OWENSBORO, Ky. – The Kentucky Wesleyan men's basketball team (3-1, 0-0 G-MAC) came out on the right side of a close battle against Delta State, prevailing 85-59 Saturday afternoon inside the Owensboro Sportscenter.
Wesleyan opened with 7-2 run, highlighted by a LaVonte Harris three-pointer. The Statesmen (2-1, 0-0 GSC) quickly fought back to tie the score at 9-9, letting the crowd of 801 know what kind of game it was going to be.
Every time the Panthers would build a decent lead, Delta State had an answer. Jorge Sanchez-Ramos hit a three to put Wesleyan up 26-21, but the Statesmen immediately responded with five straight points. Later in the half, Caleb Mackrey connected with Fatih Huyuk for a layup to give the Panthers a six-point advantage, but DSU again immediately answered with consecutive threes to tie the score again at 34.
Huyuk hit Armandas Plintauskas on a backdoor cut for a layup on one of the final possessions of the half that allowed Wesleyan to take a 36-34 lead into the break.
The second half was a very similar affair. Ke'Andre Jones hit a three to put Wesleyan's lead at 43-38, but the Statesmen again managed to punch back again and tie the score at 45.
After that, no one led by more than five until a Huyuk tip-in gave the Panthers a six-point advantage with just over three minutes to play. Of course, DSU managed to get within one point, but a clutch three-pointer by Harris and free throws from multiple Panthers sent the Statesmen home with a loss.
Three Panthers scored 17+ points in the win: Harris (20 points and 5-7 from three), Jones (18 points and 11 rebounds), and Sanchez-Ramos (17 points and six assists).
Caleb Mackrey joined them in double digits with 11 points and three three-pointers. Huyuk totaled nine points and seven rebounds, including six on the offensive end.
The Panthers are back inside the Sportscenter this Monday, November 24, at 7:00 PM against Simmons. The game will be streamed live on FloCollege.
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