OWENSBORO, Ky. — Kentucky Wesleyan won their sixth consecutive game with ease on Friday evening at the Owensboro Sportscenter. The Panthers defeated Southern Wesleyan 112-55 in the first game of the Super 8 Wesleyan Way Invitational this weekend. With the victory, KWC improves to 8-2 on the season, and have now won 36 straight home games.
Kentucky Wesleyan jumped out of the gate with all the momentum early on with swarming defense and a free-flowing offense. The Panthers knocked down four layups and two three pointers five minutes into the game, and were ahead 15-0.
The rout continued in the half as the Panthers extended their lead after a 23-11 run to 38-11.
In the final six minutes of the first half, KWC scored 19 points, with Sam Williams scoring the final five for the Panthers. Williams also drilled a mid-range jumper at the buzzer to take the Panthers into locker room leading 57-21.
In the second half, the beat-down rolled on with KWC increasing their advantage to 85-43 after Jordan Jacks brought the house down with an alley-oop slam dunk.
The Panthers' largest lead of the night was 57 in the final minute of the game. Kentucky Wesleyan forced 24 turnovers throughout the game, and had Southern Wesleyan reeling the entire evening.
The Panthers shot an incredible 62.3 percent from the field in the contest, including 50 percent shooting from behind the arc on 8-16 attempts.
Michael Vigilance registered his second straight double-double after scoring a season-high 21 points and 15 rebounds. Vigilance also shot 8-13 from the floor and 5-8 from the charity stripe.
Jordan Jacks scored in double figures for the tenth consecutive game, dropping 17 points on 7-10 shooting.
Shooting guard Brandon Hatton also tallied 17 points and connected on 3-4 three-point field goals. 17 points is a season-high for Hatton, who also finished with three rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Sam Williams and Ken-Jah Bosley each chipped in with 13 and 11 points with two steals respectively. Williams also blocked three shots and dished out three assists.
Shaakir Lindsey was the sixth Panther player to score in double figures with 11 points.
Malek Harris collected seven points, nine rebounds, and three assists in his second game in a Panther uniform.
Josh Derksen and Charles Foster both recorded seven points apiece as well, while Foster led KWC with a team-high four assists. Derksen led the Panthers with three steals.
When it was over, the Panthers finished with 56 points inside the paint and scored 36 points off of turnovers.
Kentucky Wesleyan also scored 63 bench points and 21 second chance points in the game.
Kentucky Wesleyan will face Truman State in the Super 8 Wesleyan Way Invitational Championship game tomorrow at 5 pm CT.
Be sure to stay up to date on all of your Panther scores and awards by following @KWCpanthers on Twitter and by liking the "Kentucky Wesleyan College Athletics" Facebook page.
