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LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Hilltopper Basketball fell to New Mexico State, 72-70, on Thursday night at Pan American Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico. With the loss, WKU falls to 13-5 overall for the season and 2-2 in Conference USA play.
Thursday's game at New Mexico State saw WKU ahead in the count for over 36 minutes of regulation, with the Hilltoppers leading by as many as 23 points in the second half.
The Tops established a lead in the first two minutes of the game, as Khristian Lander connected on a pair of free throws to give WKU a 4-2 advantage at the 18:09 mark of the first period. Lander accounted for the team's first six points with back-to-back made buckets to give WKU a 6-2 lead with 17:38 to play in the first.
WKU maintained its lead over the Aggies for the entirety of the first half, with Lander and Tyrone Marshall Jr. charting 13 points and 12 points respectively. The Tops entered halftime up, 37-27.
Returning for the second half, WKU added to its lead early as Brandon Newman notched a pair of free throws and back-to-back three-pointers. Another made pull-up jumper and a three-pointer off a fast break by Lander put the Tops ahead by 21, 50-29, with 16:48 remaining in regulation.
A two-point bucket by Rodney Howard gave WKU its largest lead of the game, up 23, at the 16:06 mark.
A quick 7-0 run by the Aggies cut the WKU lead to 16, 52-36, with 14:31 to play. Four consecutive made threes by New Mexico State cut the Tops' lead to five, 55-50, at the 9:32 mark.
The Tops' responded with a dunk by Howard, followed by a layup by Marshall Jr. and a pair of made free throws by Newman to reclaim a nine-point lead. The Aggies then notched another pair of made threes to cut into the WKU lead and make it a three-point game, 61-58, with 6:24 remaining.
A two-hand jam by Babacar Faye with 5:13 to play in regulation gave the Hilltoppers a six-point buffer, before the Aggies once again hit on a three-pointer to make it a 66-63 count with 4:28 to play. Another dunk by Faye and a made free throw by Lander on the front-end of a one-and-one gave WKU a 69-63 advantage with just over three minutes remaining.
New Mexico State scored seven unanswered to take its first lead since the opening minute and a half of the game. With WKU trailing, 70-69, Howard connected on a free throw to even the count at 70-70 with 1:13 left in regulation.
After WKU scooped up an Aggie turnover off a lost ball, Don McHenry was unable to connect on a three-pointer with 20 seconds remaining. New Mexico State connected on a layup with six seconds to play and took a 72-70 lead.
A last-second floater by McHenry fell no-good, and WKU saw defeat in its game against New Mexico State, 72-70. McHenry was limited to just one point in Thursday's matchup with the Aggies.
Lander finished with a team-high 19 points to go with four assists and two rebounds. Marshall Jr. finished with 16 points, six rebounds, four assists, four steals and a block.
Newman and Howard led the team in rebounds, pulling down eight each. Newman charted as the team's third-leading scorer with 13 points, while Faye finished fourth in scoring with 10 points.
WKU continues its road trip with a conference matchup at UTEP on Saturday, Jan. 20. Tipoff from Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas is slated for 8 p.m. CT with ESPN+ set to broadcast.
Follow the team on social media (@wkubasketball) for the latest news and updates on all things Hilltopper Basketball. Visit wkusports.com for more information.
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