Canton, Ohio – Edward Jones Jr. netted the game-winning tip-in at the buzzer to give the Kentucky Wesleyan men's basketball team a 68-66 win over Malone on Monday afternoon.
Wesleyan moved to 7-2 (2-0 G-MAC), earning their seventh-straight victory, while the Pioneers fell to 4-6 (1-3 G-MAC).
Malone got off to a quick start on their home court, taking an early lead at 16-7. The Panthers battled back into it, with Terrence Ringo Jr. nailing back-to-back threes to send Wesleyan into the under-12 timeout trailing 17-15.
The rest of the half was as close as it gets, but Alex Gray hit two free throws and a three-pointer to give the Panthers some breathing room at 34-29 headed into the break.
Malone again started the half with a strong run, scoring the first ten points to build a 39-34 advantage with just under 15 minutes to go. From there, no team led by more than four until two more free throws by Gray put Wesleyan up 59-54 with under three minutes to play.
A three-pointer by Logan McIntire coming off a screen gave Wesleyan a six-point edge with two minutes left, but the Pioneers had no quit in them.
Trailing again by six with 35 seconds to go after two McIntire free throws, Malone hit two layups and a jumper with a Panthers turnover in between each score to tie the game at 66. Wesleyan quickly inbounded to Kennedy Miles, who zipped down the floor for an attempted layup, and Jones Jr. followed the miss with a buzzer-beating tip-in to send the Panthers home happy with the triumph.
Gray shined in the victory, tallying a team-high 18 points and six rebounds while shooting 4-5 from three-point range and making all six of his free throws. McIntire logged 14 points, three rebounds, and three assists, Jones Jr. had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Quentin Toles registered nine points and 12 rebounds on the afternoon.
Caleb Conard had an impressive outing for the Pioneers, totaling 31 points and 13 rebounds to push Wesleyan to the brink.
The Panthers now focus their sights to Thursday night, set to battle East-West University at 7:00 PM inside the Sportscenter. The Kentucky Wesleyan women's basketball team tips off beforehand at 5:00 PM vs. Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.
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