Game Notes
Kentucky Wesleyan College will look to bounce back from Saturday's loss to G-MAC foe Alderson Broaddus when the Panthers hit the road for a 160-mile trip east to close out the regular season tonight against nonconference opponent Kentucky State.
The setback also meant that KWC lost the chance at hosting this year's conference tournament, but the Panthers (19-8) still have one more opportunity to secure the 28th 20-win season in program history.
"When you deal with the type of adversity we have this season, 20-8 is nothing to be ashamed of," KWC first-year coach
Happy Osborne said. "It's the best we can do right now."
The Panthers opened the season 1-5, but have since won 18 of their last 21 games dating back to Nov. 29. Osborne has also been forced to use 13 different starting lineups this season.
Still, Osborne said, there's no time for excuses.
"Nobody's going to feel sorry for you," he said. "We've just got to keep plugging away and keep playing as hard as we can."
The Thorobreds (13-12), members of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, enter tonight having dropped their last two games. They have three players who average double-digit scoring, led by junior wing Ulysses Thomas III's 12.2 points per game.
"They're a really athletic team, and their wing players are excellent scorers," Osborne said. "They're excited to play. It's been a long time since Wesleyan has played there."
Expecting a sold-out home crowd from Kentucky State, the Panthers plan to use tonight's contest as a learning experience heading into the G-MAC tournament while putting Saturday's loss behind them.
"We've got nothing to do but keep heads up, go back and play," Osborne said. "Let's go get this game and get a little momentum heading into the conference tournament. Any environment we see in the conference tournament won't be as hostile as I expect Kentucky State to be."
