Game Notes
Kentucky Wesleyan hopes to keep its hot streak going on Saturday when it visits Trevecca Nazarene in a Great Midwest Athletic Conference men's basketball game in Nashville.
Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. in Trojan Fieldhouse.
The Panthers (15-7, 8-1) are on a five-game winning streak, have won 14 of their last 16, and are 3-0 on their current four-game road swing, but Wesleyan head coach
Happy Osborne insists his team must play well to win.
"I know they view us as their natural rival in the conference because of the close distance between the schools, and this is a pack-the-house day for them," Osborne said. "They'll definitely be ready, and we need to be ready, too.
"If we can win this game it would be a sweep of a four-game road trip, which is hard to do, but nothing's easy on the road in conference play. We expect a real battle."
The Trojans (6-13, 3-5), who dropped a 93-65 decision to KWC on Jan. 18 at the Sportscenter, are led by junior guard David Woodward (14.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and freshman guard Byron Sanford (13.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.1 apg).
"Woodward and Sanford are quality players," Osborne said, "and we have to be able to contain them."
Other projected starters for Trevecca Nazarene are sophomore guard Taylor Clay (7.9 ppg), sophomore center Jordan Bedwell (5.1 ppg) and freshman forward Matt Pond (3 ppg).
Kentucky Wesleyan, which leads the G-MAC by a half game over Alderson Broaddus, is coming off Wednesday's 89-72 conquest of host Oakland City.
In that contest, the Panthers spread the wealth, putting five players in the double-digit scoring column. Senior guard Lonnie Hayes led the way with 16 points and freshman guard Ken-Jah Bosley added 16. Donovan Johnson came off the bench to secure 10 rebounds.
"We've worked hard in our individual workouts, and we've seen improvements," Osborne noted. "We're becoming a better 3-point shooting team, and against Oakland City we were 14-of-29, which is really encouraging.
"But again, especially on the road, it's going to defense and rebounding. If we're solid in those areas for 40 minutes, it really enhances our chances to come away with another victory."
