Cold First Half Costs Westerners in Road Loss at No. 17 NMJC

Hobbs, N.M. — Cold shooting in the opening half proved costly as the Western Texas College men's basketball team dropped its first conference road game of the season, falling 72–49 to No. 17 New Mexico Junior College on Thursday night in Hobbs.

How We Got There:

The Westerners struggled to find an offensive rhythm early, shooting just 6-of-26 from the floor in the first half. New Mexico Junior College capitalized on the shooting woes, building a 34–19 halftime lead. Western Texas was unable to close the gap after the break, as the Thunderbirds outscored the Westerners 38–30 in the second half to secure the win.

Despite the loss, Western Texas showed brief momentum early in the contest. Anesu Dehwe led the Westerners with 12 points, while Jalen Brown knocked down three free throws at the 6:27 mark of the first half to tie the game at 13–13. The Thunderbirds responded immediately, regaining control and pulling away before halftime.

New Mexico Junior College finished the night shooting 41.9% from the field and controlled the paint and the glass, holding a 42–27 rebounding advantage and outscoring Western Texas 34–16 in the paint. Turnovers also factored into the outcome, as the Westerners committed 23, leading to 24 points off turnovers for NMJC.

Western Texas did find success at the free-throw line, converting 17-of-21 (81.0%).

Notes

• Western Texas scored a season-low 19 points in the first half
• The Westerners held New Mexico JC below its season average of 89 points per game
• Calven Charles recorded his 50th career block

Up Next

The Westerners return home to host Odessa College on Thursday, January 15, with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m.