MW basketball: New Mexico assistant, Colorado State player trade barbs

The Mountain West Conference said Monday it’ll leave discipline up to the schools involved in a confrontation between a New Mexico men’s basketball assistant coach and a Colorado State player after Saturday’s game.

Geoff Grammer, who covers New Mexico for the Albuquerque Journal, posted video of the incident to Twitter. In the 60-second clip of the scene near the New Mexico team bus, New Mexico assistant Terrence Rencher and Colorado State player Emmanuel Omogbo can be heard exchanging insults. Colorado State coach Larry Eustachy can be seen preventing Omogbo from advancing toward Rencher, and Eustachy’s wife can be seen approaching Rencher.

Both the Journal and the Coloradoan of Fort Collins reported that emotions were running high during and after Saturday’s game, won by New Mexico 84-71. Toward the end of the game, a hard, clean screen set by New Mexico’s Joe Furstinger left Colorado State’s J.D. Paige stunned on the floor. Furstinger reacted by flexing his biceps, and eventually players converged near center court. No punches were thrown, but Rencher and New Mexico assistant Chris Harriman were ejected, apparently for coming onto the court.

On Monday, Grammer reported that Rencher apologized for his role in the postgame incident and that New Mexico announced Rencher would receive a letter of reprimand.

Colorado State plays at New Mexico on Feb. 21.

This story was originally published January 16, 2017 at 4:09 PM with the headline "MW basketball: New Mexico assistant, Colorado State player trade barbs."