New Mexico
Hilltoppers take down New Mexico State, 72-58, on Senior Day
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) – WKU men’s basketball defeated New Mexico State, 72-58, in the team’s Senior Day game in Diddle Arena on Saturday. The win marks the fifth straight for the Hilltoppers and improves the Tops’ record to 8-4 in Conference USA league play and 19-7 overall for the season.
The team held its Senior Day ceremony on Saturday, with Dontaie Allen, Brandon Newman and Rodney Howard all being recognized on-court prior to tipoff. Team managers Kyle Huber and Garrett Coughlin were also honored in the ceremony.
WKU relied heavily on its bench production in Saturday’s win over the Aggies, as 33 of the 72 total points scored by the Tops came from bench contributors.
Freshman Teagan Moore led the bunch with 12 points off 4-for-7 shooting from the field and a 4-of-4 mark from the stripe. Enoch Kalambay followed with 11 points off 5-for-8 shooting along with a team-high five rebounds, two assists and a block.
A total of five Hilltoppers went for double-digit points on Saturday. Babacar Faye charted 11 points off 3-for-5 shooting and 5-of-5 from the charity stripe, while Don McHenry and Howard each finished with 10 points.
Allen and Newman rounded out the scoring column with 9 points each.
Neither team managed a score until three minutes into the game when the Aggies opened it up with a three. Allen responded with a converted three-point play to give WKU its first points of the night and tie the game at 3-all with 16:32 remaining in the half.
A triple from the top of the key off the hand of Newman gave WKU its first lead, 8-7, nearly five minutes into the game. Following a response by the Aggies, Kalambay faked an Aggie defender and found an easy baseline entry to the basket for a lay-in, tying the game at 12-all. Jack Edelen notched a steal and found a wide open Kalambay for the two, taking the lead back for the Tops with 11:45 until the half.
Following a run by NM State to give the Aggies a seven-point lead with 8:41 to play in the half, a corner three by Moore brought the Red and White to within four going into the under-eight timeout. Another made triple by NM State extended the Aggie lead to nine at the 6:48 mark in the first.
In-need of offense, Moore drew contact on his way up to the rim, getting the friendly roll and converting the three-point play to cut the deficit to one possession with 2:41 until the break. With just under a minute left in the half, Moore cut the deficit to two with a fadeaway and McHenry grabbed a steal with 25 seconds left allowing for one final shot for WKU.
After missing off the left iron, McHenry managed another shot just before the buzzer and connected, sending the teams into the locker room tied at 33.
Opening second-half scoring, Tyrone Marshall Jr. notched a steal and found Newman for an easy lay-in to give the Tops a 35-33 lead. McHenry added to the lead with a jumper, sending the junior into double figures and forcing the Aggies to take a timeout.
McHenry found Allen on the other end cross-court for a two-handed flush, then Allen dished to Faye for an easy bucket to give WKU a 41-35 lead. Faye bullied through traffic, drawing contact and converting on the three-point play to give the Tops an eight-point lead with 16:06 remaining.
Kalambay’s fourth made-field goal gave WKU a six-point advantage, 46-40, with 13:25 to play. Kalambay then lined up a triple from the key, connecting in the face of an Aggie defender and giving WKU a nine-point lead as NM State took time.
Out of the break, Edelen found Howard who got hacked on the way up to the net and converted both attempts at the stripe, putting WKU ahead by double digits for the first time, 51-40, with 11:53 to play in regulation. Out of the under-eight break, Marshall found Howard for a jumper in the paint to put the Tops up by a dozen, 57-45.
Allen’s first triple of the night came from the left corner, assisted by Howard. Amidst a nearly three-minute scoreless streak for the Aggies, WKU managed a 16-point lead with just under six minutes to play.
Swinging the ball around the perimeter, Kalambay found Newman for a fadeaway three to put the Hilltoppers up 15 with 5:17 left. Faye became the fourth Hilltopper to reach double figures on a pair of made free throws, putting WKU ahead, 69-54, with 3:14 to play.
