Coyotes ready to jump back into KCAC action
By: David Toelle, KWU Sports Information

After wrapping up the non-conference portion of the schedule over Christmas Break, the Kansas Wesleyan men’s and women’s basketball teams are ready to get back into Kansas Conference play this week.

Things get started on Thursday when the Coyotes host Bethel inside Muir Gymnasium. The women will tip at 6 p.m., followed by the men at approximately 8. The Coyotes then head to Leavenworth on Saturday to take on Saint Mary at the Ryan Sports Center, with tipoff for the women scheduled for 5 p.m., and the men to follow.

WOMEN’S WEEKLY PREVIEW

The Kansas Wesleyan women wrapped up non-conference play with a pair of games in Point Lookout, Mo., in the Subway CAM-JAM Classic hosted by College of the Ozarks on January 4 and 5.

In the opening contest, the Coyote women faced Central Baptist (Ark.), coming away with a 68-50 win to break a five-game losing skid. Senior guard Charressa Gray led the Coyotes with a team season high 24 points, and added seven rebounds. Freshman LaCole Wilkinson added 10 points and six rebounds in the effort. Wesleyan stepped up its defensive pressure, holding the Lady Mustangs to 50 points, a season low this year for KWU opponents, and held them to just 26.2 percent shooting for the game.

On Saturday against Ozarks, the No.1 ranked team in NAIA Division II, the Coyotes started out strong, staying within two of the Bobcats with 12 minutes to go in the first half before a decisive 17-3 run would blow the game wide open. Ozarks would get the 75-51 win in the game. Wilkinson shared game high honors with two Ozarks players with 15 points, while Khristy Santee added 14 in the losing effort.

The KWU women are 3-10 overall, and 0-3 in KCAC play to this point in the season. Emily Luckeroth continues to lead the Coyotes in scoring at 11.8 and is the only player in double figure scoring. The Coyotes are averaging 62.8 points per game, and the scoring is distributed well, with six active players averaging seven points or better per game. However, the Coyotes are giving up an average of 68.7 points per game.

Wesleyan also averages 34.5 rebounds per game, but allows 39.2 rebounds per game by its opponents. The Coyotes are led by Tierra Baldwin, averaging 6.15 boards per game, while Kaylaen Dittmer pulls down 4.54 per game.

Shooting the ball, the Coyotes are fairly better in away games, shooting 43.2 percent from the field in seven games, but are just 39.8 percent in five neutral site games. In its lone home game of the year on December 15, Wesleyan shot 46.5 percent in an eight point loss to Mount Marty (S.D.), in the team’s last action before the Break.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS – BETHEL AND SAINT MARY

BETHEL COLLEGE THRESHERS (8-5, 2-2)

Bethel heads into Thursday’s match up with the Coyotes with an 8-5 overall record, and 2-2 in the KCAC after Monday night’s 66-58 loss to Southwestern in a make-up contest from December 8.

Amanda Hiebert leads the Threshers, averaging 15 points per game while Angela Wood adds 11.7 per game, and Hannah Blackburn pitches in ten per game. Blackburn leads Bethel on the boards, averaging 7.3 per game, while Hiebert comes into the game averaging 6.3 per contest.

Overall, Bethel shoots 40.6 percent from the field while averaging 65.7 points per game. The Threshers are also pulling down 37.1 boards per game. Turnovers are an early concern for the Threshers, as they are averaging more than twice as many turnovers (22.75) as assists per game (10.25). Bethel’s opponents are shooting 38.8 percent from the field on the season, while scoring 63.3 points per game. Bethel’s opponents are pulling down 35.5 rebounds per game.

SAINT MARY SPIRES (5-6, 0-3)

Saint Mary heads into Saturday’s contest with a 5-6 record overall record so far in 2007-08. The Spires are 0-3 in the KCAC before their Thursday night matchup with McPherson.

Lacy Leonard leads the Spires, scoring 15.9 points per game through 11 games this season. She also spends a lot of time on the floor, averaging just over 31 minutes of playing time per game. Liz Gillespie adds 7.5 points per game, while Addie Heim adds another 7.4 for the Spires. Leonard also leads the Spires in rebounding at 7.8 per game, while Janae Garcia adds an impressive 7.3 per game.

As a team, Saint Mary is shooting 37.5 percent from the field and 31.4 percent from three point range. The Spires are struggling from the line, only connecting on 63 percent of their foul shots. The Spires are averaging 56.6 points per game through 11 games this season. The Spires are dominating the boards so far this season, outrebounding their opponents 39.6 to 27.5 per game, a 12.1 per game rebounding margin. The Spires allow a KCAC best 55.9 points per game, while allowing their opponents to shoot 42 percent from the field, but are holding other teams to just 28.1 percent from long range.

