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.
Native Vote 2026
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A Laguna Pueblo woman is the front runner to be New Mexico’s next governor.
Shortly after polls closed Tuesday night, Deb Haaland was declared the winner over Bernalillo County district attorney Sam Bregman in the state’s semi-open Democratic Party primary. As of 11:00 p.m., Haaland carried support from 72% of the Democratic primary voters to Bregman’s 28%, according to unofficial results from the New Mexico Secretary of State.
“We’re showing everyone that a better future in New Mexico is possible,” she told supporters gathered in Albuquerque’s historic Old Town Plaza. “New Mexicans want a leader who will stand up for working people, and who is ready to take on Donald Trump. I proudly accept your nomination as a Democratic nominee.”
Haaland spoke for 13 minutes, at times through a scratchy throat that required her to pause for water breaks. “Excuse me, I’ve been talking with voters all day,” she said while grabbing a water bottle before hitting her campaign stump notes on affordability, health care and public safety.
She will face Republican Gregg Hull, a former mayor from suburban Rio Rancho that won his party’s three-way primary with 47% of the vote, according to unofficial results from the New Mexico Secretary of State.
Haaland will be the Democratic Party nominee in a state dominated at every level by Democrats, and is expected to be heavily favored in the general election. With that insight she said her campaign message does translate to Republicans and Independent voters.
“We want our kids to thrive. We want our kids to have a quality, public education. We want every New Mexican to have health care. Everybody wants to feel safe in their neighborhoods, and everybody wants to be able to afford to put a hot meal on their table every night and have a roof over their children’s heads,” she said. “Those issues transcend whatever political spectrum we’re trying to slice and dice people into.”
Shortly after the race was called, Haaland campaign staff, major donors, surrogates, and their families walked from a building on the west side of Albuquerque’s Old Town Plaza to the historic plaza core, where the Haaland campaign had set up a stage and reserved the entire plaza for its victory celebration.
“We are now witnessing history in the making,” New Mexico state Rep. Derrick Lente (Sandia Pueblo) said to supporters immediately after Haaland was declared the winner.
Denise Wilie (Dine) also joined the celebration of Haaland’s victory. Wilie said she worked on get-out-the-vote efforts with the Native American Voters Alliance in McKinley County.
“It just is so exhilarating to even think about, a woman and a Pueblo woman,” she said. “Indigenous all the way, is how I feel. I’m like, yes, let’s get more of our voices.”
Haaland was introduced by her two sisters and walked to the stage escorted by a mariachi band.
Speaking to reporters after the event Haaland reflected on voting for a Pueblo woman (herself) for governor.
“I got emotional, quite frankly, when I went to vote for myself because you do that when you’re a candidate,” she said. “We’ve never had a Native American governor in New Mexico. We’re a multicultural state. I think representation matters, especially in a political era such as this one. So, I’m really proud and honored to carry on the legacy of my ancestors, who worked so incredibly hard to make sure that I had a place here today.”
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – When a famly unexpectedly loses a loved one, or has someone go missing, the details of what comes next can be overwhelming.
But they don’t have to do it alone thanks to an organization helping New Mexico families with some of those burdens.
Watch the video above for more.
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