OWENSBORO, KY - Since the Ashland Eagles joined the G-MAC in 2021-22, the Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers have played them five times, with three of those games going into overtime. This afternoon's contest was unfortunately eerily similar to the other two OT games, as the Panthers fell 81-77 to their foes from up north. Ashland jumped out to a quick 75-70 advantage in extra time and didn't give it up, holding on for the four-point victory. 

This game was a back-and-forth thriller, as there were 10 ties and nine lead changes in the ballgame. 

With the win Ashland improves to 10-3 (4-2 G-MAC), while Wesleyan falls to 9-4 (4-2 G-MAC). 

Just like the Wesleyan women, the Panther men got down early. After a three from Kennedy Miles to open the game, Wesleyan saw themselves go scoreless over the next six and a half minutes, finally breaking their scoreless draught at the 13:22 mark of the first half thanks to a layup from NaVuan Peterson. Despite their scoring struggles, the Panther's defense kept them in the game, as they allowed just 13 points during that span. Down 17-11, five points from Logan McIntire ignited a quick 11-0 run from the Panthers to take a 22-17 lead with 5:34 left in the half. The teams traded buckets over the final few minutes, and a late and-1 from Ashland's Maceo Williams gave the visitors a 29-28 lead at the break. 

The second half started in the Panther's favor, as a quick 5-0 run capped off by an Edward Jones Jr. and-1 put Wesleyan up 36-31 just two minutes into the half. After holding a small lead for most of the half, Wesleyan looked to pull away after a Borja Fernandez layup made it a 54-47 Panther lead with 11:19 remaining in the game. Following this, a few missed threes from the Panthers and a couple of buckets on the other end from Ashland eventually allowed the visitors to take a 62-60 lead. Fernandez tied things up with a layup, but things began to fall apart for the Panthers from there. The Eagles scored on each of their next five possessions, while KWC went 0-2 with three turnovers on theirs, eventually spotting the visitors a 70-62 advantage. Wesleyan then turned up the defensive energy over the final three minutes of the game, holding Ashland scoreless, while going on an 8-0 run of their own. Kaeveon Mitchell hit two big threes during that stretch, giving Wesleyan the opportunity to win in extra time. 

Ashland took an early lead in overtime and never gave it up, hitting their free throws down the stretch to take the game by four. 

The Panthers were 27-67 (40.3%) from the field and just 8-33 (24.2%) from behind the arc. Ashland on the other hand was 28-58 (48.3%) from the field and 9-26 (34.6%) from three. Ashland hit just one more free throw than the Panthers (16-15), but forced 18 Wesleyan turnovers, scoring 27 points off of them. 

Wesleyan saw four players score in double-figures, with Borja Fernandez (16) leading the way. Following him were Logan McIntire (13), Edward Jones Jr. (12), and Kennedy Miles (11). Jones Jr. led with six rebounds, while Miles dished out five assists. 

Wesleyan will be back at home on Thursday when they play host to the Northwood Timberwolves. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. CT. 

Stay up to date on all your Panther news by following @KWCpanthers on Twitter and Instagram and by liking the "Kentucky Wesleyan College Athletics" Facebook page.