Box Score
Players who haven't had much chance in the spotlight made the most of the opportunity when Kentucky Wesleyan College's men's basketball team faced Union on Monday night.
The most notable among those was Luke Shelley, who drained three 3-pointers for the second straight game, to help lead No. 5 KWC to a 101-62 win in front of an announced crowd of 2,000 at the Sportscenter.
Shelley, a 6-foot-2 sophomore from Victoria, Australia, made 8-of-12 shots in all on the way to a game-high 19 points.
“He can spot-up shoot, and he just needs to get stronger,” KWC coach Todd Lee said. “When he comes in a game, he plays hard, which is good for him.”
And Shelley did more than just shoot 3s.
He ran the floor well, getting an extra pass from Marseilles Stewart for one basket, going in transition for a dunk, and scoring inside on a putback, all coming long after the issue had been decided for KWC (8-0).
“Luke has shown how hard he worked over the summer and during the offseason,” Stewart said. “That work shows in practice every day.”
Stewart put in some pretty good time himself against Union, notching 18 points, with five rebounds, four steals, two assists and a blocked shot.
The 6-3 senior had missed about three weeks with a broken bone in his wrist, and Union was his second game,to see action since the injury. Stewart has been a key player both as a starter and off the bench in his two seasons with KWC.
“I feel like I'm doing pretty well right now,” Stewart said. “(Lee) doesn't want to push me too hard to come back. I'm getting back in game shape. You can run as much as you want on your own, but getting the on-the-court time is what you need to get in basketball shape.”
Cardell McFarland also had a good night getting to the basket and passing the ball. He scored 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor, to go along with six assists and three turnovers in 24 minutes.
Dominique Dawson pitched in with 10 points. Anthony Young had a rare night not scoring in double figures, finishing with six points for the Panthers.
Kreig Oxley made a pair of 3s, as did Devonte Maymon and Cornbread Walker. Travis Johnston also came in the game late and made a 3-pointer. The Panthers hit 11-of-29 for the game (37.9 percent) after making 8-of-13 in the first half for 61.5 percent.
Overall, KWC made 38-of-73 from the floor for 52 percent.
Stuart Stamper and James Strange led Union (3-11) with 12 points each.
The Panthers return to action Thursday night when they host Salem International.
“There are a lot of positives for us to take out of these games,” Stewart said. “We learn to do the little things right.”
