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Kentucky Wesleyan College Athletics

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Panthers strong early to rout Tiffin
Desmond Stephens produces career highs of 25 points and 13 assists

Panthers strong early to rout Tiffin

Box Score

Coach Todd Lee expected Tiffin to provide a test for his 18th-ranked Kentucky Wesleyan College men's basketball team on Tuesday night.

Lee, however, wasn't expecting near perfection from his Panthers in their first half of basketball since a five-day Christmas break.

KWC clicked on all cylinders from the opening tip en route to a 24-point halftime lead that propelled it to a 105-76 win over the Dragons at the Sportscenter.

"We had one turnover in the first half; I don't know if I've ever seen that," Lee said. "One turnover with 14 assists. That's a good statistic."

It was one of many good statistics for the Panthers.

* Desmond Stephens had 25 points and 13 assists, both career highs.

* Andree' Wilson had a career-high 24 points.

* Chris Williams had 18 points, 12 rebounds and five assists.

* The Panthers shot 57 percent (39-of-69) from the floor and cooled off in the second half to shoot 46 percent (12-of-26) from 3-point range.

* KWC destroyed Tiffin on the boards, 44-26, which led to a 17-8 edge in second-chance points.

"The good thing is they switched their defense, played 1-3-1 zone, 2-3 zone, man-to-man, and we did a good job of recognizing what they were in," Lee said. "We shot the ball well -- though we got a little 3 happy -- but when we attacked the zone and went inside we got layups."

Tiffin (1-8) employed a full-court press against the Panthers that played right into Stephens' hands. He was able to break it with his dribble, then had the Dragons' defense on its heels with his ability to dish or attack the rim.

"I love breaking the press," said Stephens, who downplayed his own numbers. "I'm proud of them, but the victory is always the best thing."

Lee hasn't been pleased with his club's defensive work much of the season. But the Panthers held Tiffin to 46 percent (26-of-57) shooting from the floor.

Brian Scott led the Dragons with 24 points, as he hit 6-of-7 attempts from 3-point range.

"We played good defense in spurts, but once you get up its hard to maintain the intensity," Lee said. "But yes, I was happier with the defense. And that's the most important thing with us getting into the (Great Lakes Valley Conference), because there's going to be more skilled players."

KWC (12-1) extended its winning streak to 12 games. The Panthers return to action when league foe Saint Joseph's visits at 3:15 p.m. Saturday.

"This was good for our confidence," Stephens said.
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