Emmanuel Omogbo, New Mexico coach have postgame confrontation

— -- Colorado State?coach Larry Eustachy said New Mexico?assistant Terrence Rencher tried to instigate a fight with one of his players outside the Rams' arena following Saturday's Mountain West Conference game.

Eustachy told ESPN that Rencher was trash-talking with Colorado State players before and during the game, which New Mexico won 84-71. The game was heated throughout and included a fourth-quarter skirmish between the teams that resulted in Rencher and another Lobos assistant being ejected for leaving the bench.

Colorado State senior forward Emmanuel Omogbo, the player involved in the postgame confrontation with Rencher outside the arena, said Rencher directed derogatory, racially charged language at him during pregame warm-ups.

According to the Albuquerque Journal, the postgame confrontation took place as Rencher was standing by the New Mexico team bus and Eustachy and Omogbo were walking to their cars.

"After the game, walking out of the athletic center towards home, the same New Mexico coach was standing right outside the door, and we made eye contact, and he smirked at me and said, 'Take that L, boy,' and after that I exploded," Omogbo told ESPN. "After that, both the coach and myself exchanged words back and forth until Coach Larry Eustachy intervened, and I continued walking home."

In a statement released later Saturday, the MWC said it has already contacted both schools and that it was reviewing the confrontations that took place both inside and outside the arena.

Eustachy told ESPN the acrimony between Rencher and Omogbo began last season when Rencher was trash-talking during that game.

In video captured Saturday by the Albuquerque Journal, Eustachy is seen holding back and trying to calm Omogbo as he and Rencher have words. Eustachy said his wife, Lana, at one point reminded Rencher of the hardship Omogbo experienced last January, when Omogbo's parents and two family members were killed in a house fire.

"[Rencher] started laughing," Eustachy said.

"My assistant didn't do anything wrong, and I stand by that," New Mexico head coach Craig Neal said in a text to ESPN later Saturday.

Rencher and New Mexico assistant Chris Harriman were both ejected with 2:10 left in Saturday's game for leaving the bench.

According to the Coloradoan, their departures came after an on-court skirmish between the teams was sparked when New Mexico's Joe Furstinger floored Colorado State's J.D. Paige with a blind screen. Furstinger made a Hulk-like pose after the play, then bumped teammate Anthony Bonner as they made their way down the court, according to the newspaper. Words were exchanged, Nixon and New Mexico's Obij Aget were both assessed technical fouls, and Rencher and Harriman were ejected.

"It was a clean play," Eustachy said. "He just ran into a screen; it was as simple as that. But this started before the game with just some things that we don't do, and we got caught up in the moment."

Eustachy said Harriman later apologized to him, telling him that he had respect for him and would never say anything derogatory toward one of his players.

Rencher played at Texas and has been an assistant coach at Texas State, Tulsa, Sam Houston State and has been on Craig Neal's staff at New Mexico since 2015.