult and either keep quiet or walk away.

On a day of raised fists and raised voices in Fort Collins, nobody came across well.

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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!