OWENSBORO, KY - The Panthers fought heard against the Walsh Cavaliers on Saturday afternoon but ultimately fell 67-61 to their foes from the north.
Tahlia Walton was solid all game for KWC, scoring 18 in the loss.
With the win, Walsh moves to 16-3 (11-2 G-MAC) while the Panthers fall to 12-7 (9-4 G-MAC).
After Walsh started the game off hot, the Panthers went on a quick 7-0 to take a 9-8 on a pair of
Emma Johnson free throws. The Cavaliers closed the period strong and led 17-9 after one.
KWC opened the second quarter hot, using threes from
Rachel Richardson and
Tahlia Walton to tie the game up at 17 with 7:35 left to go in the quarter. Walsh answered with a run of their own and, after a
Shiya Hoosier bucket at the end of the half, KWC went into the locker room down 29-23.
Capped off by a
Cali Nolot layup, KWC erased an 11-point deficit with a 10-2 run midway through the third quarter. The teams went back and forth the rest of the quarter before
Jordyn Barga gave Wesleyan their first lead since the opening frame with an huge and-1 with just 18 seconds left in the period.
Shiya Hoosier capped off the big quarter with a layup at the buzzer and Wesleyan led 48-46 heading into the final frame.
In the 4th quarter, Walsh took control early and kept Wesleyan at bay the rest of the game. KWC attemped to come back off a Walton layup late in the game, but the Cavaliers hit their free throws in the end to take the game by a 6-point margin.
Tahlia Walton led the way with 18 points, followed by
Shiya Hoosier and
Cali Nolot who each had nine. Hoosier and Shayle McDonald each notched five boards, while four players tied with three assists.
Wesleyan 23-65 (35.4%) from the field and 6-23 (26.1%) from behind the arc. Walsh shot 23-56 (41.1%) from the field and 5-17 (29.4%) from three.
KWC will head to Cedarville next Thursday to take on the Yellowjackets. Tipoff is set for 4:30 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.
