OWENSBORO, KY. – The Kentucky Wesleyan College men's basketball team mounted a furious second half comeback and played tight half-court defense in the final minutes, only to see Cedarville escape with a 64-58 victory. The Panthers trailed by as many as 11 in the second half before cutting the deficit to one in the final minute. Zach Hopewell, starting his second consecutive game, produced several career-highs, including points and minutes.
 
The Panthers (7-12, 5-8 G-MAC) showed-off their shooting touch from the start. Erik Bell, Mohamed Abu Arisha, and Hopewell each converted a three-point basket in the first three and half minutes to give Wesleyan a 9-2 lead. The Panthers led by as many as seven points in the early going of the contest, but the Yellow Jackets (13-10, 10-5 G-MAC) flipped the script to build their own seven-point lead, 29-22, with just over two minutes left in the half.
 
A jumper by Bell followed by back-to-back threes by Abu Arisha and Hopewell completed an 8-0 run that returned a lead to the Panthers. However, a late three-point bucket by Grant Zawadzki allowed CED a 32-30 lead at the break.
 
The Yellow Jackets quietly worked their lead up to 54-43 with nine minutes left in the contest. As methodically as Cedarville gained a double-digit lead, the Panthers did the same to work back to within striking distance. With less than five minutes left, Hopewell's step-back jumper got Wesleyan to one possession, 54-52. After an offensive foul on the other end of the court, the Panthers had an opportunity to even the score.
 
The Panthers miss-fired while the Yellow Jackets buried a three on the ensuing possession. Hopewell stepped back to hit another three to get the Panthers back within two, 57-55. Wesleyan then trailed 59-55 with 90 seconds remaining when Adam Goetz nailed a three-point basket from the corner. In the final minute the Panthers stalled the Jackets offense.
 
Cedarville missed two contested shots, but each time got the offensive rebound. Out of a timeout and with the shot clock winding down, Conner Tenhove dropped-in a contested three-point basket to give the Yellow Jackets a 62-58 lead with 12 seconds left in the game. The Panthers simply ran out of time.
 
Hopewell made seven of 11 shots to score a game-high 19 points. Hopewell notched career highs in points, minutes (36), made field goals, attempts, made three-point baskets (5), and attempts (9). Abu Arisha added 12 points and six rebounds. Goetz was held scoreless in the opening half as he was slowed by foul trouble, but finished with 11 points.
 
The Panthers will host Tiffin University on Saturday. Tip-off at the Sportscenter is schedule for 2:15 PM.
 
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