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.
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