OWENSBORO, Ky. - In its first game action since a dramatic win over Pfeiffer 14 days ago, the Brevard College men's basketball team fell on the road to eight-time national champion Kentucky Wesleyan 98-53 in both teams' final action of 2014.
Brevard (3-8) trailed 37-26 at the half and cut the Panthers' (11-3) lead to 39-31 early in the second half. But the Tornados were outscored 59-22 over the game's final 18 minutes as the Panthers missed just nine of their 29 second half field goal attempts and outpaced Brevard 42-5 in points off turnovers.
The Tornados opened the contest by making four of their first five field goal attempts and led by as many as six points in the early going. Kentucky Wesleyan gained the lead just over eight minutes into the opening half and maintained a lead of around a dozen points until the half.
The Panthers saw their lead dwindle to eight points after a three-point field goal by Brayden Masten, one of three Tornados to reach double figures in scoring. But a 30-8 run over the next seven and a half minutes set the tone for a second half that saw the Panthers outscore Brevard by 34 points.
The Tornados were led by forward Darius Moose, who finished with team highs with 18 points and seven rebounds. Moose also added an assist and a steal. Trevon Shaw had 12 points, seven rebounds, a block, a steal, and an assist, while Masten's 10 points rounded out the Tornados in double figures. Miles Leathers had seven points and six rebounds off the bench.
Kentucky Wesleyan, which won the last of its eight Division II national titles in 2001 and has made 36 NCAA Tournament appearances, got a game-high 22 points from Ken-Jah Bosley. C.J. Blackwell and Hikeem Stewart contributed 16 and 15 points, respectively, while guard Marcus Fillyaw had 10 assists and a lone turnover to complement his seven points and two assists.
Brevard was consistent on the afternoon, shooting 37.0 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from behind the arc. But the Panthers shot at a blistering 69.0 percent clip in the second stanza and knocked down 58.6 percent of their field goals, including going 11-of-21 on three-point attempts, for the game.
The Tornados will return to action on Saturday, January 3 as Brevard resumes conference play against Coker. Tipoff from Hartsville, South Carolina is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
Featured image courtesy of Tommy Moss.
