Fifth-Ranked Panthers Beat Rivermen

UMSL Falls 82-54 to Kentucky Wesleyan

St. Louis, Mo. – The UMSL men’s basketball team ran into a hot Kentucky Wesleyan team that entered the game ranked fifth in the country, as the Rivermen fell 82-54 to the Panthers. It was the 12th straight loss for UMSL, setting a new school record for most consecutive losses.

The game was tied 4-4 in the opening minutes until Kentucky Wesleyan slowly pulled out to a 12-point lead at 19-7 with 12 minutes left in the half. UMSL then went on an 11-2 run, capped by a jumper from Jared Pratt to cut the lead to just two points at 20-18 with 7:31 remaining. With UMSL down 24-21, the Panthers got eight-straight points, including two three pointers by Dewayne Rogers to push the lead back up to 13 points at 34-21 with just under two minutes to play. The Rivermen then scored the last eight points of the half, including a half-court buzzer beater by Sherome Cole to make it a 34-29 game at halftime.

In the second half, the Panthers jumped out quickly and took control of the game, pushing the lead up to ten points at 41-31 in the first two minutes of the half. KWC then pushed that lead up to 21 points at 57-36 at the 12:58 mark after a pair of Eric Freeman free throws. The Rivermen could get no closer than 18 points the rest of the game, that coming after a pair of Ronnie Banks free throws made it 58-40 with just over 11 minutes left to play. The Panthers then settled for their largest lead of the game in the closing minute with the 82-54 win.

UMSL was led by Sherome Cole with 11 points and Jo’Van Fisher with 10 points, both coming off the bench. Kentucky Wesleyan had all five starters score in double figures, led by Eugene Dabney with game-highs of 16 points and 11 rebounds. The Rivermen fall to 5-15 on the season overall, and drop to 2-12 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. UMSL will be at home again on Saturday against Bellarmine for a 3:15 pm tipoff.