OWENSBORO, KY - While the Illinois-Springfield Prairie Stars found the hot hand from behind the arc, the Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers were as cold as ice, going just 4-for-21 (19%) from three en route to a 74-62 opening game loss. This despite an impressive 22 points from sophomore transfer Logan McIntire, who was 10-for-15 from the field. 

Illinois-Springfield picks up their first win of the season and moves to 1-2, while Wesleyan now sits at 0-1. 

Wesleyan got in a hole early, going down 10-3 by the time the first media timeout came along. Borja Fernandez worked to get the Panthers back, scoring five straight points to cut it back to a two-point game. A few more missed shots from the Panthers allowed Illinois-Springfield to extend their lead to 29-18 with 4:16 left in the half. The teams were about even the rest of the way and UIS took a 36-24 lead going into the break. 

The second half didn't get much better for the Panthers, as Illinois-Springfield shot an incredible 16-for-25 (64%) from the field in the half, allowing them to extend their lead to 19 at one point late in the half. The Panthers attempted a mini-comeback off the hot hand of Logan McIntire, but it was too little, too late, as UIS took this one by 12. 

 Leading the way in his first game in a Panther uniform was Evansville transfer Logan McItnire, who dropped 22 points on the night, the most for a Panther in a season opener since Deng Mayot had 29 against Kentucky State back in 2018. Also in double-figures was Borja Fernandez, who finished with 17 points on 7-for-19 from the field. Alex Gray led the way with seven rebounds, while Fernandez also was the team leader with three assists. 

The Panthers will be back in action tomorrow when they face #5 Indianapolis at 7 p.m., following the conclusion of the 4:45 matchup between UW-Parkside and Illinois-Springfield. UIndy is coming off a surprising 79-71 loss to an upstart Parkside team. 

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