Sterling women get past Coyotes 67-63
By: David Toelle, KWU Sports Information

Sterling scored its last five points from the free throw line as the Warriors knocked off Kansas Wesleyan 67-63 on Wednesday night at Muir Gym.

The Coyotes jumped out to an early lead in the game, by as many as five points at the 17:06 mark when Charressa Gray’s three made it 9-4.

Sterling would fight back, getting within one at 9-8 with 15:59 to go on free throws from Britany Gasper.

The Coyotes answer back on the heels on an 11-3 run to take their biggest lead of the night at 20-11 with 13:29 to play in the first half on a three from Khristy Santee via a Gray pass.

After a Jacci Tinkel three would cut Wesleyan’s lead to six, the Coyotes would reel off four straight points capped by a Santee bucket to take a ten-point advantage, 30-20 with 5:52 to go.

Sterling would answer back, using an 11-0 run over the next four and a half minutes to take its first lead of the game at 31-30 with 1:37 to go in the half. The run was capped by four points from Ashley Kraft.

Kaylaen Dittmer would hit a three with 1:16 left to give Wesleyan the lead back at 33-31, which would carry over into the half.

LaCole Wilkinson would give Wesleyan its biggest lead in the second half at 39-33 with 17:24 to go on a pair of free throws, but a 7-0 Warrior run would erase the Coyote lead with 15:00 to go in the game.

Tierra Baldwin would give Wesleyan the lead back at 41-40 with 13:39 to go, marking Wesleyan’s last lead, as the Warriors would answer with six unanswered to take a 46-41 lead with 11:48 to go on a Britany Gasper bucket.

Sterling (8-7, 5-1) would push its lead out to six on Hilary Stucky’s free throw with 8:16 left, but the Coyotes would rally, tying things up at 55-all on a Jennie Vopat score with 5:57 left, forcing a Sterling timeout.

Wesleyan (4-12, 1-5) would keep it close, never going down by more than five points, but could not force Sterling into missed free throw chances at the end as the Warriors would come away with the 67-63 win.

Gray would lead the Coyotes with 20 points, while Baldwin added 14 and Dittmer had ten as Wesleyan was 22-of-51 from the field for 43.1 percent in the game, but struggled again from behind the arc, hitting just four of its 17 long range shots. Baldwin and Gray each had seven rebounds to lead the Coyotes, who won the rebounding battle 34-28.

Stucky and Britany Gasper led Sterling with 23 and 22 points respectively, as the Warriors were 20-of-49 from the field for 40.8 percent. Sterling also struggled from long range, going 3-of-11 from three point range. Gasper added eight rebounds to lead the Warriors.

Wesleyan is off until Saturday when they host Friends at 5 p.m., before having back to back road contests on Monday at McPherson and next Thursday at Tabor in Hillsboro.

-- KWU SI --