A putback layup by Howard with 1:19 remaining would be the final basket of the day for WKU, and the Hilltoppers secured the 72-58 victory at home to improve to 12-1 on the season playing at Diddle.
WKU will return to action next week and travel on the road for a matchup against conference rival Middle Tennessee on Saturday, Feb. 24. Tipoff from Murphy Center Complex in Murfreesboro, Tenn. is slated for 6:30 p.m. CT with ESPN+ set to broadcast the event.
Copyright 2024 WBKO. All rights reserved.
New Mexico
Landlord AC ordinance, Rio Grande water levels, Spotty rain, New legislative office, New Mexico Motorfest
Monday’s Top Stories
Monday’s Five Facts
[1] ABQ City Councilor aims to bolster protections for renters amid unseasonable warmth – Albuquerque city councilor is looking to make sure city landlords are not only providing cooling systems, but also ensuring they actually work when they’re needed. City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn spearheaded an ordinance in December of 2024, requiring all Albuquerque rental properties to have a cooling system. Now, Fiebelkorn is taking it a step further, hoping to establish cooling system performance requirements. The ordinance is expected to be voted on in final action at Monday’s city council meeting.
[2] Rio Grande showing dry spots in Valencia County amid record-low snowpack – Portions of the Rio Grande are now seeing dry spots earlier than expected. Officials say the timing is not normal. In Valencia County, parts of the river are already running dry. Near the river crossing in Los Lunas, the river has open pockets. Further south, it is being reported as dry as well. There is a slight positive outlook for the monsoon season, with forecasters and officials predicting a strong season in the Middle Rio Grande Valley.
[3] Very spotty rainfall, warmer, & mostly calm week – Warmer weather will continue building in across the state throughout the upcoming week. A few isolated rain chances will return Monday in parts of New Mexico, but some of that rain may evaporate before reaching the ground. Temperatures will continue to increase through the middle of the week.
[4] NM representatives celebrate grand opening of new office with open house – A new state legislative office made its debut for representatives Eleanor Chavez and Yanira Gurrola. The new location is just one of the handful of new legislative offices now open across the state. They hosted a grand opening for the building that was open to the public. Representative Gurrola says it’s just one step towards modernizing the state’s legislature. The new office will allow residents to stay more connected to each representative.
[5] New Mexico Motorfest 2026 takes place in celebration of Route 66 Centennial – Another Route 66 celebration took place over the weekend and this one was all about cars. The New Mexico Motorfest happened at the Expo New Mexico racetrack. Over 300 vehicles from classic hot rods to lifted trucks were featured at the event. Some of the proceeds went to New Mexico veterans.
New Mexico
Los Alamos Public Schools Students Compete At 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair
Students from Barranca Mesa Elementary, Mountain Elementary, Los Alamos Middle School, and Los Alamos High School at the 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair at New Mexico Tech. Photo CourtesyLAPS
LAHS junior Tate Plohr and freshman Linus Plohr qualified to attend the 2026 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in May in Phoenix, Ariz. Photo Courtesy LAPS
Los Alamos Middle School student Branden Keller was awarded the CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Scholarship in the amount of $2,000 at the 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair. Photo Courtesy/LAPS
LAPS NEWS RELEASE
Twenty students from Barranca Mesa Elementary, Mountain Elementary, Los Alamos Middle School (LAMS) and Los Alamos High School (LAHS) competed, with several garnering awards at the 2026 New Mexico State Science and Engineering Fair held at New Mexico Tech in Socorro.
LAHS junior Tate Plohr qualified to attend the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) next month in Phoenix, Ariz. He was awarded the 3rd-place Grand Award. Freshman Linus Plohr qualified as an alternate and will also be attending the Regeneron ISEF.
Students who participated in the state competition include, from Barranca Mesa Elementary, Sydney Chen, Mary Beth Kelsey, Lily Neale, Aurora Roberts Voss and Henry Rodarte; and Glyn Lo and Ernest Maupin, Mountain Elementary.
