The Kentucky Wesleyan College women’s basketball team opened the 2018-19 campaign with a pair of losses over the weekend in the Pops Duncan Classic hosted by Trevecca Nazarene.
Friday, the Panthers (0-2) lost 98-60 to No. 9 Drury University, and they fell 71-59 to Truman on Saturday.
In the Panthers’ season opener, Kaylee Duncan led the scoring with 14 points, while Emma Wolfe had 10 points and six rebounds.
Drury ran out to an early double-figure lead, but Cali Nolot buried a jumper with less than two minutes left in the period to bring the Panthers to within 22-15.
The lead was down to seven points with less than four minutes left in the half, but a 12-0 run by Drury to end the second quarter established a 51-32 lead at the break. Drury maintained its cushion throughout the second half to pick-up a non-conference victory.
In Saturday’s game, KWC held a two-point lead after three quarters of a play, but a strong final frame from the Bulldogs was enough to sink the Panthers.
Truman opened the game with a 7-0 lead, and the Panthers faced a 12-point deficit in the second frame but utilized a 13-2 run to make it a one-point game. Nolot drilled a jumper as time expired to give Wesleyan a 31-30 lead at the break, their first lead of the game.
Wesleyan led the entire third quarter and had a lead as large as nine points, and a buzzer beater from Lily Grimes gave them a 48-46 lead entering the final frame.
The Bulldogs controlled the fourth quarter, scoring 25 points off to pull away late.
Grimes led the Panthers with 14 points, while Nolot scored 11 off the bench. Jenna Martin had 10 assists, and Kelsey Ivers had eight rebounds.
Wesleyan returns to Owensboro Thursday for their first home game of the season. The Panthers host Ohio Christian at 6 p.m. at the Sportscenter.
