OWENSBORO, Ky. – The Kentucky Wesleyan College men's basketball team suffered a 68-49 loss to nationally-ranked No. 18 Findlay on Saturday afternoon.  Erik Bell, Adam Goetz and Deng Mayot each reached double figures in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference loss.

It was a slow start for both sides as no one scored for over two minutes of action.  Facing an 8-3 deficit, the Panthers strung together seven straight points to take a 10-8 lead.  Back-to-back jumpers in the paint from Bell and Mohamed Abu Arisha pulled Wesleyan within one before Goetz knocked back a three.  The Oilers responded with an 11-2 run to take a 19-12 lead midway through the first half.

Findlay made nearly half of their shots in the first half, shooting 48.4% from the field goal range to take a 38-23 lead to the break.

Wesleyan chipped away at the deficit in the second half, pulling within 10 with 13 minutes remaining.  The Panthers scored on three straight possessions on lay ups from Mayot and Bell, followed by a fast break three from Bell to force an Oiler timeout.

The Panthers improved their shooting percentage by nearly 10 percent in the second half, but were unable to overcome the double digit deficit.

Mayot led the Panthers with 13 points off the bench while grabbing six rebounds.  Bell flirted with a double double, scoring 11 and tabbing a team-high seven boards.  Bell also led the team with three assists.

Wesleyan continues their five-game home stand next week with one game, hosting Lake Erie College at 7:45 pm CT on Thursday.

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