NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Drury Lady Panthers won their season-opener game and the first game for new head coach Kaci Bailey with a 78-65 win over Kentucky Wesleyan at the Pops Duncan Classic in Nashville, Tenn., on Friday.
 
Drury led 37-28 and went up by 15 midway through the third quarter before Kentucky Wesleyan chipped away and pulled within four, 62-58, with 4:27 remaining. The Lady Panthers closed the game out by outscoring KWU 16-7 down the stretch.
 
"We battled," said Bailey. "They made a run at us and Beth Martin hit two big three's, and I'm super proud of what we were able to do today. We responded, we had good energy, our bench stayed engaged, and we had a total team effort."
 
Martin, the fifth-year senior who transferred to Drury after playing under Bailey at Quincy, hit three's on back-to-back possessions that stretched the Lady Panthers lead from nine to 12 with 2:23 left. She finished with a game-high 21 points.
 
Last year's GLVC Freshman of the Year, Reese Schaaf, had a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds. The 20 points marked a career-high and it was the third career double-double for the El Dorado Springs, Missouri, native.
 
Cailtynn Daniels added 18 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.
 
Kentucky Wesleyan, picked second in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference with four starters back from a team that went 23-7 last year, was led by Corina Conley and Shaylee McDonald, who both had 16 points.
 
"This is a big confidence boost for us," added Bailey. "This team believes, but I think we're unsure, sometimes, of what we're capable of. Tonight, we showed what we're capable of. We came out and got ahead by double-digits, then we gave up a run but our huddles got tighter and we were telling each other that we can do this."
 
Drury owned a 41-27 rebounding advantage as the Lady Panthers shot 49 percent while Kentucky Wesleyan shot 43 percent but went just 3 for 19 from three-point range.
 
The win marked Drury's 12^th straight opening-night win and moved Drury's record to 20-3 in season-opening games.
 
The Lady Panthers play the second game of the Pops Duncan Classic on Saturday against host Trevecca Nazarene at 6 pm in Nashville.
 
 
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