The Kentucky Wesleyan College women’s basketball team saw its season come to an end on Friday night at the NCAA Atlantic Regional. The Panthers fell to G-MAC foe Tiffin by a score of 70-56 in the first round match up.
The Dragons controlled the tempo from the start, shooting 60% in the first half to take a 39-20 lead to halftime.
Wesleyan trailed by 23 early in the second half before a quick 7-0 run put a spark in their offense. The Panthers took a 23-8 run into the final quarter to pull within eight with 8:44 remaining. Tahlia Walton scored 10 in the third frame as the Panthers shot 58.3%.
Walton drove in for a lay up with 2:59 remaining to cut the deficit to eight once again, but the Dragons responded with a three of their own. Tiffin ended the game on a 9-2 run to advance to the Atlantic Region Semifinal.
Wesleyan scored 34 points in the paint while scoring 18 on the fast break. The Panthers shot 21-52 from the floor and 4-16 from beyond the arc.
Walton finished with a season-high 21 points. Lily Miller also finished in double figures with 10 points. Kaylee Clifford grabbed eight rebounds.
The Panthers end the season at 18-6 for their 11th straight winning season. Co-Head Coachs Caleb and Nicole Nieman have never had a season below .500 since taking the reins in 2010-11.
The senior class of Kaylee Willis, Kaylee Clifford and Lily Grimes finish their career with a record of 85-29 (74.56%) along with 54 wins at home in The Owensboro Sportscenter. The trio led the Panthers to four consecutive G-MAC Tournament appearances including three straight trips to the title game. They finished with a pair of trips to the NCAA tournament, earning at-large bids in their sophomore and senior seasons.
This is a KWC Athletics press release.
