OWENSBORO, Ky. – Senior forward Lafayette James-Core scored a career-high 28 points in helping lead the Auburn Montgomery men's basketball team to an 80-72 victory over #24 Kentucky Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon at the Owensboro Sportscenter.
 
NOTES
• AUM improves to 1-2 to start the season while KWC falls to 1-4.
• The loss was the first loss at home for the Panthers since the 2014-15 season, when KWC fell to Truman State, 70-66, on Nov. 29 of that year.
• Four of AUM's starters scored in double figures.
• The win for the Warhawks snapped a four-game losing skid dating back to last season.
 
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• James-Core's 28 points came on 11-18 shooting, going 4-for-4 from behind the 3-point arc. It beats his previous career-best of 22 against Selma University last season.
• Darrion Taylor scored a season-high 16 points for the Warhawks.
• Kameron Hornbuckle scored a season-high 10 and pulled down a team-high seven rebounds for AUM.
• KWC's Brandon Hatton recorded a team-high 16 points while tallying seven assists.
• Bird Cardwell tallied 12 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Panthers.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 
• AUM jumped out to a 12-4 lead, capped off by a Desmond DeRamus fastbreak layup at the 16:29 mark in the first half to give the Warhawks an eight-point advantage.
• KWC would go on a 10-4 run over the next four minutes to cut the AUM lead to 16-14 on a dunk by Dakota Quinn to pull the Panthers within two points with 12:16 to play in the first.
• James-Core would hit a 3-pointer with 4:41 to go in the half to put the Warhawks up 28-18, as AUM went on a 12-4 run after Quinn's dunk.
• The Panthers would outscore AUM 15-9 over the final four and a half minutes, but AUM would take a 37-33 lead into halftime.
• The second half saw the Warhawks push their lead to 49-36 off of a pair of free throws by Horbuckle with 14:44 to play.
• James-Core would give AUM its biggest lead of the night, hitting a layup with 8:21 remaining to put the Warhawks up 64-49.
• KWC would cut the lead to six at 75-69 with 1:11 to play, but the Warhawks would be able to hold off the Panthers' late comeback attempt to earn their first victory of the season.  
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 
• AUM scored 19 points off of turnovers to just 14 for the Panthers.
• The Panthers outscored the Warhawks 46-30 in the paint.
• The Warhawks converted 9-of-17 3-pointers while KWC connected on 5-of-17.
 
UP NEXT
AUM will host region rival Tuskegee in the men's and women's basketball doubleheader on Tuesday, Nov. 21. Opening tip between the women will be at 6 p.m. with the men's contest slated to start at 8 p.m. at the AUM Gymnasium.
 
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