WKU Men’s Basketball went into halftime up 42-34 on New Mexico State, with another close conference finish looming.
Instead, the Hilltoppers more than doubled their halftime score, routing the Aggies 101-69 Saturday afternoon.
WKU scored 59 points in the second half on 62.9% shooting, the most points the Hilltoppers have scored in a Conference USA game in regulation and their largest conference win in nearly three years when they beat FIU 91-58 on Feb. 28, 2021.
“A better than average day in the office,” Head Coach Hank Plona said. “You never really expect a game to go like that and obviously it’s kind of a pleasant surprise.”
Senior guard Don McHenry notched his 10th 20-point game of the season and fourth consecutive, leading the Hilltoppers with 27 points on 8-11 shooting. Senior forward Tyrone Marshall Jr. added 24 points and seven rebounds.
“When shots start going in and the game started favoring our direction, it was really good for our guys,” Plona said. “Today seemed like we were a very confident basketball team out there and it’s great to have a day like today where it confirms all the work we’re putting in has a chance to pay off for us.”
The Hilltoppers had their first 40-point first half since their Jan. 11 win versus Kennesaw State. WKU scored 42 points on 53.1% shooting from the field. McHenry scored 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting. He made four of WKU’s seven three-pointers with the team shooting 7-17 from beyond the arc. Kalambay and Marshall Jr. added nine points each in the first half.
The Aggies, who shot 33% from the field, had six turnovers and were outscored 19-4 in bench points. The Hilltoppers led for 15 minutes in the first half.
The Hilltoppers started the second half on a 21-5 run, eight of those points coming from Marshall Jr. He scored 15 points in the second half on 6-7 shooting and went 3-3 from beyond the arc.
McHenry added 12 points on 3-4 shooting. He also shot perfectly from beyond the arc in the second, shooting 3-3 from the 3-point line. The Hilltoppers shot 62.9% from the field and shot 11-19 from the three-point line. WKU’s bench scored 30 of their 59 second-half.
First Half
NMSU won the jump ball, retaining possession after the ball went out of bounds. The Hilltoppers forced a shot-clock violation and scored first on a Kalambay pull-up jumper. At the 18:13 mark, the Aggies grabbed their first lead of the game,4-2. The Hilltoppers answered with a 5-0 run, making it 7-4.
Up 20-16 at the 12-minute mark, McHenry knocked down three straight 3-pointers, sparking a 9-3 Hilltopper run that put them up 26-19. With a 28-22 lead with 7:43 remaining, the Aggies scored five consecutive points making it a one-point game, 28-27.
A McHenry and-one basket put the Hilltoppers up 37-32 with 90 seconds until halftime. Lander dropped a layup off the glass to beat the halftime buzzer. WKU took a 42-34 lead into the locker room. The Aggies did not score a field goal in the last 2:50 of the half.
Second Half
WKU opened the second half with an 8-0 run, stretching their lead to 50-34. Marshall Jr. scored five straight points for the Hilltoppers. A McHenry three-pointer capped off a 7-0 WKU run, giving them the 60-39 lead with 14:22 remaining. Out of the timeout, McHenry stretched the run to 10-0 after a 3-point basket with 13:57 remaining.
With 10 minutes remaining, McHenry threw a lob to Marshall Jr., who threw it down. He immediately followed up with five consecutive points for the Hilltoppers, knocking down a 3-point basket and then ripping away a defensive rebound for a steal followed by a dunk, putting WKU up 81-51.
The Hilltoppers stretched the lead back up to 36 with a 91-55 lead with six minutes remaining in the game. Senior guard Tyler Olden was bumped going for a layup, which rolled off of the top of the backboard and into the net, giving WKU 98 points.
A 3-point basket by guard Jaylen Dorsey capped off a 101-point game for the Hilltoppers, ending in a 101-69 victory.
The Hilltoppers will ride the momentum to Kennesaw State Thursday, Feb. 6 to face the Owls. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
Sports Reporter Michael Givner Jr. can be reached at [email protected].