CLEVELAND, MS. – The Kentucky Wesleyan College men's basketball team evened its record Sunday afternoon with a convincing victory over Delta State. The Panthers dominated the second half to give the Statesmen their first loss of the season 85-66. This marks the third game in the first four of the season to be contested on the road.
The Panthers improved to 2-2 on the young season while Delta State suffered its first loss, moving to 3-1 on the year.
Edward Jones Jr., capped-off a furious first 10 minutes for the Panthers with a thunderous dunk, giving Wesleyan a 22-9 lead. The fast break was sparked by the defense as
Kennedy Miles forced a turnover and found Jones sprinting towards the basket.
Delta State trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half and went into the locker room facing a 37-31 deficit. The Panthers shot 51% in the first half and it got better in the final 20 minutes, converting at a 55% clip from the field.
The first four minutes of the second half were crucial for the Panthers' success as
Kennedy Miles,
Quentin Toles, and Jones each scored four points in that stretch.
Logan McIntire capped off a 17-5 run to open the half with a three, giving the Panthers a 53-36 lead, their biggest of the game thus far.
The lead remained in double-digits the rest of the way before finishing on a 19-point victory. Five players reached double figures for the Panthers with Toles leading the way with 16 points. Miles added 15 points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
Jones finished with 13 points as did
Fatih Huyuk who also pulled in seven rebounds. McIntire rounded out the balanced scoring efforts with 12 points and four rebounds.
The Panthers will host a pair of games next week at the Sportscenter with the first being against IU Southeast. Tip-off on Wednesday night is scheduled for 7PM.
Stay up to date on all your Panther news by following @KWCPanthers on X and Instagram and by liking the "Kentucky Wesleyan College Athletics" Facebook page. Also, the Panthers Mobile App is available on iTunes and Android featuring real-time news alerts, schedules, exclusive multimedia content, gameday details and more.
