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Kentucky Wesleyan College Athletics

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Panthers pull out win over Knights
Desmond Stephens and Andree' Wilson combined to hit 6-of-6 charity tosses in the last 25 seconds to seal the Panthers record-tying 27th win.

Panthers pull out win over Knights

Box Score

The Kentucky Wesleyan College men's basketball team closed its regular season with a 71-69 win over Bellarmine on Thursday night at Knights Hall in Louisville.

The sixth-ranked Panthers improved to 27-3, which equaled the school record for wins in the regular season established by the 1999 squad that finished 35-2 and won the national championship.

"With all the great teams and all the great coaches that have been here, it's really an accomplishment our guys should be proud of," KWC coach Todd Lee said.

KWC overcame a difficult night from the field (25-of-63, 39.7 percent) with strong work on the offensive boards (14) and by committing just eight turnovers.

"That put us plus-11 in the possession game," said Lee, who preaches those two components, along with defense, as being the key to success. "We played very good defense in the first half, but we came out flat in the second half."

KWC led 34-25 at halftime. But Bellarmine blistered the nets in the second half (15-of-26, 57.7 percent) to pull ahead 64-63 with 2:35 remaining.

The Panthers, meanwhile, struggled from the field after intermission, hitting just 11-of-28 shots (39.3 percent) and missing all 10 of their 3-point attempts.

"Our shot selection in the second half wasn't good," Lee said.

What KWC did exceptionally well was convert from the foul line down the stretch. Marico Stinson hit two free throws with 1:09 left that pushed the Panthers ahead 65-64, and Desmond Stephens and Andree' Wilson combined to hit 6-of-6 charity tosses in the last 25 seconds to seal the win.

Overall, KWC made 17-of-18 free throws (94.4 percent).

"We are shooting free throws well," Lee said. "Part of it too is we've had leads down the stretch, and then we get it to the right guys."

Wilson continued his strong play for the Panthers, notching team highs with 17 points and seven rebounds.

"He's playing with a lot of energy," Lee said. "We're going to him more now in the post."

KWC, which improved to 16-2 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, got 16 points from Stephens. Chris Williams chipped in 12.

Bellarmine (18-8, 11-6), which hadn't lost a conference game at home this season, had four players score in double figures. Jeremy Kendle scored a game-high 20 points.

The Knights shot 47.9 percent (23-of-48) from the field -- 7-of-17 (41.2 percent) from 3-point range -- and made 16-of-24 free throws (66.7 percent). They won the boards, 34-33.

"We've got a tough group of guys; they don't get down and they keep battling," Lee said. "Our guys like going on the road and playing, and that says a lot about our mental toughness."

KWC will return to action against an opponent yet to be determined in the second round of the GLVC Tournament at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 28, at the Sportscenter.
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