OWENSBORO, KY - For the first time in the G-MAC era, the Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers have defeated a ranked team. #7 Hillsdale came into the Owensboro Sportscenter with a 16-1 record under their belt, but the Panthers sent them home with just their second defeat of the year. Wesleyan shot nearly 60% for the game en-route to a big 72-71 victory.
Wesleyan now sits at 8-9 (4-5 G-MAC), while Hillsdale is 16-2 (9-2 G-MAC).
Playing in front of a raucous crowd, Wesleyan started off hot early, as a
Ben Sisson layup capped of a 10-4 run to open the game by the Panthers. A team as good as Hillsdale won't go down easy, as they quickly came back and took a seven point lead with 9:41 remaining in the opening half. Wesleyan went on a 10-5 run over the next five minutes to cut the lead to two, and after another mini Hillsdale run,
Edward Jones Jr. silenced the Charger faithful with a three and a layup to take the teams into the break. Despite the Panthers shooting 56% from the field in the opening half, they still found themselves down 39-36 heading into the locker room.
The Panthers poured it on early, hitting their first three shots of the half, including a huge fast break dunk from Sisson. A poster dunk from Jones Jr. made it just a 57-55 Hillsdale lead with 10:56 left in the game. Hillsdale preceded to go on a 6-0 run and take an eight point lead. That's when
Borja Fernandez came alive, going off for seven straight points to make it a one-point game with just under seven minutes remaining. With Hillsdale keeping Wesleyan at bay and hodling a 71-67 lead with 1:45 remaining, Jones Jr. hit maybe the biggest shot of the game, draining a corner three to keep Wesleyan's hopes alive. The Panthers forced a Hillsdale turnover, and
Jordan Roland calmly hit two free throws on their next possession after he was fouled on a drive to the basket. The Panthers forced the Chargers into two missed jumpers in the final 20 seconds and held on for the one-point victory.
This is Wesleyan's first win over a ranked opponent since they took down #15 Bellarmine on February 23, 2013.
Wesleyan shot an incredible 27-47 (57.4%) from the field and a very solid 8-16 (50%) from three. Hillsdale went 27-58 (46.6%) from the field and 10-25 (40%) from three. Wesleyan hit 10 of their 15 free throw attempts, while Hillsdale hit seven of their 10 chances.
The Panthers only had six players score, with five of them landing in double-digits.
Jordan Roland and
Borja Fernandez each led with 16 points, while
Edward Jones Jr. (13),
Antonio Thomas (12) and
Ben Sisson (12) also cracked the 10-point barrier. Sisson led with eight boards, followed by Fernandez with a strong seven.
Antonio Thomas dished out six assists on the day while Roland, Jones Jr., and Thomas each notched themselves a steal. Roland was clutch from the line, hitting seven of his eight free throw attempts.
The Panthers will look to build off this momentum on Saturday when they host Northwood, who is coming off a two-point victory over Trevecca Nazarene. Tipoff is set for 2:15 p.m. at the Sportscenter.
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