A layup by Lynn with four seconds left in overtime spoiled the first game of Wesleyan’s Thanksgiving trip to Florida, as the Panthers fell to the Fighting Knights 73-71 in a tightly contested matchup.
Lynn moves to 4-1 on the year, while Wesleyan falls to 2-3.
The teams went back-and-forth in the opening period, with late layups by Reeva Hammelman and Cali Nolot, as well as a three from Jordyn Barga giving Wesleyan a 19-17 after one.
With Wesleyan leading 28-26 with 3:30 to go in the half, the Panthers went on a 6-0 run to head into the break with a 34-26 lead.
The Panthers came out firing in the third, as a three pointer from Shaylee McDonald extended their lead to 41-28 just three minutes into the frame. The Fighting Knights used a 20-6 run to take back the lead before Shiya Hoosier hit a big three to put KWC ahead 53-50 heading into the final half.
With the teams battling hard in the fourth, Nolot hit two big free throws to put Wesleyan ahead by three with 11 seconds remaining. The Fighting Knights weren’t out of it, however, as they came right back with a three pointer to send the game into overtime.
The Panthers struggled from the free throw line in overtime, going just 4-8 in extra time. This would come back to bite them, as Lynn was able to keep the game close and eventually win on a layup near the end of the game.
Cali Nolot led the Panthers with 19 points on 6-12 from the field, including a strong 3-4 performance from three. Shiya Hoosier stuffed the stat sheet, scoring 11 points, dishing out four assists, and hauling in eight rebounds. Jordyn Barga tied a career high with four steals in the contest.
Wesleyan went just 24-61 (39.3%) from the field and 8-29 (27.6%) from three. They did force 24 Lynn turnovers, but also committed 22 of their own.
Wesleyan turns right around as they take on the host Barry tomorrow at 1 p.m. CT.
