INDIANAPOLIS, IN - The Panther's most successful season in seven years has come to an end, as they fell 82-72 to the Upper Iowa Peacocks in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The final score isn't representative of the full game, as Wesleyan had it within one point late before the Peacocks sealed the win with free throws. 

The Panther's finish their season with a 21-9 record and a share of the G-MAC regular season title. Upper Iowa improves to 22-9 and will face Lake Superior State tomorrow afternoon. 

Edward Jones Jr. got things going early for the Panthers, as he opened the game with a layup, and followed that with a three two possessions later. The Peacocks came out hot, as they hit four threes in the opening five minutes to give them an early 16-10 lead. Down 18-15, a three from Aleksa Rakic and a layup from Jones Jr. put Wesleyan ahead 20-18. Upper answered with a three on their next possession, but senior Kaeveon Mitchell put the Panthers back ahead with a three of his own. Another three from Jones Jr. with 5:29 remaining in the half gave Wesleyan their biggest lead of the game, 34-29. Upper came back and closed the half on a 16-5 run to take a 45-39 lead at the break. 

The Peacocks brought their strong play into the second half, as they quickly took an 11-point (52-41) lead on Wesleyan. The Panthers battled back, and an and-1 from Borja Fernandez got the G-MAC champs back to within five, 59-54. Kaeveon Mitchell hit a big three to cut it to one, 67-66, with 5:43 left in the game. Upper Iowa answered with a layup, but Fernandez dunked it home to keep the game in reach. From there Wesleyan couldn't buy a bucket, and Upper Iowa went 8-8 from the line to seal the win. 

The Panthers went 28-66 (42.4%) from the field and 10-29 (34.5%) from three. Upper Iowa was 27-62 (43.5%) from the field and 7-24 (29.2%) from behind the arc. Free throws were the difference in the game, as the Peacocks were 21-25 (84%) from the line while Wesleyan was just 6-10 (60%). 

Edward Jones Jr. led the way with 21 points, while Borja Fernandez (15), Kaeveon Mitchell (14), and Kennedy Miles (10) joined him in double figures. NaVuan Peterson (9) and Alex Gray (7) led the Panthers on the boards, while Fernandez dished out five assists. 

With much of head coach Drew Cooper's main core returning next year, the Panther's success is just beginning. 

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