OWENSBORO, KY - Winning in the postseason isn't easy. The #7 seeded Malone Pioneers came into the Owensboro Sportscenter on Tuesday with nothing to lose, and they played like it, winning 68-62 in overtime over the #2 seeded Panthers. 

This was the Panther's second straight quarterfinal to go to overtime, as they took down Hillsdale 74-73 last year. 

Malone (17-12, 12-8 G-MAC), will move on to face the winner of Northwood and Trevecca Nazarene. The semi-final will be played at #1 seeded Ashland, who also doubles as the #1 team in the country. Kentucky Wesleyan now sits at 21-6 (16-4 G-MAC). The Panthers may not be out of it just yet, as they were the No. 5 team in last weeks Midwest Region Rankings. Wesleyan will wait until this Sunday night to see if they will get a bid to this year's version of the big dance. 

Sydnee Richetto hit two early jumpers to give Wesleyan a 6-4 lead in the opening minutes of the game. Malone answered with a 9-4 run and managed to hold on to the lead until the end of the first quarter. 

Down 19-17 in the second, buckets from Shiya Hoosier, Emmy Ralph, and Sydnee Richetto helped the Panthers go on an 8-0 run, giving them a 25-16 lead with 6:44 remaining in the half. Corina Conley hit a late jumper to keep the Pioneers at bay, and Wesleyan led 27-23 at the break. 

Conley kept the Panthers ahead with an early three, but Malone began to chip away, eventually making it just  a one-point game (38-37) with 1:37 left in the third quarter. Back to back buckets from Richetto to close the quarter put Wesleyan up five with just the fourth quarter left to play. 

Jordan Gillies looked to start a run in the beginning of the fourth quarter, as a tough drive to the basket by the freshman put the Panthers up 44-37. The Pioneers put a stop to the Wesleyan momentum with a 7-0 run, and even after a Richetto three put the Panthers ahead, they kept pushing. A three from Brooklyn Troyer put the visitors up 54-49 with 3:38 remaining in the game. the Panther defense then stepped up, as they didn't allow another Malone point in regulation. Shiya Hoosier took over at the end, scoring Wesleyan's final five points to send the game to overtime. 

Overtime belonged to Malone, as they went 3-5 from the field and 7-9 from the line in the frame, while Wesleyan was just 3-9 and didn't shoot a free throw. Two late threes from Jordyn Barga kept Wesleyan in it, but it wasn't enough as they bowed out in the conference quarterfinals. 

Wesleyan shot just 24-64 (37.5%) from the field and 4-13 (30.8%) from three, while Malone went 23-55 (41.8%) from the field and 6-18 (33.3%) from behind the arc. Free throws were the difference in this contest, as Wesleyan struggled from the line, going just 10-18 (55.6) from the charity stripe, while Malone hit 16 of their 19 attempts. 

Sydnee Richetto let the way with 18 points, followed by Shiya Hoosier with 15. Jordyn Barga hauled in eight rebounds, while Emmy Ralph and Hoosier each tallied three assists. Hoosier notched a season high with five steals in the contest. 

As stated earlier, the Panthers might not be done yet, as they await the regional committee's decision on whether or not they will be in the NCAA Tournament. The final regional rankings come out tomorrow, and the official tournament selections will be announced on ncaa.com late Sunday night. 

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