Students from LAMS who competed include Evelyn Fobes, Mason Garcia, Andrew Gilbertson, James Junghans, Sequoya Ke, Brandon Keller, Nejan Liyanage and Daniel Yampolsky.
LAHS students Julia Neale, Linus Plohr, Tate Plohr, Lilia Veteva, Helena Welch and Kalliope Welch competed at the senior level.
2026 Award winners:
Category Awards – Junior Division
- Animal Science, Cellular & Molecular
- Biomedical & Health Science
- Honorable Mention: Sequoya Ke
- Embedded Systems, Math, Robotics, Software & Technology
- 2nd place: Nejan Liyanage
- Physics & Astronomy
- 1st place: Sydney Chen
- 2nd place: Mason Garcia
- Honorable Mention: Marybeth Kelsey
- Plant Science
Category Awards – Senior Division
- Behavioral & Social Science:
- Honorable Mention: Linus Plohr
- Earth & Environmental
- Honorable Mention: Lilia Viteva
- Embedded Systems, Math, Robotics, & System Software
- 3rd Place: Helena Welch and Kalliope Welch
- Physics & Astronomy
Grand Awards
- ISEF finalist 3rd place: Tate Plohr
- Brandon Keller received the CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Scholarship in the amount of $2,000. James Jungans and Marybeth Kelsey garnered Thermo Fisher Awards.
Other special award winners include:
- CO2 & Greenhouse Reduction Awards (Junior Division)
- Daniel Yampolsky, 2nd place, Earth & Environmental Sciences
- Sequoya Ke, 1st place, Biomedical & Health Science
- Brandon Keller, 1st place, Energy & Materials Science
- Andrew Gilbertson, 1st place, Physics & Astronomy
- CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Reduction Award (Senior Division)
- Lilia Viteva, 1st place, Earth & Environmental Sciences
- Office of Naval Research Award
- David Shortess Award
- New Mexico AVS Award
- Citadel Award
- Naval Research Award
- NM Network for Women in Science & Engineering Award
- Yale Science & Engineering Award
- Rose Baca Rivet Award
Related
Arizona State baseball will host a four-game homestand, beginning with New Mexico State on Wednesday, April 22.
The Sun Devils and Aggies faced each other in late March, with ASU winning 10-4. The two teams will meet for the final time at 6:35 p.m. at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
ASU will then welcome Baylor on Friday, April 24, for a three-game series. The Sun Devils have yet to face the Bears this season, but ASU has been doing well so far and has been in the top 25 for four weeks.
Sophomore center fielder Landon Hairston earned Big 12 player of the week honors on April 13, after delivering five home runs in five games. His 10 runs in that stretch were tied for the second-most nationally and his 14 runs batted in were tied for third-most nationally. All nine of his hits went for extra bases, three more than any other player.
ASU’s series against Baylor will start at 6:35 p.m. for the first two games, followed by a 1:05 p.m. start on Sunday, April 26.
April 19
Softball at Houston, Cougar Softball Stadium, noon.
April 22
Baseball vs New Mexico State, Phoenix Municipal Stadium, 6:35 p.m.
April 23
Women’s golf at Big 12 Championship, Dallas Athletic Club, TBA.
Track and field at Penn Relays, Franklin Field, 1:22 p.m.
Beach volleyball at Big 12 Championship, Bear Down Beach, all day.
April 24
Baseball vs Baylor, Phoenix Municipal Stadium, 6:35 p.m.
Softball vs Texas Tech, Farrington Stadium, 7 p.m.
April 25
Lacrosse at Colorado, Prentup Field, 11 a.m.
Softball vs Texas Tech, Farrington Stadium, 3 p.m.
Baseball vs Baylor, Phoenix Municipal Stadium, 6:35 p.m.
Reach the reporter or send tips for stories at jenna.ortiz@arizonarepublic.com, as well as @jennarortiz on X.
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