MEN’S WEEKLY PREVIEW

After playing its first 11 games on the road or on neutral courts, the Kansas Wesleyan men wrapped up the non-conference portion of its schedule on January 5 with a 65-46 loss to No.14 ranked Bellevue (Neb.) in the home opener for the Coyotes at Muir Gym. Wesleyan is currently 4-8 overall and 2-1 in KCAC play.

The Coyotes were within four with 6:21 to go in the first half, when Bellevue would blow the game open with a 12-2 run to end the half and take a big lead into the break.

The Bellevue game was the second straight contest without the services of three key players for the Coyotes, who are sidelined with eligibility issues. Wesleyan does expect leading scorer Trey Sims to return to the floor for the games this week. His 18-plus points per game will be welcome relief for the Coyote offense that has averaged just 45 points in the two games that he has missed since the Break.

Sims continues to lead the Coyotes in scoring at 18.4 points per game, while Romero Hood adds 10.7 per game and Mychal Henderson adds 11.7 per game. Eric Hammond, who joined the Coyotes after missing the first semester, has averaged 12 per game in his two games so far this season. On the glass, the Coyotes spread the wealth. Five Coyotes are averaging at least 3.5 rebounds per game through 12 games, led by Henderson at 4.58 a game.

Kansas Wesleyan enters the week shooting 37.7 percent as a team, led by Hood’s 47.7 percent clip from the field. The Coyotes are scoring 63.3 points per game through 12 games played. Wesleyan is also pulling down 31.9 rebounds per game.

The Coyotes’ opponents are shooting 46.5 percent so far this season while averaging 70.7 points per game. Wesleyan is also giving up 39.9 rebounds per game, eight more than they are getting themselves.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS -- BETHEL AND SAINT MARY

BETHEL COLLEGE THRESHERS (4-9, 1-3)

Bethel College enters Thursday’s game with a 4-9 overall record, and 1-3 in the KCAC. The Thresher’s most recent action was Monday when they traveled to Southwestern to make up the game postponed from December 8, dropping the contest 69-55 to the Moundbuilders.

Bethel is led by only two players scoring double figures in Tyler Peachey at 12.7 and Jordan Regehr at 10.6 per game. Bethel has a strong rotation of players, with ten players averaging 15 or more minutes per game. Peachey also leads the Threshers in rebounding, pulling down 5.2 per game, while Matt Regier is averaging 4.8 per game in just four games of action.

As a team, the Threshers shoot 42.5 percent from the field, and are connecting on 35.8 percent of their shots from long range while scoring 71.1 points per game. Bethel also averages 32.8 rebounds per game.

Bethel’s opponents are shooting 47.1 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from three point range while averaging 74 points per game. Bethel’s opponents are also pulling down 36.9 rebounds per game.

SAINT MARY SPIRES (2-10, 0-3)

Saint Mary enters the week 2-10 overall and 0-3 in KCAC Play. The Spires face McPherson on Saturday before hosting the Coyotes on Saturday. The Spires opened the season 0-6, before picking up a one-point win over Baker (Kan.) on November 27. The Spires were last in action on January 4, when the dropped a 77-61 decision to William Woods (Mo.) in Leavenworth.

Winston Frazier leads the Spires in scoring at 12.3 points per game and D’Mario Newton adds 10.8 per game. Newton leads Saint Mary on the boards with 5.4 per game while Kamrik Lamont added 4.6 per game.

As a team, Saint Mary shoots 37.6 percent from the field while scoring a KCAC-worst 52.4 points per game. The Spires are connecting on just 27.4 percent of their shots from three, and a paltry 60.8 percent at the free throw line. Saint Mary pulls down 31.5 rebounds a game.

Saint Mary’s opponents are shooting nearly 50 percent from the field, at 48.6 percent per game, while scoring 72.0 points per game. The Spires’ opponents are also connecting 40.6 percent of their three point shots. Saint Mary is allowing 72 points per game in its 12 games.

Following this week’s games, Wesleyan plays six of its next seven at home starting off on Wednesday, January 16, hosting Sterling inside Muir Gym. The Women will tip off at 6 p.m., followed by the men at around 8. KWU then hosts Friends on Saturday, January 19, with the women tip scheduled for 5 p.m., and the men at around 7 p.m.

-- KWU SI --