Owensboro, KY – The Kentucky Wesleyan Women's Basketball team defeated Kentucky State in the first game of the season at the Owensboro Sportscenter. The Panthers squeaked out a close 76-66 win over the Thorobreds on Friday night.
 
Five early points from junior Myah Montgomery gave Wesleyan an early 8-3 lead. A bucket by transfer guard Vilborg Jonsdottir gave the Panthers a 16-13 advantage at the end of the opening quarter.

After nearly four scoreless minutes, Jonsdottir ended the cold streak with an and-one to extend the lead to six. Ilani Williams-Harris, another transfer guard, scored a layup at the end of the half to send the Panthers to the locker room with a five-point edge.
 
Arielle Dabu, yet another transfer guard for the Panthers, exploded for eight points in less than three minutes early in the second half. Kentucky State scored five points in the last minute of the third quarter to cut the Wesleyan lead 47-44.
 
After a quiet game thus far, Sydnee Richetto caught fire, scoring 12 of her 16 points in the fourth quarter alone. Richetto drilled a three-pointer at the 2:46 mark to regain the lead, 65-64. The Panthers forced a Thorobreds' shot-clock violation, leading to another Dabu triple off a slick pass from Shiya Hoosier. Hoosier then dove on the floor to steal a loose ball on the ensuing possession, leading to a pull-up jumper made by Richetto with just under a minute remaining. The senior guard knocked down two free-throws to send the Thorobreds packing.
 
Richetto, Dabu, and Montgomery tied as the leading scorers, each with 15 points. Williams-Harris finished with ten, Hoosier added eight, and Jonsdottir chipped in seven.
 
After a back-and-forth game, Kentucky Wesleyan finished the game on a 9-0 run. Although this is a whole new team with only three returning players, the last-minute surge resembled what we've become accustomed to seeing from the Panthers in recent years. Unselfish play and tenacious defense are a testament to Nicole and Caleb Nieman's culture.
 
Wesleyan Women's Basketball has now won eight-straight regular season games at the Sportscenter. They'll look to extend their streak next Saturday, November 16^th at 2 p.m. against their former conference foe, Trevecca Nazarene.
 
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.