OWENSBORO, KY – The Kentucky Wesleyan Women's Basketball team (9-3, GMAC 5-2) defeated conference foe Northwood (8-5, GMAC 4-2) 69-62 on Thursday night at the Owensboro Sportcenter.
 
It was the Shaylee McDonald show from the jump, as she scored 12 of her 14 first half points in the first quarter alone. Corina Conley's layup with 21 seconds remaining gave the Panthers a comfortable 22-7 lead heading into the second.
 
A tough and-one from Emmy Ralph led the Panthers on a 7-0 to begin the period. With 5:04 left in the second, Wesleyan had built a resounding 24-point lead. But in a game of runs, it was the Timberwolves turn, as they scored 15 straight points to make the halftime score 37-28.
 
Two layups on consecutive possessions by Shiya Hoosier to start the second half brought the Panther lead back to 13. Northwood proceeded to hit back-to-back threes apart of a quick 10-0 run to come within three points. Sydnee Richetto and Conley then responded with a pair of threes of their own.
 
A nine-point Panther lead at the beginning of the fourth was quickly extinguished, but three points from Ralph made the score 59-51 with just over seven minutes left. Conley made a layup, then sunk a clutch corner three to keep Northwood at bay. Jordyn Barga converted at the charity stripe with less than 30 seconds left to close out the contest.
 
The Panthers lived in the paint on Thursday night, scoring 42 points in the paint to the Timberwolves' 22. McDonald got all of her points inside the arc, finishing with 17 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Conley led the way with 19 and 7. Wesleyan also got solid contributions from Barga (9), Ralph (8), and Hoosier (8).
 
The Panthers won't be back on the hardwood until next Thursday night in Tiffin, Ohio as they take on the Dragons at 4:30 p.m.
 
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