Box Score
KWC used a 14-3 first-half run to take a convincing lead and never looked back in a 70-60 win over Quincy in the season opener in the All-American Club Classic at the Sportscenter.
The No. 12 Panthers did so without three key players — seniors Alex Brown and Donovan Johnson and sophomore Devin Langford — who were suspended indefinitely prior to Friday's game for what athletic director Jim Askins described as a "violation of institutional rules."
Osborne, however, was more than pleased with the effort his team gave despite being short-handed.
"I just thought our guys really, really worked hard and came together," said Osborne, who was awarded the game ball after earning his first win at KWC. "They're going to have to get where they can take me pushing them, because I'm going to be pretty intense. Our guys, they're still getting used to me. I'm still getting used to them."
Senior guard Lonnie Hayes and freshman Ken-Jah Bosley did plenty of damage in the first half to help build a lead for KWC, particularly Hayes.
Hayes finished with 17 first half points, 21 total, and hit several critical baskets during big runs.
It was his 3-pointer that capped the 14-3 run midway through the first half that gave the Panthers (1-0) an 18-7 lead. Another 3 from Hayes made it 33-21 with 3:08 left in the half, and he scored again just before the halftime buzzer to make 40-24 at halftime.
Bosley, playing in his first official collegiate game, scored nine points in the first half and had a sequence where he hit a 3, got a steal and drew an intentional foul while going up for a shot all in a span of a couple minutes. He finished with 14 points and two rebounds.
"He's not afraid," Osborne said. "He's been in the biggest of shows. He's going to play."
KWC led by as many as 22 points in the second half. In that half, it was senior Dominique Dawson's turn to shine.
He grabbed several rebounds, which he put back in for scores, and even had a two-handed dunk on a Quincy defender in which he drew a foul. He finished with 16 points and seven rebounds, six of which were on the offensive glass.
"I was the only big man out there tonight, so I had to make a presence," said Dawson, a transfer from the University of Minnesota. "There's other guys out there, so I just had to show my leadership by the way I was playing."
After a swarming man-to-man defensive effort in the first half that resulted in 15 Quincy turnovers, KWC relaxed into a 2-3 zone in the second half. There were several reasons for that, Osborne said.
Fatigue and the absence of the three players, two of whom (Johnson and Langford) were projected starters, was a big reason for the defensive change. Osborne also wanted to avoid foul trouble after committing 41 team fouls against Louisville last week. KWC was whistled for 24 fouls Friday night.
As a result, Quincy committed just five turnovers in the second half and shot 45.8 percent from the field compared to 38 percent in the first half.
KWC's halftime lead, however, was too much for the Hawks to overcome, especially after the Panthers maintained their solid shooting at 40.9 percent in the second half compared to 41.9 percent in the first half.
As for the suspended players, both Osborne and Askins declined to comment further.
When asked how long they would be out, Osborne said "I have no idea."
It's the second disciplinary decision by Osborne already this season, as senior guard Rico Ferguson was held out of the Louisville game for a "coach's decision."
"Everything is being looked at," Askins said of the suspensions. "That's about all I can say."
