DETROIT, Mich. – A first half deficit was too much for the Kentucky Wesleyan College men's basketball team as they suffered a 90-65 loss to Wayne State to close out the GLIAC/G-MAC Challenge on Sunday afternoon.

The Panthers (1-3) went ahead by one in the opening minutes thanks to a dunk from Harold "Bird" Cardwell and a three-pointer from Rasheide Bell but the Warriors (1-1) responded back with a jumper and led the rest of the game.  Midway through the first half a pair of free throws from Chandler Redix pulled Wesleyan within two but Wayne State went on a 12-0 run over four minutes to take a 46-29 lead to the break.

Kentucky Wesleyan improved its shooting percentage in the second half, shooting 51.8% from the floor.  Cardwell scored nine of his 11 points in the second frame but the Warriors prevailed by a tally of 90-65.

Cardwell was one of four Panthers to reach double figures in scoring.  Amir Warnock led the offense with 14 points along with five rebounds.  Rasheide Bell, Cardwell, and Brandon Hatton each tallied 11 points.  Evan Milligan led Panthers with two blocks while Milligan, R. Bell, Cardwell and Redix recorded one steal each.

The Panthers bench outscored the Warriors by a tally of 16-12.  Kentucky Wesleyan scored 20 points in the paint and 10 second chance points.

Kentucky Wesleyan returns to Owensboro this weekend for their home opener against Auburn-Montgomery at 3:15 pm on Saturday.  The Panthers will look to protect their 48 home game winning streak, dating back to November of 2014.

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