Payback part two.
Just two days removed from WKU mens basketball’s revenge win against UTEP, the Hilltoppers avenged their January loss against New Mexico State on Saturday, with a 72-58 home win against the Aggies.
Along with the win, WKU celebrated three seniors before the game. Guards Dontaie Allen and Brandon Newman along with forward Rodney Howard were celebrated pregame.
Junior guard Enoch Kalambay was great for WKU. Kalambay tied his season-high 11 points and five rebounds off the bench. Freshman guard Teagan Moore was also great off the bench, scoring 12 in his 17 minutes.
A slow start plagued both the Aggies and Hilltoppers as the two squads found themselves with only 14 points to their name halfway through the first. While WKU’s top in the conference offense continued to struggle in the half, NMSU shook off their sluggish start with a 14-3 run that put the Aggies on top 26-17 around the six minute mark.
However, a 16-7 Hilltopper charge led by Moore and junior guard Don Mchenry tied the ballgame up at 33 headed into half. The guard pair combined for 13 of the 16 Hilltopper points on the run.
WKU came out of the locker room hot, using an 11-3 run to take a 44-36 lead at the 16 minute mark. The Hilltoppers continued to control the second half, leading the Aggies 67-53 at the four minute timeout. WKU’s second half dominance continued until the buzzer as WKU took a 72-58 senior day win.
“We’re starting to trend upward at the right time,” senior guard Brandon Newman said. “We just got to keep getting better everyday.”
WKU will look to make it six in a row next Saturday as they head to Murfreesboro to take on rival Middle Tennessee State at 6:30 pm CT.
