KWC starts strong, but falls apart at Indy - Kentucky Wesleyan College Athletics

Box Score

A fast start didn't produce a happy ending for the Kentucky Wesleyan College men's basketball team on Saturday afternoon.

The Panthers jumped out to an 18-point lead less than eight minutes into their matchup with Indianapolis, but the Greyhounds roared back to claim an 82-66 win at Nicoson Hall in Indianapolis.

"We played great to start the game," KWC coach Todd Lee said. "The guys followed the game plan, especially defensively. Our guys were making shots, and we jumped out to that big lead early.

"But we didn't close the (first) half the way we needed to. We played in stretches again, and that's been a pattern for us most of the year."

KWC (15-8, 8-8 Great Lakes Valley Conference) pushed its lead to 22-4 on a 3-pointer by Anthony Young, who equaled Kwan Waller for team scoring honors with 17 points. But Indianapolis regrouped to go on a 22-6 run that cut its deficit to 28-26 with 4:11 remaining in the first half.

"We came out with a lot of passion and played really well to start the game," Lee said. "But we broke down again. We have a lack of depth at times, and that shows when we sub. I thought at the start of the game, our guys did a good job, but we didn't finish the first half like we wanted to."

Indianapolis (18-5, 11-5) took its first lead at 31-30 on an Adrian Moss 3-pointer. Waller answered with a jumper, but the Greyhounds got a layup from Wilbur O'Neal, then a 3-pointer from DeWann Squires with four seconds left to lead 36-32 at intermission.

"They hit two (3-pointers) at the shot-clock buzzer, and you know it's going your way when that happens," Lee said.

Indianapolis extended its advantage to 49-40 with 14:57 to play. But KWC battled back to a 55-52 deficit when Cardell McFarland converted a pair of free throws with 9:42 remaining.

It was all Greyhounds from there. A 15-3 run pushed their lead to 70-55 with 4:20 left, and KWC never got closer than a 12-point deficit thereafter.

Indianapolis' second-half charge was aided by 58 percent (15-of-26) shooting from the field. Overall, the Greyhounds shot 52 percent (29-of-56).

"That's been a pattern for us," said Lee of the second-half defensive letdown. "We've got to do something about that."

KWC shot 48 percent (24-of-50) from the field, including 32 percent (6-of-19) from 3-point range. The Panthers made 12-of-15 free throws (80 percent).

KWC was outrebounded 30-27. The Panthers' Jay Ivey had nine boards.

Indianapolis had four players score in double figures, led by Darius Adams' 23 points. He made 8-of-17 shots from the field, 4-of-8 from 3-point range.

"Too much Darius Adams today," said Lee, who noted the Greyhounds' guard also had a game-high 15 rebounds. "He's a great athlete, not only just scoring the ball, but chasing things down. He has a high energy level."

KWC will look to halt its three-game losing streak when it hosts Southern Indiana on Monday.

"We're going to get back in the swing and get some rest and practice (today)," Lee said. "We've got to get home and prepare. We've got a great opportunity on Monday and another one on Saturday (at Bellarmine)."

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