OWENSBORO, KY - Taking on the reigning G-MAC champs in their first game of the new year, the Kentucky Wesleyan Men's Basketball team got down big in the second half and couldn't quite come back, falling 76-68 to the Walsh Cavaliers. 

Walsh moves to 7-6 (4-2 G-MAC), while Wesleyan drops to 6-7 (2-3 G-MAC). 

Going back-and-forth early, Wesleyan took a 15-11 lead thanks to a layup from Edward Jones Jr. and a three from Markel Aune. The Cavaliers responded quickly, going on a 10-0 run to give them a 21-15 lead halfway through the opening half. Walsh continued to press, extending their lead to 27-17 with six minutes left in frame. After Jones Jr. hit a three to force a Walsh timeout, Jordan Roland cut the lead to two with a three right out of the break. The Cavaliers closed the half strong and a last second three gave them a 36-25 lead at the half. 

Walsh kept the Panthers at bay for much of the second half, extending their lead to 62-42 with just 10 minutes to go in the game. Down by 21 with just five minutes left in the game, Wesleyan, fueled by 8 points from JoMel Boyd, went on a 19-6 run to close the game. Time ran out on the Panthers, however, as Walsh hit their free throws to take the 76-68 win. 

Wesleyan shot 26-63 (41.3%) from the field and just 8-32 (25%) from three. Walsh shot 27-56 (48.2%) from the field and 12-22 (54.5%) from three. Quentin Toles hit eight of his 11 attempts from three en-route to a game high 29 points. 

Wesleyan was led by Markel Aune with 17 points, followed by Ben Sisson and JoMel Boyd, who each notched 11. Sisson finished with seven boards, while Jordan Roland and Kennedy Miles each dished out three assists. In just three minutes played, Alex Gray managed to come away with two steals. 

Wesleyan will be back in action on Saturday when they host Lake Erie, who are coming off back-to-back wins over #4 Hillsdale and Trevecca Nazarene. Tipoff is set for 2:15 p.m.

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.