Aggies fail to outlast WKU on the road

BOWLING GREEN, Kentucky (KVIA) -- After falling short in a hard-fought battle with Middle Tennesse on Thursday, the Aggies had their sights set on contending with Western Kentucky at E.A Diddle Arena. Although NM State had a strong showing in the first half, it proved to not be enough as the Hilltoppers would pull out the victory 72-58.

Femi Odukale and Jaden Harris led the Aggies in scoring with 13 points each. Odukale also led the Aggies on the boards with eight rebounds. Christian Cook was just shy of double figures in the scoring column with nine points and added four rebounds. Kaosi Ezeagu went 2-3 from the field to total out with six points and grabbed five rebounds in his 23 minutes of action. 

First Half 

To start the first half, it was a scoreless first three minutes of action as neither team could find the bottom of the net. This changed when Jaden Harris converted from behind the arc on the right wing to put the Aggies up first. On the following possession, Western Kentucky got some ball movement going which led to Dontaie Allen finding enough space to get offa mid-range jumper that put the Hilltoppers on the board.  

Over the next five minutes of play, both teams continued to strike back-to-back after not being able to get anything to convert early on making the score at an even 14-14 with 10:46 left. Femi Odukale put the Aggies on his back and scored the next nine of their 11 points over the stretch to keep them alive during the span. 

From that point, the Aggies would orchestrate a 12-3 run sparked by a Harris three pointer to add pressure on the Hilltoppers to go up 26-17 with 6:48 left. To finish out the first, Western Kentucky would show some life and end the half on a 16-7 run that ended with a Don McHenry midrange jumper to tie up the score with 3 seconds left on the clock. 

Second Half 

Coming out to start the second, Western Kentucky would find their way on the board first with a Brandon Newman layup and get the Hilltoppers going. This would then spark a 9-3 Hilltopper run to give them momentum to start off the half. 

On the following two possessions for the Aggies, a Harris layup and a Christian Cook jumper would bring some life back to NM State and make the score 44-40. Hoping that his would lead to an impactful run for the Aggies, it would unfortunately be the closest the Aggies could keep the Hilltoppers for the rest of the contest. 

Over the next 10 minutes, Western Kentucky would then put its foot on the gas and construct an 18-6 run with RodenyHoward leading the charge with eight points.  

To finish out, the Aggies couldn't overcome the second-half surge of Western Kentucky and fell 72-58 and 0-12 on the road.  

NUMBERS OF NOTE 

• Jaden Harris finished with 15 field goal attempts from the field. This is his most shot attempts of the season.  

• Femi Odukale matched his career high of blocks in a game with four this afternoon, which results in his highestnumber of blocks in a two-game span in his career. 

• The Aggies have become the only team in CUSA to be undefeated at home and winless on the road in conference play this season. 

• The Aggies are now 0-12 on the season away from the Pan American Center.  

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