A strong night shooting for the Kansas Wesleyan women’s basketball team helped the Coyotes to a 69-44 win against the Avila University Eagles Saturday at Mabee Arena,
The Coyotes used a big second and third quarter to extend the lead to nine after the first quarter was 16-7 in Wesleyan’s favor.
The battle between the two purple-clad teams, both playing in a building called Mabee, was decided in favor of the Salina team as KWU outscored Avila 43-27 in the second and third quarters.
Wesleyan’s defense was once again outstanding for coach Ryan Showman, as KWU limited the Eagles to 30.2% shooting from the field (16-for-53) and just 4-of-20 from 3-point range for 20%.
Meanwhile, the Coyotes got the offensive gears spinning, shooting 46.2 percent from the field for the game, led by Caila Hill (SR/Rossville, Kan.) with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, while Tylieea Wallace (SO /Overland Park , Kan.) added 15, going 5 of 8 from the field. The two combined to go 9-of-10 from the free throw line.
The Coyotes led 26-18 with 2:47 left in the second when KWU went on an 8-0 run to extend the lead to 34-18 with 39 seconds left in the half on free throws by LaMyah Ricks (JR / Shawnee Mission , Kan.). KWU led 34-20 at the half.
Wesleyan scored the first five points of the third quarter, and after Avila narrowed the score to 16, a 12-1 run in favor of KWU was capped off by triplets by Angel Roman (SO/Jacksonville, Florida) and Kourtney Kaufman ( SO/Moundridge, Kan.) made it 56-29 for the Coyotes with 1:22 left in the quarter.
The Coyotes never trailed in the game as Hill’s bucket with 8:37 left in the first jumpstarted things and Avila tied within a run twice in the fourth last time with 4:28 left.
A 3 by Jill Stephens (SO/Colby, Kan.) and a bucket by Wallace extended Wesleyan’s lead to six with 3:37 left. A bucket by Wallace made it 14-5 with 1:33 left, and KWU led 16-7 at the end of the quarter after Roman’s bucket just before the end of the quarter.
Ricks joined Hill and Wallace as double-digit scorers for the Coyotes, adding 11 as KWU was 24-of-52 from the field for the game. KWU also controlled the rebounding margin, 39-28, led by nine by Hill and seven by Wallace.
The Coyotes will be back in action Wednesday, heading to Bartlesville to take on Oklahoma Wesleyan. KWU is therefore in Ottawa on Saturday. KWU plays 3 of 4 at home to wrap up the regular season, starting in Saint Mary’s on February 8.
