BOWLING GREEN, KY - The Panthers couldn't recreate last week's magic on Monday night, as they fell 90-64 to the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. This was WKU's first official game of the season, while it only counted as an exhibition for Wesleyan. 

The game was close early on, as buckets from Alex Gray and Logan McIntire kept Wesleyan within one early, down just 8-7 after four minutes of play. A 12-2 Hilltopper run made it a double-digit lead for the home side, but Wesleyan cut it back to four thanks to another McIntire bucket and a few free throws from Dom Subota. After another mini run from Western Kentucky extended their lead back to double-digits, Kennedy Miles hit a three and Borja Fernandez drove in for a layup to cut the lead back down to five, 34-29, with 1:52 remaining in the half. A three from WKU extended their lead back to eight, but a last second tip-in layup from Edward Jones Jr. put Wesleyan down just 37-31 at the break. 

The second half was all Hilltoppers, as they opened the final 20 minutes with a 14-0 run, giving them a quick 51-31 lead. This would spell doom for Wesleyan, as they would only get as close as 13 the rest of the way. Jones Jr. and NaVuan Peterson ignited the crowd with a few late dunks, but Western would win this one by 26 in the end. 

Logan McIntire, who has played well for the Panthers this preseason, led the way with 15 points on 7-12 shooting from the field. Alex Gray was the team's leader in both rebounds (6) and assists (4). 

Field goal percentage was the Panther's doom, as Wesleyan went just 23-58 (39.7%) from the field, while Western used their size to shoot 32-57 (56.1%). Neither team was lighting it up from behind the arc, with the Panthers going 7-29 (24.1%) from distance, and WKU shooting 6-20 (30%). 

After an exciting three-game exhibition slate, the Panthers will open their regular season this Friday at the Owensboro Sportscenter. There they will host the Illinois-Springfield Prairie Stars, who are receiving votes in the NABC preseason rankings. This game will tip off at 7 p.m. CT, and will be preceded by UW-Parkside vs. U-Indy at 4:45 p.m. CT. 

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