Panthers put up fight in exhibition at Xavier
The Panthers put up an incredible fight against the reigning NIT champions, trailing the Xavier Musketeers by just three with four minutes remaining. Xavier then put together a 15-0 run to close the game and win 80-62.
It was back-and-forth from opening tipoff, as the teams went through five lead changes in the first five minutes alone. With 14:30 remaining in the half, Owensboro native and newcomer Alex Gray hit a three to put the Panthers up 12-10. Keeping up with the newcomer trend, transfer Borja Fernandez quickly scored five straight points to extend the lead to 17-14. With just over four minutes left in the half, Xavier extended their lead to 35-26 and looked to pull away. But just like that, Wesleyan got back in it with a three from Kennedy Miles and four straight free throws from Jordan Roland. With 1:22 left in the half, JoMel Boyd hit a jumper to tie it up at 41-41 and put the pressure on the Musketeers. Xavier answered back and went into the locker room with a one point lead.
Wesleyan opened the second half with a bang, as Fernandez hit a three on their first possession to give them back the lead. With the start of the second half being a defensive battle, the Panthers took their final lead of the game on a Fernandez layup with 12:18 left to make it 55-54. After a mini run by Xavier, Edward Jones Jr. cut the lead to 63-60 with a three pointer. Fernandez then scored Wesleyan's final points of the game on a jumper with 6:13 remaining to make it 65-62. That's when the Panthers went cold, going 0-for-8 from the field in the final six minutes of the game. Xavier finished strong to take the 18-point win.
Playing in his first game in a Panther uniform, Borja Fernandez led the way with 13 points and seven rebounds. Also scoring in double-figures was Edward Jones Jr., who tallied 11 points in the contest. Kaeveon Mitchell was big in the game, scoring nine points while hitting three timely threes. Jordan Roland led the way with four assists while Mitchell and Ben Sisson each managed to grab two steals.
The Panthers went 20-61 (32.8%) from the field and 10-32 (31.3%) from behind the arc. Despite the loss, Wesleyan outscored their opponents 35-15 in bench points and held them to just 5-18 (27.8%) from three.
Wesleyan opens up their official regular season next week when they travel to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside for the GLIAC/G-MAC/GLVC Crossover on November 11-12. While in Kenosha, Wisconsin, they will play UW-Parkside and the University of Illinois-Springfield. Tipoff for Friday's game against Parkside is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.
Original source can be found here.
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