If you combine the 1st, 3rd and 4th quarters, Kentucky Wesleyan wins by two. Unfortunately, it takes all four quarters to win a basketball game, and the Missouri-St. Louis Tritons outscored the Panthers 20-3 in the 2nd quarter to give them a 10-point lead at halftime, a lead KWC couldn’t overcome.
With the win the Tritons move to 2-1 on the year while the Panthers drop to 2-2.
With the Panthers up 14-12 in the opening frame, Leah Richardson scored a bucket to start a 7-2 run to close the quarter as the Panthers led 21-14 after one.
The second quarter was a struggle for the Panthers, as they shot just 1-11 (9.1%) from the field and 0-7 from behind the arc in the frame. UMSL took advantage of Wesleyan’s struggles and took a 34-24 lead going into halftime.
The Tritons kept their double-figure lead for most of the second half. Cali Nolot hit a free throw to pull the Panthers within seven with just four minutes left in the game, but the Tritons got hot at the end, hitting five of their final six shots of the game to take the 73-58 win.
Tahlia Walton led the Panthers with 13 points, followed by Richardson and Nolot who each tallied 10. Shiya Hoosier and Walton each notched four rebounds, while Nolot led the way with three assists.
For the game the Panthers shot 18-48 (37.5%) from the field and 8-30 (26.7%) from three. UMSL couldn’t miss on the night, going 30-53 (56.6%) from the field and 8-17 (47.1%).
Kentucky Wesleyan won’t play again until they head down to Lakeland Florida on Friday, Nov. 26 to take on the Florida Southern Mocs. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. CT.
