Box Score
Putting on a defensive clinic over the final 10 minutes of the first half, No. 19 Kentucky Wesleyan put together a 21-3 run and went on to beat Missouri S&T 79-59 in an opening round game of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament before a sparse gathering on Sunday afternoon at the Sportscenter.
The Panthers (21-6) move into the GLVC quarterfinals against Northern Kentucky at noon on Friday in Springfield, Ill.
KWC advanced with a well-executed defensive performance that held the Minors (7-20) without a field goal for a 12-minute stretch, and limited S&T to just 38 percent shooting.
“We defended well, and that was a great stretch for us at the end of the first half,” Wesleyan head coach Todd Lee said. “We were in a real battle with them for the first 10 minutes, but we were able to get it done at the defensive end and extend our lead out to 16 points by halftime.
“S&T does a great job running their offense, and it takes a disciplined defense to contain them. We were ready for them, though, and I thought our guys carried out our defensive game plan extremely well.”
KWC led 11-4 out of the gate, before the Miners went on a 12-2 run. Tommy Pelczynski's 14-footer at 9:40 pushed S&T in front 15-13, but the Miners would not make another field goal the remainder of the half.
The Panthers responded by scoring 21 of the next 24 points — getting 3-point baskets from
Anthony Young and
Kreig Oxley, along with a conventional three-point conversion by
Brandon Johnson.
By halftime KWC was firmly in control, 34-18.
“We had a couple of really good practices preparing for their half-court sets,” Panthers senior forward
Anthony Young said, “and I thought that really paid off for us. We made it took for them to get good looks, and we were able to take advantage of their empty possessions scoring points at the other end.”
Wesleyan sealed matters with a huge start to the second half, getting 3s from
Marseilles Stewart, Johnson and Oxley in a 22-7 burst during the first 71⁄2 minutes — a
Dominique Dawson jam providing the Panthers a 56-26 advantage at 12:35.
The Panthers eventually built their lead to 34 points on three occasions inside the final 51⁄2 minutes, before the Minors — competing against KWC's final set of substitutes — put together a game-closing 16-2 run that trimmed the final margin to 20 points.
Wesleyan featured a balanced attack led by Johnson, who produced 17 points, six rebounds and two assists. Young (13 points, seven rebounds), Stewart (13 points on 6-of-9 shooting) and Oxley (11 points, six assists) each played a major role in the rout.
“Marseilles was particularly strong for us on the inside in this one,” Lee said. “He used his quickness and strength to free himself on that little spin move in the paint, and his shot was falling for us.
“When Marseilles scores for us like that down low, it really helps our team.”
KWC rallied to out-rebound the Miners 33-30, and the Panthers turned the ball over only six times
Missouri S&T, hammered 91-58 by the Panthers on Jan. 7 at the Sportscenter, was paced by Pelczynski (16 points, five rebounds), Michael Jackson (13 points, eight rebounds) and Carlton Westbrook (10 points).
