Box Score
C.J. Blackwell delivered his first double-double of the season as the Kentucky Wesleyan College men's basketball team claimed its fourth win in a row with a 78-58 victory over Kentucky State on Tuesday at the Sportscenter.
Blackwell poured in 20 points on 8-of-17 shooting and hauled in 10 rebounds as the Panthers (8-3) shot 47 percent from the floor for the contest. Ken-Jah Bosley added 14 points and seven rebounds for KWC, and Ifeanyichukwu Ude chipped in 10 points and six boards.
The Panthers struggled to separate themselves from Kentucky State during the first half and led 33-28 at halftime following Blackwell's offensive rebound and layup with 30 seconds remaining in the half.
Second-year KWC coach Happy Osborne noted some positives in his team's first-half performance, however.
"I was disappointed with how we came out early, but there are bright spots," he said. "CJ Blackwell with 10 rebounds is a bright spot. I thought Ude was tremendous in the second half, that's a bright spot. Devin Langford off the bench was a bright spot. Ken-Jah Bosley with seven rebounds is a bright spot. I thought Tre (Boutilier) helped us a bunch in the first half, I think Devin helped us a bunch in the second half."
Langford finished with nine points, and Boutilier added six points. Marcus Fillyaw finished with a game-high four assists and two steals.
The Thorobreds (1-3) saw four players score in double-figures, led by 13 points each from Ulysses Thomas III and Malcolm Smith. Tim Bates and Julius Barton added 10 points apiece.
KWC held Kentucky State to 38 percent shooting for the game and 21 percent from 3-point range, but Osborne said he'd still like to see an even more consistent effort from his squad — especially at home.
"Thomas is a good player, and we had to work there," Osborne said. "I thought Malcolm Smith played great, I felt Bates and Barton played really good for them. This wasn't near as good of an effort as against Springfield, and we've got to get where we get pumped up at home. We've got to do better at home."
Kentucky State cut Wesleyan's lead to just one point early in the second half but never regained the lead, as KWC used an 11-4 run to push its lead to 51-40 with 13:47 left to play.
The Panthers continued to pull away by shooting 48 percent in the second half and holding the Thorobreds to just 35 percent from the floor. KWC eventually took its largest lead at 78-58 on Bosley's layup with 1:21 remaining before holding on for the victory.
KWC got its biggest boost from the crowd with less than five minutes remaining when Ude dove to the floor to grab a loose ball and eventually gain possession on a jump-ball decision, even though the game was already in hand. Osborne said the momentum carried his team's lead "from 15 to 20" to seal the contest.
"I appreciate our crowd, our crowd was good and loud," Osborne said. "I've continually talked to these guys about if they see you dive on the floor and you hustle, you don't know how good it could be here. Day by day, we're trying to get that (support) back.
"At the end of the day, we got it. We've won four in a row. I feel like we're starting to get the town back a little bit, in terms of our effort, but we've got to take it and go. It's a marathon, not a sprint."
