HANOVER, Ind. – The Panthers (3-3 overall, 0-1 HCAC) opened Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference action on Wednesday evening at Berea, falling in the contest 68-63.
 
INSIDE THE STATS
The Panthers landed three in double-digits, led by sophomore Malachi McNair with a double-double. McNair had 13 points with 13 rebounds while adding one block and one steal.
 
Junior William Herald scored a team-high 18 points, including six made three-pointers. Senior Davis Olson added 15 points and five made three-pointers.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Hanover opened the road test with high energy as Olson drained a three-pointer to set the tone. The Panthers were sharp in the first half from beyond the arc shooting 50 percent. However, Berea found success of its own, claiming a 23-19 advantage at the midway point. Sophomore Sheldon Gatlin used his long range shooting to pull Hanover within 23-22 at the 9:13 mark.
 
Herald flipped the score in favor of the Panthers with another Hanover three-pointer, 25-23-their first lead since the early moments of the half. William was key down the stretch, making it rain three-pointers in the final 6:39, tallying four in total, to push Hanover into halftime leading 43-33.
 
However, the contest became a tail of two halves as Berea slowly chipped at the Panther advantage. Trailing 58-46 with 11:27 to play, the Mountaineers scored 10 straight points pulling them within 58-56. Herald delivered from long range, but the game tilted in favor of Berea with 3:00 minutes remaining. They used success at the free throw line to secure the win.
 
Hanover returns to action on Saturday when they welcome area-rival Franklin to Collier Arena for a 1:00 PM tip-off.