Stephens drives Panthers to victory - Kentucky Wesleyan College Athletics

Kentucky Wesleyan College Athletics

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Desmond Stephens poured in 23 points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished six assists and made two steals to lift Kentucky Wesleyan to a 71-49 victory over Grand Canyon (Ariz.) on Sunday night in the final game of the Disney West Tipoff Classic at Anaheim, Calif.

Stephens drained 5-of-9 shots from 3-point range to pace a Panthers club that connected on 14-of-29 shots from beyond the arc (48 percent).

"Our guys came out and played well, and it helps when you're knocking down shots early," Wesleyan coach Todd Lee said. "Our defense the last two nights of the tournament was a lot better. We got after it pretty good in this one."

Wesleyan (2-1) led by as many as 25 points midway through the first half, before the Antelopes started chipping away. Grand Canyon closed the gap to 32-23, but Wesleyan responded with a 6-0 run just before halftime to lead 38-23 at intermission.

"We started reaching a little bit on defense and sent them to the foul line," Lee said.

The second half, however, was all KWC, with the Panthers hitting a barrage of 3-pointers to put the Antelopes (0-3) away early.

"We came out strong in the second half and asserted ourselves," said Wesleyan's Chris Williams, who finished with 14 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals. "We took control of the game at that point, and never gave it back."

Kentucky Wesleyan built its biggest lead, 56-26, at the 14:12 mark on a jumper by Andree' Wilson. Grand Canyon never got closer than 21 points the rest of the way.

Both Stephens and Williams were named to the all-tournament team. KWC also got 12 points from Marico Stinson, who was 4-of-9 from 3-point range, and 10 points from Jay Ivey, who made his only two 3-point attempts.

"Stephens brings a lot of leadership and toughness to this group," Lee said. "And, I thought Jay hitting a couple of 3's early really got us going in the right direction."

Steven Morin, who scored 13 points, was the Antelopes' lone double-digit scorer.

KWC shot 40 percent overall, but limited Grand Canyon to just 33 percent shooting. The Panthers outrebounded the Antelopes, 37-31, and forced 19 Grand Canyon floor errors.

Wesleyan returns to the hardwood on Thursday when it travels to South Carolina for an exhibition game against Darrin Horn's Gamecocks.

Western Washington, which also finished 2-1 in the event, earned the championship trophy based on points differential in its three games.

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