Late rally not enough as KWU falls to Mount Marty
By: David Toelle, KWU Sports Information

Finally Kansas Wesleyan’s Women’s Basketball team got to play a home game. However, the home opener did not go the way the Coyotes had hoped as Mount Marty (S.D.) held on for a 70-62 win at Muir Gym on Saturday.

Kelli Berg got Wesleyan out to a 2-0 lead, but the Lancers would hit a three by Emily Witte to take back the lead with 18:32 left.

Kaylaen Dittmer would push the Coyote lead back out to three on a bucket at 6-3 with 15:52 left. Mount Marty would then answer with a 16-0 run over the next six minutes to take a 19-6 lead with 9:56 to go in the first half.

After trading baskets, the Lancers would push out to a 14-point lead on a three from Carrie Ahlers with 7:30 left.

Emily Luckeroth would score with 3:57 left to cut the Mount Marty lead to 11 at 29-18, but the Lancers would close the half with an 11-4 run to take a 40-22 lead into the break.

Witte would hit a bucket with 14:04 to go in the second half to give Mount Marty (5-6) a 26-point advantage at 50-24, when the Coyotes would crawl their way back into it.

Luckeroth would convert three free throws after being fouled behind the arc to spark the rally, and Khristy Santee would score with 12:25 left to cut the lead to 20 with 12:25 left at 50-30.

After both teams traded a couple baskets, Santee would hit a pair of free throws to get the lead under 20, and spark a 16-6 KWU run that would see the lead cut to just nine with 4:55 to go on a Baldwin score.

Luckeroth would cut the lead to six at 62-56 with 2:41 left with a triple, but the Lancers would get seven unanswered points to retake a 13-point lead with 1:32 left at 69-56.

Wesleyan (2-8) would get a couple late steals and buckets to get back within single digits, but it was not enough as the Lancers would win 70-62.

Luckeroth led the Coyotes with 20 points, while Baldwin had ten and Santee, in her first action of the season added ten as well. Wesleyan was 40 percent from the field on 22-of-55 shooting, but again struggled from long range, going just 2-of-12 from behind the arc.
Charressa Gray came off the bench to lead the Coyotes with six rebounds, while Dittmer added five.

Cassie Iverson would lead Mount Marty with 16, while Dana Marquardt and Witte would have ten each. The Lancers were 28-of-58 from the field for 48.3 percent. Amber Marsden led Mount Marty with 14 rebounds as the Lancers easily controlled the rebounding advantage 42-28.

Next up for KWU is a game at Rogers State (Okla.) on December 29 at 2 p.m., in Claremore. The Coyotes then play in the Subway CAM JAM at College of the Ozarks (Mo.) on January 4 and 5, before returning to KCAC play on January 10 at home against Bethel College.

-- KWU SI --