OWENSBORO, KY - The shots may not have been falling for the Panthers on Saturday, but luckily their defense is always there to back them up. Despite only shooting 31% in the first half, Wesleyan only found themselves down by two at the break. They preceded to outscore the Tritons 27-16 in the third quarter, eventually ending the game with a 67-61 victory. Emmy Ralph hit four threes en route to a 19-point performance, while Jordyn Barga notched her her fourth double-double of the season. 

Wesleyan moves to 8-1 (3-0 G-MAC) with the win, while UMSL drops to 6-4 (4-2 GLVC) in the loss. 

Two straight threes from Emmy Ralph gave the Panthers a quick 6-5 advantage, but Missouri-St. Louis went on a big 13-0 run to give them an 18-6 lead. The 12-point deficit is the second largest for Wesleyan all season. Wesleyan finished strong, as buckets from Jordyn Barga and Shaylee McDonald made it a single-digit (18-10) Triton lead after one. 

The Panthers carried their momentum into the second quarter, holding the visitors scoreless for over three and a half minutes. During that time, Barga, Sydnee Richetto, and Corina Conley each hit shots to give KWC a 19-18 lead. UMSL answered with an 8-0 run of their own to take the lead back at 26-19. The Panthers didn't let the lead get away, and a Barga jumper at the buzzer made it a two-point game at the break.

It was raining threes in the third quarter, as the first seven shots the Panthers made in the frame were from behind the arc. The Wesleyan defense held Missouri-St. Louis to just one three in the quarter, and the home side went into the final 10 minutes of play up 53-44. 

As expected, the Tritons didn't go away, with a Jalysa Stokes three made it 58-55 in favor of the Panthers with 3:06 left in the game. It what was one of the biggest plays of the game, Shiya Hoosier diced up her defender with a double crossover and finished with an acrobatic layup, igniting the crowd and more importantly, made it a two-possession game. The Wesleyan defense stood strong late, and the Panthers took this game by six. 

This was a big win for the Panthers, as it was not only an in-region victory over a good team, but also avenged Wesleyan's losses to the Tritons in 2021-22 and 2022-23. 

Both teams hit 22 shots, but Wesleyan's 11-4 advantage from behind the arc was the difference in the game. Both teams were solid from the free throw line, with USML going 13-14 and KWC making 12 of their 15 attempts. 

Another key to the Panther's victory was ball protection, as they had their lowest turnover output of the year, coughing it up just eight times, compared to 13 for Missouri-St. Louis.

Emmy Ralph went 7-14 from the field and 4-7 from three en route to a 19-point performance. Jordyn Barga was great on both sides of the floor, tallying 14 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Despite not scoring, Hadley Lytton was dishing the rock, leading the team with four assists.

The Panthers have a two week break for Christmas before their next contest. They travel to Thomas More On Saturday, December 30th for a game against a very good Saints team. Wesleyan's next home game will be on Thursday, January 4th vs. Malone. 

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