OWENSBORO, KY - Give it to the big man and get out of the way. That was the Panther's plan on Saturday afternoon against Thomas More, and while it wasn't easy, it got the job done. Senior Borja Fernandez went off for a career-high 37 points and grabbed 12 boards to lead the Panthers to a huge 91-85 double-overtime victory over the Saints. Fernandez's 37 are the most for a Panther since former G-MAC Player of the Year Ken-Jah Bosley scored 39 vs. Kentucky State back in November 2016. 

While the Panthers are very familiar with overtime games, games with more than one overtime period don't come around that often. The last official game that went into more than one overtime for the Panthers was in a 100-99 triple overtime loss to No. 9 Northern Kentucky on March 4, 1995. The last unofficial multi-overtime game was when Wesleyan took Western Kentucky to double overtime in a 103-97 loss back in 2016. 

With the win the Panthers improve to 18-6 (12-4 G-MAC) while Thomas More falls to 15-10 (10-7 G-MAC). 

Thomas More took a 6-5 lead early and held on to it, not allowing the Panthers to lead for the rest of the first half. The Panthers did keep things close, as Borja Fernandez tied things up a 28-28 and Alex Gray at 30-30 late in the half. Not even another jaw dropping dunk from Edward Jones Jr. was enough to stop the Saints from scoring, as after Jones Jr. soared through the lane and slammed it home on two people, the Saints came back and immediately hit a jumper to bring their lead to 36-32 with 3:19 remaining in the opening half. Another Fernandez layup tied things up at 36, but the Saints outscored Wesleyan 6-3 over the final two minutes to take a 42-39 lead into the break. 

The teams started off slow in the second half, and at the 15:56 mark of the second half Wesleyan took a 45-44 lead on another layup from Fernandez, their first lead since the 17:18 mark of the first half. Thomas More answered right back yet again, and it seemed as though the Panthers would never get over the hump. Thomas More took their biggest lead of the game with 11:01 remaining, as the visitors led 59-51 after three free throws off the hand of Nathan Dudukovich. Dudukovich was on fire was well, as he finished the night with 27 points. A few layups from Fernandez and a bucket from Kennedy Miles put the Panthers right back in it, cutting the lead to 59-58 with about eight minutes to play. TMU continued to hold their lead until late, when Fernandez tied the game at both 70-70 and 72-72. Neither team was able to score in the final two minutes of the game, and they were forced to go to extra time. 

Alex Gray put the Panthers up two early in the first overtime, but the foes from eastern Kentucky fought back, eventually taking a four-point lead with just 44 seconds remaining. Kennedy Miles then hit a jumper, and Jones Jr. put the team on his back and put in a layup with just 10 seconds remaining to send the game into it's second overtime. 

Logan McIntire, who had been quiet for most of the game, hit a three on the Panthers first possession to quickly swing the momentum their way. TMU answered with a three of their own, but buckets from Fernandez and Jones Jr. would make it difficult for a comeback to transpire. McIntire and Kennedy each got another bucket, and Wesleyan held on to win this one by six. 

The Panthers went 38-70 (54.3%) from the field and 3-10 (30%) from three. With the inside game working so well, Wesleyan didn't even attempt a three in the second half, and just two in the overtime periods. Thomas More was 36-74 (48.6%) from the field and 7-25 (28%) from behind the arc. 

Despite playing 10 extra minutes of basketball, the teams combined for just 21 turnovers, with Wesleyan committing 10 and Thomas More committing 11.

Borja Fernandez led the way with an incredible 37 points on 16-28 shooting. Also finishing in double figures were Kennedy Miles and Edward Jones Jr., who each scored 16. Nearly finishing with a double-double was Mr. Do-it-all himself, Alex Gray, who came through with eight points, 10 boards, and four steals. Miles led the way with six assists, while Kaeveon Mitchell dished out five. 

The Panthers now have the best record in the G-MAC and control their own destiny. They have two tough road tests this week as they travel to Cedarville on Thursday and Thomas More on Saturday. Tipoff for Thursday's contest at Cedarville is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. CT. 

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