LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Protect the Pan Am – by any means necessary. After trailing by as much as 23 points in the second half, NM State utilized a stretch of play which included a 41-17 run to construct one of the greatest comebacks in college basketball history and defeat Western Kentucky 72-70 on Saturday night in the Pan American Center.  

"Man, we were down 23. I've had some great wins before. We've had some great wins before, but that might be the greatest win I've ever had," stated Hooten following the improbable comeback. "And it's not just that we were down 23. It's because at one point we had such a dark cloud over us. And like I told (Tanahj Pettway and Jaden Harris), they were like a ray of light. And the dark cloud completely left. Then all of a sudden, it's like 'we're going to play New Mexico State basketball' let's go. 
 

In front of a raucous home crowd which included students, who returned to school on Wednesday, season ticket holders and 40 dachshunds, the Aggies (8-10, 2-1 CUSA) moved to 8-1 on their home floor behind a substantial effort from the bench which accounted for 52 points, including a game-high 19 points from Tanahj Pettway who connected on four 3-pointers. Joining Pettway in the offensive effort from the reserves was Jaden Harris who tallied 18 points while also draining four shots from beyond the arc.  

"I'm gonna find five guys that want to go out there and play hard and play the way I want to play. It doesn't matter who it is, just give me five" 

Brooklyn, N.Y., native Femi Odukale also reached double figures as he finished the game with 11 points in 28 minutes off the bench. Odukale also pitched in six rebounds and six assists as, often times, he controlled the pace of the game. Meanwhile, Robert Carpenter was the lone starting Aggie to end the game with double digits in the scoring column as he posted 11 points, including making scoring nine consecutive points to contribute to a 12-0 run in the second half which cut the deficit to five points with nine minutes remaining.  

As a team, NM State shot an impressive 50% from the field in the second half while connecting on 64.3% of its 3-pointers during the final 20 minutes. This followed a first half in which the Aggies shot 27.8% from the field and 23.1% from long range. The massive turnaround helped the Aggies post 45 second-half points after managing just 27 points in the opening period.  

Defensively, the Aggies forced 14 turnovers and held the Hilltoppers' bench to just 11 points to cause a 41-point advantage in the category of bench points. WKU (13-5, 2-2 CUSA) was ultimately led by Khristian Lander who finished with 19 points on 7-11 from the field. Meanwhile, the Hilltoppers' leading scorer, Don McHenry finished with just one point in the loss after entering the game ranked as Conference USA's second leading scorer. 

FIRST HALF 

• After back and forth stops from both teams within the first 1:15 of the game, Robert Carpenter put the Aggies on the board first with a driving floater down the middle of the lane. Following the Carpenter bucket, a tough layup from Rodney Howard for Western Kentucky sparked a 10-2 run for the Hilltoppers going into the first media break. 

• Coming out of the break Jonathan Kanyanga broke the Aggies' scoring slump with a layup from the post to make the score 4-13. After another Hilltopper score, they continued to pour it on until Tanahj Pettway came in the game and made an immediate impact. Within his first minute of action, Pettway converted an and-one layup to give the Aggies points to break their scoring hiatus and begin a 12-4 Aggie run - bringing the score to 18-19.  

• After the Aggies clawed their way back into the game, Western Kentucky turned the heat back during the last seven minutes of the half and ended the first half on a 16-7 run to carry a 37-27 lead into the break. 

SECOND HALF 

• Coming out of the second half, the Hilltoppers picked up where they left off - going on a 14-2 run in the first four minutes of the game. Brandon Newman led the charge by adding eight points during that stretch.  

• On the next possession, the Aggies made a turn for the better as Jaden Harris knocked down a 3-pointer from the left wing. On the next possession, Pettway added in a three of his own.  

• Later in the run, Carpenter caught fire and made three consecutive shots from beyond the arc to help lessen the Western Kentucky lead to only five points. This capped off a monumental 18-3 run and left the Aggies within striking distance with 9:32 left on the clock. 

• Following that run, the Hilltoppers finally responded with a two-handed jam from center Rodney Howard, but that wasn't enough to fend off the Aggies as Harris and Pettway responded with triples galore as they both drained three-point shots to cut the deficit to just three points (58-61). 

• After going back and forth over the next four minutes, Harris got fouled and made both shot attempts to give the Aggies the lead (70-69) for the first time since the initial two minutes of the game. Following a foul by the Aggies, Howard made one free throw to tie the score at 70-70 and gave NM State the opportunity to win the game on its last possession. Femi Odukale was up to the challenge and converted a layup through contact to give the Aggies a two-point lead with 3.7 seconds left. On WKU's final possession, Don McHenry brought the ball down the court and failed to get a shot off before the buzzer – giving the Aggies their 160th home win since 2011-12. 

NUMBERS OF NOTE 

• The 23-point comeback is the largest in the history of the Pan American Center and ranks as the 22nd largest second half comeback in the history of Division I college basketball. 

• Held WKU's leading scorer, Don McHenry, to zero points in the contest. McHenry entered Thursday averaging 15.3 points per game which ranked second among all CUSA scorers 

• In addition to his stellar night from beyond the arc, Jaden Harris turned in one of the best defensive performances of his career - posting four steals to equal his career high. This also marks the second time this season he has reached this number in steals and is tied for the most by an Aggie this season. 

• While serving as a catalyst to the comeback, Tanahj Pettway's four 3-pointers tie the most in the career of the Worcester, Mass., native. Pettway's 19 points is also the highest scoring output of his Aggie career. 

• The Aggies 12 threes made was the most by any Western Kentucky opponent this season. 

UP NEXT 

The Aggies will return to the Pan American Center on Saturday night as they welcome a Middle Tennessee team that is amid a three-game losing streak and is still in search of its first CUSA game of the season. The contest versus the Blue Raiders is set to tip off at 7 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets online here, visit the Pan Am Ticket Office or call the ticket office. 

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