OWENSBORO, KY - A 14-point halftime deficit was too much for the Kentucky Wesleyan Men's Basketball team to overcome on Saturday, as they fell 82-70 to the Tiffin Dragons. 

Tiffin improves to 6-9 (4-5 G-MAC), while Welsleyan falls to 7-9 (3-5 G-MAC). 

TU jumped on the Panthers early, going up 13-5 on a dunk by Wesley Jordan. Wesleyan got back in the game quickly, cutting the lead to four on a Ben Sisson layup with 11 minutes remaining in the opening half. A 13-3 run by Tiffin over the next few minutes extended their lead to 30-16, and they continued to push, eventually going up 40-18. The Panthers finished the half strong, closing on a 10-2 run that was capped off by a Jordan Roland three pointer to cut the lead to 42-28 at the break.

Wesleyan came out strong in the second half, cutting the lead to just 47-39 on a three from Markel Aune with 16 minutes left in the game. The teams went back-and-forth after that, with Tiffin extending their lead back to 14 with 8:34 remaining in the contest. A JoMel Boyd layup cut the lead back to nine with a minute remaining, but it was too little too late for the Panthers as Tiffin hit their free throws in the end to seal the 12-point victory. 

The Panthers shot 27-61 (44.3%) from the field and 8-24 (33.3%) from three. Tiffin shot well, going 33-58 (56.9%) from the floor and 7-19 (36.8%) from behind the arc. Tiffin took advantage of their speed in the open court, outscoring Wesleyan 19-2 on fast break points. 

JoMel Boyd and Jordan Roland each finished with 16 points, while Boyd also led with seven rebounds. Roland and Antonio Thomas each dished out three helpers, while Roland added three steals. 

The Panthers will hope to right the ship next week when they host nationally ranked Hillsdale in a big G-MAC contest. Tipoff is scheduled for Thursday at 7:45 p.m. CT. 

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