OWENSBORO, KY – Junior Ignacio Rodriguez scored a season-high 26 points on 8-of-12 shooting, while teammate and fellow junior Saquan Epps recorded his first double-double of the season with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Kentucky Wesleyan College used a strong second-half performance to out-duel Salem International University 114-89 on Sunday afternoon (Dec. 4) in NCAA men's basketball action.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP: 
Final: Kentucky Wesleyan 114, Salem Int'l 89
Records: Kentucky Wesleyan (6-2), Salem Int'l (0-7)  
Location: Sportscenter | Owensboro, Kentucky

HOW IT HAPPENED:

•  First Half
  • Epps scored a team-high 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting for the Tigers and pulled-down eight rebounds.
  • Freshman Jarius Farrow scored 10 points and went 2-of-3 from three-point range, while Rodriguez scored 10 points off of the bench.
  • Adam Stanford and Charles Foster each scored 10 points for the Panthers. Stanford went 4-of-6 from the floor and Foster 4-of-5 (2-of-2 from three-point range).
  • Salem Int'l was 15-of-31 from the floor and 5-of-9 from downtown, while the Panthers were 22-of-35 from the floor and 7-of-14 from three-point range.
  • The Tigers held a 17-15 advantage in rebounds and tallied 11 assists, with senior Victor Blakey dishing-out six.
  • Salem Int'l would go 11-of-12 at the charity stripe, while Kentucky Wesleyan went 4-of-7.
  • Kentucky Wesleyan led 55-46 at the end of the opening stanza.

•  Second Half
  • Rodriguez would score 16 of his 26 points in second-half, going 5-for-9 from the floor and 4-of-8 from three-point range in 12 minutes on the court.
  • Epps added nine points to his total in the second-half, going 4-of-5 from the floor.
  • Farrow and freshman Josh Carpenter each tallied seven points for the Tigers in the second-half.
  • Ken-Jah Bosley and Jordan Jacks paced the Panthers offense in the second-half, adding 13 points and 11 points. Bosley went 4-of-11 from the floor and 3-of-10 from downtown.
  • Stanford, Josh Derksen, and Brandon Hatton each scored nine points for Kentucky Wesleyan.
  • The Panthers owned the back-board in the second stanza, out-rebounding SIU 20-10.
  • SIU went 6-of-6 at the free throw line in the half and Kentucky Wesleyan went 5-of-5.
  • The Tigers hit 15 shots and seven three's in the half, while Kentucky Wesleyan hit 23 and connected eight times from downtown.
  • The Panthers out-scored SIU 59-43 in the second-half.

 STATS FROM THE GAME:

• Blakey finished with a team-high nine assists and recorded two steals for the Tigers.
• Farrow scored 17 points for SIU after finishing the game 6-of-12 from the floor and 3-of-7 from three-point range.
• Kentucky Wesleyan out-scored the Tigers 56-24 inside of the paint and tallied 25 points off of SIU turnovers.
• The Tigers received 30 points from its bench, with 26 coming from Rodriguez.
• Seven Panthers recorded double-digit performances, with Bosley tallying a team-high 22. Stanford finished with 19 points, while Foster recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists.
• Jacks fell just-short of recording a triple-double, tallying 19 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds.
• The Panthers out-rebounded the Tigers 35 to 27 with 26 of the Panthers' boards coming on the defensive end of the court.

UP NEXT:

The Tigers will host the 35th Annual Joe Manchin Classic at the T. Edward Davis Gymnasium on Friday, December 9 and Saturday, December 10. SIU faces West Virginia State Friday night at 7 pm and Charleston (WV) on Saturday night at 7 pm. Live stats, and video will be available for the tournament at www.SIUTigerPride.com.