CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. – The Kentucky Wesleyan men's basketball team (11-8, 5-6 G-MAC) erased a 15-point first half deficit en route to a 76-62 victory over in-state rival Thomas More Thursday evening.
The Panthers extended their all-time series lead to 5-0, still having never lost to the Saints (9-8, 3-7 G-MAC). The triumph also accounted for the Panthers' first road win this season.
The night did not begin ideally for Wesleyan. Thomas More held a 15-2 lead just over four minutes into the game and maintained a similar lead throughout the first 12 minutes of the opening half.
With just under eight minutes remaining and the Panthers trailing 30-15, Wesleyan reeled off a 16-3 run to come within two at 33-31 heading into the break. LaVonte Harris hit back-to-back threes to cap off the burst.
The game stayed close for the first 10 minutes of the second half, but the latter 10 was all Wesleyan. With the two teams knotted up at 54, the Panthers scored the next 13 points, headlined by five consecutive points from Fatih Huyuk, to take a 67-54 advantage with just over five minutes remaining.
Wesleyan maintained a comfortable lead the rest of the way and headed home with a 76-62 victory over TMU.
Harris finished with a team-high19 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Four other Panthers joined him in double-digits: Armandas Plintauskas (15 points, four rebounds), Huyuk (14 points, seven rebounds), Sanchez-Ramos (12 points, seven assists, two steals), and Ke'Andre Jones (12 points, six rebounds).
The Panthers will now head home for a battle versus Cedarville on Saturday, January 24th. Tipoff is set for 12:15 PM inside the Woodward Health and Recreation Center and the game will be streamed live on FloCollege.
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