WELCOME HOME: Coyotes face No.14 Bellevue Saturday in home opener
By: David Toelle, KWU Sports Information

Since October 15, Muir Gym has only been a practice gym for the Kansas Wesleyan Men’s Basketball team. Not anymore, finally. The Coyotes open the home portion of their schedule on Saturday at 4 p.m. against the No.14 ranked Bellevue (Neb.) Bruins at Muir Gym.

Wesleyan has played 13 games to date, two of them exhibition contests over Thanksgiving weekend in Topeka, and comes into Saturday’s game with a 4-7 record overall, and 2-1 in KCAC play.

The schedule is arguably one of the most difficult of any NAIA Division II men’s program this year, and was amplified due to the fact that four home contests had to be sent to the road because of construction related to Wesleyan’s new Student Activities Center.

The Coyotes opened the year with an overtime win over then No.12 ranked Sioux Falls (S.D.) in the USF Classic. Three consecutive losses followed until the Coyotes grabbed win number two on November 17 against Northwestern Oklahoma State in the KWU Classic, held in Lindsborg.

Two more losses followed, before the Coyotes won two in a row in KCAC play. Wesleyan defeated Bethany in Lindsborg on December 1 and followed that with a thrilling 64-63 win on December 6 over then No.19 ranked Southwestern in Winfield.

Wesleyan is currently riding a two game losing streak, but the two losses are to stiff competition. A 78-61 loss to Fort Hays State on December 14 sent the Coyotes into the Christmas Break. The 17-point margin was the closest any KCAC team had been to the Tigers this season.

The other loss, a 68-44 decision, came to Northwestern Oklahoma State on December 31 in Alva. The Coyotes were without four key players and fell behind early and could not get back into the game.

Eric Hammond made an impressive debut in his first game with the Coyotes against Northwestern Oklahoma State. After missing the first semester due to a fluke eligibility issue, Hammond led all scorers with 16 points and hauled in six rebounds against the Rangers.

Trey Sims (6-2, Jr., G, Tulsa, Okla.) leads the Coyotes in scoring at 18.4 points per game, but will not see action in tomorrow’s game with the Bruins. Mychal Henderson (6-6, Jr., F, Woodbridge, Va.) is next at 11.5 points per game, while Romero Hood (6-1, So., G, Phoenix, Ariz.) adds 10.9 per game.

Henderson leads the Coyotes on the glass at 4.55 per game, while Willie McCarty (6-2, So., G, Omaha, Neb.) is second for the Coyotes at 4.5 per game.

As a team the Coyotes have struggled to find the bucket so far this season, shooting 39.3 percent from the field as a team. Hood leads the way shooting 49.5 percent from the field so far this season. Henderson has shown his range, hitting 38.9 percent of his triples to lead the Coyotes.

Bellevue University won its last time out against Briar Cliff University 75-72, improving to 14-2 on the season. The Bruins are averaging 72.1 points per contest while holding their opponents to 62.3 a game. Bellevue has held teams to under 43 percent shooting on the season at 42.7 percent while making just a hair over 50 percent on the offensive end at 50.1.

Klaye Rowe leads the Bruin offense at 16.4 points per game helped in part by a 24-point performance in a win over Briar Cliff last Saturday. Rowe shoots 54 percent from the field and 67 percent from the charity stripe. He also leads the team at 8.0 boards per contest. John Gray averages 12.7 per game shooting 53 percent from the floor and a team-best 79.7 percent (47-of-59) from the free throw line. Tyler Tomasek is the other Bruin player to average in double-digits at 10.1 points and second on the team at 4.2 rebounds.

After this final non-conference tune-up, Wesleyan jumps into KCAC action at home against Bethel on Thursday, January 10. The Coyotes then are back on the road at Saint Mary one week from tomorrow, before hosting two straight against Sterling on January 16 and Friends on January 19.

-- KWU SI --