YORK, Neb. – The York University men's basketball team dropped an 88-71 game to Kansas Wesleyan Wednesday evening. 
 
The Panthers are now 4-8 overall, including 2-4 in KCAC action.
 
Head coach Mitch McMullen's team was led by Jadin Johnson's game-high 31 points. He hit 11-of-20 from the floor, including three-of-five from downtown. 
 
Eli Nutting added nine points while Shaun Armstrong and Nathaniel Owen added eight points apiece. Logan Beckstrom chipped in six points.
 
Nutting narrowly missed a double-double with nine rebounds. Johnson dished out four assists. 
 
Owen buried a pair of three-point buckets off passes from Johnson in the first 79 seconds of the game for a 6-2 lead. Down 20-8, Johnson canned a free throw and nailed a shot from distance, pulling the Panthers within eight at 20-12 with 10:23 to go. 
 
Trailing 35-20, Nutting connected on a jumper. Johnson made back-to-back lay-ups, closing the gap to 35-26. Facing a 37-26 deficit, Nutting found the bottom of the net from behind the three-point stripe. Johnson's three-ball slashed the deficit to five, 37-32. York trailed at the break, 39-34.  
 
After pulling within two at 39-37, the Coyotes embarked on a 14-4 spurt for a 12-point cushion. Down 61-48, Johnson and Nutting hit back-to-back shots, trimming the deficit to nine. Facing a 12-point deficit at 68-56, York got things going when Armstrong canned a three-point shot. Donn'Yae Ferguson hit a lay-up while Beckstrom converted an old-fashioned three-point play to make it 68-64. An 8-0 spurt by KWU pushed the margin to 76-64.
 
York made it 76-67 after three charity tosses by Johnson at the 5:21 mark, but that was as close as the team would get the rest of the way.  
 
For the game, the Panthers hit 26-of-59 from the floor, including 10-of-29 from downtown. The team buried nine-of-11 from the charity stripe. York grabbed 29 boards, including nine on the offensive glass. The squad dished out 11 assists and scored 14 points off nine turnovers.
 
The Panthers return to action Saturday when they play at Evangel at 12 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at Yorkpanthers.com.