Wesleyan rolls to win - Kentucky Wesleyan College Athletics

Box Score

The resurgence of Kwan Waller to top form is paying big dividends for No. 11 Kentucky Wesleyan.

Plagued by shooting woes early in the season, the 5-foot-11 senior guard is back on track for the Panthers -- and his 22-point effort helped drive KWC to a 92-71 victory over Salem International on Thursday night at the Sportscenter.

Waller made 7-of-14 floor shots, including a pair of 3-pointers, and sank 6-of-7 foul shots as Wesleyan won for the seventh time in eight games this season.

Panthers head coach Todd Lee is, of course, encouraged by Waller's transformation.

"Kwan's really playing well right now, and he's bringing a lot of confidence to the court," Lee said. "I think the turnaround for him has come with better preparation. Shooting practice shots the way you shoot game shots -- really going at it at game speed in practice. It's made a big difference in his play."

Wesleyan also got another huge performance from forward Anthony Young, who produced game-highs of 26 points and 11 rebounds -- making 6-of-9 shots from the field, and sinking 13-of-15 foul shots.

"That's a lot of points for a guy only taking nine (floor) shots," Lee said. "It was another really solid performance all the way around by Anthony."

After falling behind 5-2 early, Wesleyan blitzed the visitors from West Virginia with a 19-2 run to shoot in front 21-7 at the 13-minute mark.

The Tigers (5-5) broke the streak with a three-point conversion Demetrius Brinson, before the Panthers scored 16 of the next 20 points to make it 37-14 at 8:58.

Just when it appeared Salem International would be blown out, however, the Tigers rallied -- scoring the last eight points of the first half to pull within 50-41 at intermission.

"We backed off the intensity the last few minutes of the first half, and Salem International turned up their intensity," Lee said. "We still don't have the sense of urgency in situations like that. Instead of expanding the lead, we have a tendency to relax -- it's a trait we've had all season.

"One thing I learned in scouting Salem and watching film is that they keep playing hard the whole way, whether they're up 20 points or down 20. We need to be more consistent in that regard."

A basket by Ray'Mar Porter to open the second half pulled the Tigers within seven, but that's as close as they would get.

KWC followed with a three-point conversion from Chris Williams and two free throws from Young to quell Salem's momentum, and the Tigers never got closer than 10 points the rest of the way.

The Panthers took their largest lead at 1:14, when Andre Sharp hit a pair of free throws to make it 92-67.

In addition to the production of Waller and Young, KWC got 12 points and a game-best nine rebounds from Chris Williams, and Cardell McFarland -- limited to nine points for the second consecutive game -- dished five assists.

Salem International was led by McCornell's 15 points, with Walker and Porter tossing in 13 each.

KWC is off until Jan. 2 when it travels to Wisconsin-Parkside for a Great Lakes Valley Conference game.

-- Kentucky Wesleyan's women's game, scheduled for 5:15 p.m. on Thursday, was canceled when Central State could not make the trip from Wilberforce, Ohio, due to inclement weather.

Print Friendly Version