NORTH CANTON, OH - In a tight battle with G-MAC preseason favorite Walsh, Tahlia Walton scored 23 points on 9-15 shooting to lead the Panthers to a big victory. Tied heading into the fourth quarter, KWC outscored the Cavaliers by three to secure the win. 

With the win the Panthers move to 6-3 (3-0 G-MAC) while Walsh falls to 5-2 (1-1 G-MAC). 

This game was a back and forth battle all along, with 11 lead changes and no team winning a quarter by more than three points the entire game. 

The game started with Tahlia Walton hitting her first two shots from the field to tie the game at 5-5. After Walsh jumped out to a 16-11 lead, KWC went on a 10-2 run to close the quarter and led 21-18 after one.

Capped off by a three from Emma Johnson, Wesleyan went on an 8-0 run to open the second quarter and get out to a 29-18 lead with five minutes to go in the half. After a Walton layup made it 31-21 with 4:14 to go in the frame, the Cavaliers closed on an 11-1 run to tied things up at 32-32 going into the break.

Midway through the third quarter, a Johnson three and Walton layup gave the Panthers a 40-36 lead. After Walsh made a mini-run to go up 44-42, Cali Nolot hit a free throw and Leah Richardson knocked in a three to give the Panthers a two point lead. Walsh scored one more bucket before the end of the quarter and the teams were tied at 46 with just one quarter to play.

For the third time in the game, Walton scored the first points of the quarter for the Panthers, giving them a 48-46 lead right off the bat. After a steal by Rachel Richardson, she went coast-to coast to put KWC up by four with 8:50 left in the game. The teams matched each other shot for shot throughout the quarter, until a backdoor cut and layup by Corina Conley with just under a minute remaining broke a 64-64 tie and gave the Panthers a crucial two point lead. Walton and Nolot went 3-4 from the line to close the game out and win 69-66. 

Tahlia Walton was the one of just two Wesleyan players in double figures with 23 points, with Rachel Richardson going 4-4 from the field for 10 points. Walton notched the second double-double of her career with a team leading 12 rebounds. Shiya Hoosier led the way with three assists while Cali Nolot tallied three steals.

As a team the Panthers shot 26-55 (47.3%) from the field and 6-18 (33.3%) from three. The Cavaliers shot 25-60 (41.7%) from the field and a mere 5-23 (21.7%) from behind the arc. Each team hit 11 free throws in the contest. 

Kentucky Wesleyan will be back in action on Saturday when they stay in Canton to take on the Malone Pioneers. Tipoff is set for 12 p.m. CT.

Stay up to date on all your Panther news by following @KWCpanthers on Twitter and Instagram, and by liking the "Kentucky Wesleyan College Athletics" Facebook page.