Bellarmine tops Panthers for title - Kentucky Wesleyan College Athletics

Kentucky Wesleyan College Athletics

Scoreboard

Box Score

Kentucky Wesleyan had no answer for Bellarmine's Jeremy Kendle on Sunday afternoon, and it cost the Panthers the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament championship.

Kendle scored 31 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished three assists as the Knights stunned No. 3 KWC 79-69 at Springfield, Ill.

"We didn't have anyone who could guard Jeremy Kendle," Panthers coach Todd Lee said. "We tried everything on him, and nothing worked. He had his way with everybody.

"You give a lot of credit to Bellarmine in this one. They're playing as well as any team in the country right now -- they're playing like the team that was a preseason No. 1 pick. They've got Nick Holmes back from injury, and that's made a big difference for them."

KWC (29-4) will look to rebound at 6 p.m. Saturday when -- as the No. 1 seed and host team in the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional -- it takes on St. Joseph's in the Sportscenter.

In addition to Kendle's offensive fireworks, Wesleyan experienced a rough shooting day (35 percent) and made just 6-of-24 shots from 3-point range (25 percent).

"Our shot selection was really poor," said Lee, whose club saw its 11-game winning streak ended. "We were rushing our shots. We took quick shots, and we took forced shots.

"They did a pretty good job of mixing their defenses, but we had some open looks -- it was just one of those days when we didn't shoot very well."

The Knights were in control most of the way, building a 38-33 halftime advantage behind Kendle's 16 points.

KWC (29-4) took a brief 54-52 lead on a jumper by Desmond Stephens at 10:04, but the Knights (22-8) responded with a 9-2 run to reclaim command.

Bellarmine, which lost twice to KWC in the regular season, never trailed again.

Kendle, the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, finished 13-of-26 from the floor, including a pair of 3-pointers, and made 3-of-4 free throws. Chris Dowe scored 14 points, Braydon Hobbs 11, and Luke Sprague 10.

The Panthers were led by 19 points from Stephens, who made just 7-of-22 floor shots, including 0-of-6 from 3-point range. Kwan Waller added 14 points. Stephens, who had five assists, and Waller were named to the All-Tournament team.

Jay Ivey contributed seven points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

Wesleyan did a good job on the glass, outrebounding Bellarmine by a 45-37 margin. KWC had 20 offensive rebounds to just eight for the Knights.

"We're going to just go back to work," Lee said. "We're going to get to host the regionals at the Sportscenter, and if someone beats us on our home floor they deserve to win it.

"Our goals are still out there, still intact. We just need to come back ready to play in the regionals."

Print Friendly Version