Box Score It wasn't the prettiest game, but the Kentucky Wesleyan men's basketball team didn't mind.
Despite shooting just 36 percent from the field, the Panthers never trailed in a 66-52 road victory over conference rival Alderson Broaddus on Thursday night in Phillipi, West Virginia — KWC's first-ever road win against the Battlers.
The Panthers (14-2, 2-0 in G-MAC) had won just one contest in six tries against Alderson Broaddus entering Thursday's game, but KWC coach Happy Osborne attributed the victory to his team's tenacity and willingness to fight.
"It was a great team effort, we'll take it," Osborne said. "We're under no illusions, this was a battle. This was just one battle, and we know it's going to be a war next time. If there's a third time, that will be a war, too.
"When you watch a pro game and watch the playoffs — the ball gets slowed down, and it becomes a physical, physical half-court battle. That's what we had today."
KWC established itself early, jumping out to an 11-2 lead after the opening seven minutes.
The Battlers (10-5, 1-1), who were 6-0 at home before Thursday, fought back and cut the lead to 18-16 on a free throw by Sanar Shamdeen with 6:05 left in the first half. However, the Panthers responded with a 12-2 run and led 33-23 at intermission.
KWC resumed command for most of the second half, until a 3-pointer by Thylas Perkins cut ABU's deficit to single digits (48-40) with 8:04 left in the game.
A layup by Jordan Jacks pushed the Panthers back ahead by double figures, and the Battlers got no closer than 10 points the rest of the way.
"I give our guys credit. They worked, they stuck together, and I never saw a dropped head," Osborne said. "They made a run at us there in the second half, and we knew they were going to make a run. They're too good of a team not to.
"The neat thing is we never lost composure. We're becoming more and more of a unit, more and more of one heartbeat. But it's the middle of January, it's not time to think anything's close to being done. This team has a long way to go, and there will be a time when we get (6-foot-9, 260-pound center) Marcus Fuggins back. I can't wait to get the big sucker back."
As a team, KWC converted just 22-of-61 shots from the field and 5-of-17 from 3-point range, but the Panthers' defense limited ABU to 20-of-58 shooting (34.5 percent) and just 2-of-20 from beyond the arc (10 percent).
"We can play way better than this," Osborne added. "We shot 36 percent and won the game. The good news is they shot 34 percent."
Malcolm Tatum led ABU with 17 points, and Perkins added 13 points with eight rebounds. Richard Lemon chipped in 10 points.
KWC also held the edge in rebounding (47-39), assists (11-7), blocks (6-2), steals (8-0), paint scoring (34-28), points off turnovers (14-5) and second-chance points (16-7).
According to Osborne, he was most proud of his team committing just eight turnovers.
"The lowest of the year," he said. "If we keep it under 10, that will really, really help us, no matter how we shoot. We got more attempts that way, and it was great not to turn it over against such a good defensive team."
Even though it was the Panthers' first road win against ABU, Osborne said there's no time to bask in the glow of victory, with a quick turnaround looming against Davis & Elkins on Saturday.
"It's a great start in the conference at 2-0, but there's not a whole lot of time to celebrate," he said. "We get back, get to bed, and we get up and roll for Davis & Elkins tomorrow. That's how life is in college basketball in January — you move to the next one, win or lose."
