WILBERFORCE, Ohio (courtesy of KWCPanthers.com) -
It was two newcomers who helped lead Kentucky Wesleyan College to a hard-fought Great Midwest Athletic Conference road win over Central State on Saturday.
Freshman Ken-Jah Bosley scored a team-high 24 points and sophomore transfer Devin Langford added 15 as the Panthers came from behind to beat the Marauders, 82-76, in Wilberforce, Ohio, to earn their eighth win in nine games and second straight on the road.
It was a 12-2 run late in the second half that put KWC on top for good.
Central State (8-6, 1-1 G-MAC) led for most of the game and went ahead by as many as 10 in the second half, but KWC (9-6, 4-0) was determined to come back.
The Panthers chipped away, hitting from the outside and getting to the free throw line. KWC was 39-of-45 at the free throw line compared to Central State's 8-of-19 clip.
A Donovan Johnson bucket at the 5:45 mark tied the game at 61-61 and then a three-point play by Bosley a minute later gave KWC a 64-63 lead. That was the first lead for the Panthers since leading 19-18 midway through the first half.
It was Bosley's three-point play that set off the decisive run, including dunks from Langford and Dawson, two free throws from Lucas Barker and a 3-pointer by Bosley.
Barker was 8-for-8 at the free throw line and Osborne couldn't give him enough credit following the win, particularly what he did defensively on Central State's leading scorer, LeDonte Body.
Body was a pest for KWC all game, added eight rebounds to his point total in 39 minutes.
But the Panthers answered the bell with the trio of Bosley, Langford and Dominique Dawson. Langford added seven rebounds as well to his point total and Dawson scored 13 points with eight rebounds.