OWENSBORO, KY - Not only was it a big game because of senior day on Saturday, but the Kentucky Wesleyan Panther's contest vs. Malone also had major G-MAC conference implications. Antonio Thomas made sure that what could possibly be his last time playing at the Owensboro Sportscenter was special, as he scored a career high 29 points to lead Wesleyan to the big 94-87 victory. 

Prior to the game, seniors Antonio Thomas, Ben Sisson, JoMel Boyd, Jordan Roland, and Keegan Brewer were honored for their time with the program.

Wesleyan now sits in sixth place in the G-MAC standings, sitting at 14-12 (10-8 G-MAC). Malone drops to the seven spot and sits at 14-10 (9-9 G-MAC). 

Things went back-and-forth early in the high scoring affair, with both teams tied at 14-14 six minutes into the game. That's when a Borja Fernandez layup ignited a quick 7-0 run, giving Wesleyan the 21-14 advantage. A three by Kennedy Miles and two free throws from Antonio Thomas gave Wesleyan a 26-16 advante, their first double-digit lead of the game. With just five minutes remaining in the half, Malone cut the Wesleyan lead to just 32-29, but a huge Ben Sisson fast break dunk stopped the Pioneer momentum entirely. A three from Edward Jones Jr. and a layup from JoMel Boyd extended Wesleyan's lead back to 10, and a Thomas turnaround jumper gave the Panther's a 45-38 lead at the break. 

The Panthers opened the second half on fire, going on a quick 10-2 run to give them a 55-40 lead, their biggest lead of the game. Every time Malone looked to make a run, Wesleyan answered, as Boyd and Fernadez went on a string of three straight made layups to keep the Panthers up by double-digits, 63-52. 71-63 with 6:36 remaining, Jones Jr. got the crowd off their feet thanks to a monster poster dunk on the break. Six of Wesleyan's next seven points came from Thomas, as he hit two threes to give the good guys an 80-65 lead with 4:14 remaining. Malone cut it to a three point game late, but Wesleyan hit each of their final seven free throw attempts to put the game away. 

After shooting an incredible 63.5% on Thursday, the Panthers continued their hot shooting, going 33-60 (55%) from the field and 10-26 (38.5%) from three. Malone also shot well, going 34-69 (49.3%) from the floor and 12-26 (46.2%) from behind the arc. Free throws were the difference in the game, as Wesleyan hit 18 of their 26 attempts, while Malone only hit seven of their nine. 

It was a total team effort by Wesleyan today, as they put five players in double-figures. Antonio Thomas led the way with 29, including going 11-15 from the free throw line. Ben Sisson tallied 16, JoMel Boyd added, and Edward Jones Jr. and Borja Fernandez each chipped in 11. Kennedy Miles was effecient, scoring eight points on 3-5 shooting as he hauled in a team high nine rebounds. Despite only scoring four points, Jordan Roland was all over the court, dishing out a season high nine assists while committing no turnovers. For the game, the Panthers handed out 22 assists, and only turned it over six times. 

Wesleyan continues their push for the G-MAC playoffs next weekend when they travel to Ohio Dominican and Cedarville. Tipoff for Thursday's contest against Ohio Dominican is set for 6:30 p.m. CT. 

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