Box Score
Led by Ken-Jah Bosley's 23 points, the Kentucky Wesleyan College men's basketball team wrapped up its two-game conference road trip with a 78-65 victory over Salem International on Saturday at T. Edward Davis Gymnasium in Salem, West Virginia.
Bosley shot just 6-of-16 from the floor, including 1-of-8 from 3-point range, but he sank 10-of-12 free throws while collecting five rebounds and dishing out five assists in the winning effort for the Panthers (6-3, 2-0 in G-MAC).
"The way you practice is the way you're going to play," KWC associate head coach K.C. Goodin said. "We had a good practice yesterday, and that showed today.
"If we can get those three guys rolling — Ken-Jah, C.J. and Dev — and get our big guys to do a little more as far as rebounding, and we can get stops, get more physical, and if we can get everyone on the same page and clicking together, we can be pretty good."
The Panthers held Salem International, a fast-paced squad that averaged more than 100 points per game entering Saturday's tilt, to just 65 points on 41-percent shooting. KWC shot 45 percent from the field for the game and dominated near the rim, finishing with 44 points in the paint to Salem International's 18.
"We knew that Salem wants to press and get you to play out of your comfort zone," Goodin said. "In their halfcourt defense, they extend their zone almost to halfcourt, daring you to get past them. We knew we had to take advantage of that by getting behind them and getting to the basket."
The Tigers (0-6, 0-2) had a trio of players finish in double-figures, led by Tyler Bell's game-high 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Gerard Tarin added 12 points and 14 rebounds, and Alex Webb chipped in 11 points.
KWC trailed 6-4 early in the game, but a 12-2 run during the next five minutes — capped off by a Bosley layup — gave the Panthers an early lead that they would keep for the rest of the contest. Blackwell's 3-pointer with 1:40 left in the first half gave KWC a 38-21 advantage, its largest of the game.
After trailing 39-25 at the break, the Tigers opened the second half on a 22-11 run, cutting KWC's lead to three points with 10:37 left in the game. That was as close as Salem International would get, however, as the Panthers pushed their lead back to double-digits with an 11-2 run of their own.
"The way Salem plays, they're never out of it," Goodin said. "They're going to make a run. They'll play the same way whether they're up 10 or down 10. Our guys knew that they had to make plays, because they weren't going to go away."
The Panthers have the next eight days off to prepare for final exams before hitting the road for a nonconference matchup against Illinois-Springfield on Dec. 16.
