LEAD SLIPS AWAY FROM WESLEYAN

Wesleyan College grabbed a first half lead but saw it slip away midway through the second half in its 69-50 loss to LaGrange College in Great South Athletic Conference action on Wednesday night. Wesleyan added 13 more blocks to their GSAC leading total, including six for Kevi Martin and five Shmyra Hopkins.

A familiar script seemed to be playing out early in the game as the Panthers (13-7, 6-4 GSAC) took advantage of a slow start by the Pioneers to lead 11-2 just over five minutes into the game. Bre' Solomon loosened up Wesleyan by draining a three-pointer and the Pioneers played some of their best basketball of the season in the remainder of the first half. Solomon capped an impressive rally with a put-back bucket that gave the Pioneers (4-16, 0-9 GSAC) a 26-24 advantage with 1:20 left in the opening half. LaGrange responded by scoring the final five points of the half including a three-pointer by Heather Tidwell at the buzzer to carry a 29-26 lead into the intermission.

Twice in the second half Wesleyan managed to knot the score with the last coming at the 16:52 mark on another basket by Solomon. However, the pace of play caught up with the Pioneers in the second half, playing their second straight game without leading scorer Kassandra Epps. The Panthers answered Solomon's score with a 14-2 run that pushed the lead out to double figures and put the game away.

Rachel Hornbostel finished with 14 points while Bre' Solomon continue to dominate the boards with 11 rebounds to go with 13 points. Valeree Williams posted a game-high 19 points to pace LaGrange.

The Pioneers return to action on Wednesday when they host Warren Wilson. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:00pm at Porter Gymnasium.