Box Score
Forcing turnovers and getting out in transition proved to be a recipe for success for the Kentucky Wesleyan men's basketball team Saturday afternoon.
The Panthers caused 26 turnovers and turned them into 32 points — including 27 fast-break points — on the way to a 101-79 victory over conference opponent Ohio Valley at the Sportscenter.
According to KWC leading scorer Ken-Jah Bosley, getting up and down the court is an area where the Panthers can thrive.
It's so fun, especially with all the athletes we have," Bosley said. "When we get out and run, I think the fans love that, and we love it too.
"It's a good thing, and that's what we're trying to do more — we've got so much athleticism, we're trying to make our defense lead to our offense. That's what we did tonight."
Bosley highlighted the victory with a career-high 32 points, eclipsing his previous mark of 31 points against Hillsdale on Dec. 20, 2014. The 6-foot-1 guard converted 10-of-16 shots from the field, made 2-of-4 from 3-point range and sank all 10 of his free-throw attempts.
"My teammates just got me the ball, and I was able to knock down shots tonight," Bosley said. "I was really focused coming into this game after the one we dropped against Trevecca (on Monday). We know we can't take any team for granted, no matter what their record is. Every team is going to come at you in conference play."
KWC (17-3, 5-1 in G-MAC) also got 20 points and 10 rebounds from Devin Langford, who collected his sixth career double-double and the first this season. C.J. Blackwell added 17 points, and Jordan Jacks chipped in 10 points.
The Fighting Scots (4-14, 2-4) were led by Darryl Walker's 24 points, but the conference's leading scorer also committed 12 turnovers in the process. Robert Smelser added 12 points, while David Sinickas and Arturs Vitins had 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Though the Panthers shot 54.4 percent from the floor, including 64.5 percent in the second half, KWC coach Happy Osborne was more concerned with Ohio Valley converting half of its attempts.
"We did OK, but we can do better," Osborne said. "Our focus is not where it needs to be yet. I think it's sometimes because it's January, but we need to be better focused."
After nine lead changes and six ties early in the game, Langford made a layup with 10:53 left in the first half for a 29-28 advantage that gave KWC the lead for good. A 17-6 run over the final seven minutes of the first half pushed the Panthers' lead to double digits at intermission, and the Fighting Scots got no closer than nine points after the break.
KWC's largest advantage came from a Tamron Manning free throw that put the Panthers up 97-65 with three minutes left in the game.Â
Still, Osborne insists there's room for improvement.
"We have to get better," he said. "We have to get better challenging shots, we have to get better talking on defense, we have to be better on our ballscreen defense, we have to make the extra pass just a little bit more, we have to screen offensively a little bit more.
"We have to lose 'We, not me.' We're close, but we're not all the way 'We, not me' yet."
With a Thursday matchup against Cedarville ahead, Bosley said the team is taking steps to improve each day.
"We know we're far from perfect. We know we're a really good team, but we're trying to be a great team," Bosley said. "We've got the guys to be a great team, so it's all about staying focused against whoever we play — play like it's a championship game all the time, and if we have that type of mentality, I'm sure we can win every ballgame."
