OWENSBORO, KY - In a game that had everyone on the edge of their seats from the opening tip, the Kentucky Wesleyan Women's Basketball Team prevailed in overtime over Hillsdale, 74-73. Tahlia Walton took over for the Panthers in overtime, scoring nine of Wesleyan's 10 points in the frame to lead them to victory. 

Kentucky Wesleyan improves to 23-5 (18-2 G-MAC), while Hillsdale closes their season at 17-14 (10-10 G-MAC). 

Hillsdale jumped on the Panthers quickly, going up 8-5 halfway through the opening quarter. A Corina Conley layup and a Shiya Hoosier three ignited a 13-4 run over the final five minutes of the frame, and Wesleyan owned an 18-12 lead after one. 

Jordyn Barga found herself open in the corner on Wesleyan's second possession of the second quarter and buried a three to give the Panthers a seven-point advantage. The Chargers then caught fire, and behind the hot hand of Grace Touchette, Hillsdale went on an 18-3 run to turn the game on it's heels and take a 32-24 lead. Wesleyan doesn't go down easy, and a Jordyn Barga jumper cut it to one with just a minute remaining in the half. Hillsdale got one more bucket from Touchette late, and the Panthers went into the locker room down 34-31. 

The Chargers jumped out to a seven-point advantage early in the third, but Wesleyan inched back, eventually tying the game at 44 thanks to a jumper in the pain from Shaylee McDonald. After a HC free throw, Hadley Lytton got the crowd roaring with a huge and-1 bucket to re-take the lead at 47-45. McDonald and Hoosier each hit jumpers in the final two minutes of the quarter and Wesleyan led 51-47 after three. 

The start of the fourth quarter belonged to the Panthers, as they eventually would extend their lead to nine thanks to a three from Cali Nolot and another layup from Lytton. Hillsdale fought back, eventually finding themselves down by just three, 64-61, with 34 seconds remaining in the contest. Wesleyan fouled Hillsdale's Sydney Mills with 1.8 seconds remaining, and, after hitting the first free throw, Hillsdale's Grace Touchette rebounded the intentional miss to hit a layup at the buzzer and send the game into overtime. 

With all the momentum on their side, Hillsdale came out and quickly built up a 68-64 lead on the home side. Reeva Hammelman hit a free throw to give the Panther's their first points of the extra period, then it was the Tahlia Walton show from there. Walton knocked in two free throws, then on the next possession hit a huge three to give Wesleyan a 70-68 lead. After some strong defense from Coach Caleb & Nicole Nieman's side, Walton hit another layup to give Wesleyan a four-point lead iwth 26 seconds remaining. Two more free throws by Walton late sealed the deal, and the Panthers held on for the one-point victory. 

Wesleyan shot 24-59 (40.7%) from the field and 7-24 (29.2%) from three. Hillsdale shot 28-64 (43.8%) from the field and 8-24 (33.3%) from three. Free throws were the difference in the game, as Wesleyan hit 19 of their 26 attempts from the line, while Hillsdale hit nine of their 13. 

Tahlia Walton led the way with 22 points in the game, including a clutch 8-10 from the free throw line. Shayle McDonald, Jordyn Barga, and Corina Conley each tallied 10 points for the Panthers. Walton hauled in seven boards, while McDonald dished out four assists. A pest on defense, Barga helped out with three steals. 

The Panthers future will be determined by tonight's contests. They will face the winner of tonights game between No. 3 seeded Trevecca Nazarene and No. 6 seeded Walsh. The location will be at the highest remaining seed, which will be No. 1 Ashland, should they take down No. 8 seeded Ursuline tonight. If Ursuline were to upset the Eagles, Wesleyan would host the rest of the G-MAC tournament. More information about teams and gametime will be put out as soon as the information is known. 

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