Game Notes
Back on track after a stirring 17-point blowout at Northern Kentucky, the new-look Panthers of Kentucky Wesleyan have their sights set on today's invasion of all Sportscenter invasions -- top-ranked and defending NCAA Division II national champion Bellarmine.
KWC, ranked seventh nationally, enter tonight's fray 16-2 and 8-2 in the Great Lakes Conference, while Scotty Davenport's Knights are 17-1 in all games and 9-1 against the league.
While Wesleyan was proving it could win a key road game without the services of the GLVC's leading scorer
Cardell McFarland (foot injury) on Thursday night, the Knights were manhandling No. 8 Southern Indiana 67-53 at Knights Hall in Louisville.
Bellarmine overwhelmed the Screaming Eagles by placing five players in the double-digit scoring column, by limiting USI to 42 percent shooting, by forcing 19 turnovers, and by draining 10-of-22 shots from 3-point range.
“They lead the country in field goal percentage (56 percent) and they're the best passing team in the nation,” KWC head coach Todd Lee said of Bellarmine. “They're just highly efficient in everything they do.”
The Knights' formula against USI ran true to form, as Bellarmine has five players averaging in double figures for the season: 6-foot-2 junior guard Jeremy Kendle (18.9 ppg), 6-2 junior guard Chris Dowe (16.5 ppg), 6-3 sophomore guard Kristen Jones (12.8 ppg), 6-5 senior Braydon Hobbs (12.7 ppg) and 6-8 senior Luke Sprague (10.6 ppg).
Dowe leads the club averaging 6.6 rebounds per game, and Hobbs dishes six assists per game.
The key for the Knights, though, remains Kendle, the reigning GLVC Player of the Year, and Hobbs, who had 10 assists on Thursday night.
“Kendle can shoot the 3, has a great intermediate game, and can get to the rim on the drive,” Lee said. “He has the ability to score in three different ways, which makes him very difficult to guard. He's also a very good passer.“Hobbs is a guy who can dominate a game and score no more than eight points. He makes everyone around him better.”.
KWC, meanwhile, is coming off arguably its best all-around performance of the season, all things considered.
In their 74-57 wipeout of Northern, the Panthers shot 57 percent from the field and were led by senior forward
Anthony Young, who finished 10-of-13 from the field, made is only two 3-point attempts, went 7-of-7 from the foul stripe and scored a game-high 29 points.
As good as he was, however, Young was just part of the story against the Norse.
Junior guard
Kreig Oxley, starting at the point for McFarland, delivered 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting and turned the ball over just once in 33 minutes; and
Aaron Gilstrap, a 6-6 forward who had seen limited playing time, was 2-of-3 from 3-point range and was cited for excellent defense on NKU star Jon Van Hoose in 25 minutes of action.
Otherwise, the Panthers got strong performances from senior guard
Brandon Johnson (13 points, eight assists), sophomore forward
Dominique Dawson (six blocks in 15 minutes), and senior forward
Marseilles Stewart (seven rebounds).
“We won as a team,” Lee said, “and I'm proud of the way we carried out our assignments. We did exactly what we needed to do to beat a very good Northern Kentucky team at their place.
“Now, we've got to continue to execute well as we move forward against the No. 1 team in the country.”
Freshman guard
Travis Johnston, who suffered a sprained ankle in the first half at NKU, is unlikely to play tonight, Lee said.
• Tonight's game is a Coaches vs. Cancer event as designated by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Coaches will wear suits and sneakers for awareness, and donations will be accepted.
