New Mexico State coach Jody Adams challenged her bench players to step up after falling to Middle Tennessee on Thursday.
Against Western Kentucky on Saturday, she got just what she wanted.
Freshman guard Madi Gerwitz was the star in the Aggies’ (11-11, 4-5 Conference USA) 64-59 victory over the Lady Toppers (15-6, 6-3) at home. She scored a season-high 17 points and added four rebounds against WKU and helped drive her teammates to a victory they desperately wanted. Gerwitz was especially crucial in the second half as the Aggies were rallying from an 11-point halftime deficit with 15 points after halftime.
Gerwitz helped seal NM State’s victory with nine points in the fourth quarter, including its final three points on free throws to ice out WKU. Four of her five baskets were 3-point shots as she showed off her range from beyond the arc, and she made all of those four in the second half on four second-half 3-point attempts.
The Gilbert, Ariz. native was looking for a spark heading into Saturday. Not only did Gerwitz get that, she became the story of the game and helped the Aggies upset a WKU squad placed third in CUSA’s standings.
She wasn’t the only bench player to impress. Junior forward Lucía Yenes scored 10 points and made all five of her shots, only the second time she’s scored double-digit points in a game this season. Yenes also recorded three rebounds and two assists.
The win snapped NM State’s four-game losing streak and leveled their record back at a .500 winning percentage. A strong third quarter helped the Aggies overcome their deficit after out-scoring the Lady Toppers 21-13. NM State later out-scored WKU 24-16 in the fourth quarter to leave the Pan American Center a much-needed victory.
Adams and her players were not made available to speak after the game by NMSU, despite the win.
Fast facts
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Senior guard Molly Kaiser also tallied 17 points alongside Gerwitz and tallied six rebounds and four assists.
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The Aggies took a 48-45 lead off a Gerwitz 3-pointer with 7:09 left to play and never trailed again.
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Twenty-seven bench points from Gerwitz and Yenes is the most bench points NM State has tallied in a game this season.
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The Aggies shot 42.8% from the field in the second half compared to 38.5% for WKU, helping drive NM State to its comeback victory.
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NM State drained 19 of its 22 free throw attempts compared to eight free throws on 13 attempts for the Lady Toppers. WKU’s 20 personal fouls were only one more than the Aggies.
What’s next?
The Aggies have only one game next week against UTEP (9-11, 2-7) at 2 p.m. Saturday on the road. NM State defeated the Miners 65-49 on Jan. 11 in Las Cruces earlier this season.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: NMSU women’s basketball gets help from key bench player in WKU win
