Midland, Mich. – The Kentucky Wesleyan men's basketball team held on late to solidify their 69-65 victory over Northwood on Thursday night.

Wesleyan improved to 18-5 overall and 12-3 in the G-MAC, while Northwood fell to 7-17 overall and 3-13 in the G-MAC.

The first half was neck-and-neck for the full 20 minutes, as neither team led by than five at any point in the half. A converted and-one by Quentin Toles with just eight seconds left put the Panthers on top 35-32 headed into the break.

The second half was much of the same, with Wesleyan clinging on to their lead and holding off Northwood runs repeatedly. With the Panthers leading 46-43 with just over 13 minutes to play, the road team reeled off a 10-0 burst, featuring two buckets from Terrence Ringo Jr., to finally gain some breathing room at 56-43.

Of course, the Timberwolves had an answer. Down 62-49 with five and a half minutes left, Northwood went on a quick 9-0 run to cut their deficit to 62-58 headed into the under-four media timeout.

Northwood got as close as one point at 66-65 but could just never get over the hump in the late going. Free throws by one of the G-MAC's best charity stripe shooters, Alex Gray, and one final defensive stop by the Panthers put the game away and finalized the 69-65 triumph.

As we have seen many times all year, no one Panther stood out in the box score. Ringo Jr. had one of his best nights of the season with 12 points, eight rebounds, a blocked shot, and a steal, and Gray put up a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Wesleyan had three other double-digit scorers: Edward Jones Jr. (12 points, one rebound, one assist, and a blocked shot), Kennedy Miles (12 points, three rebounds, three assists, two steals), and Logan McIntire (10 points, six rebounds, two steals).

The Panthers now turn their attention to a big-time showdown vs. No. 13 Findlay on Saturday afternoon. With the number one spot in the G-MAC at stake, tipoff is set for 2 PM in Findlay, Ohio, with the women to precede at 12 PM.

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