[Men's Basketball] Men's Basketball goes for fifth-straight win Wednesday at Bethel
The Kansas Wesleyan men's basketball team plays Kansas Conference foe Bethel at 8 p.m. Wednesday in North Newton. Bethel defeated Wesleyan 65-60 on Dec. 15 in Mabee Arena. Darius Hammond (SO/Dallas, Texas) had 19 points, James Brooks (JR/Cherokee, Kan.) 14 and Marquis Kraemer (SO/Aurora, Colo.) 13 for the Coyotes. Jordan McNelly (JR/Salina, Kan,) and A.J. Range didn't play for the Coyotes. Jaylon Scott and Kiesean Weiher each had 18 for Bethel.
LIVE COVERAGE
The game will be available online through the Coyote Sports Network, powered by Stretch Internet, portal.stretchinternet.com/kwu. Live Stats will be available on the Stretch portal and on DakStats at www.dakstats.com/naia. Radio coverage will be on FM 104.9 in the Salina area and around the world at www.ksal.com. Pat Strathman will have the call with pregame following the women's contest.
KANSAS WESLEYAN AT A GLANCE
The Coyotes are 15-9 overall and 13-7 in conference play. They're fourth in the standings, one game ahead of Ottawa (12-8) and two games behind Friends (15-6). KWU upset then-No. 20 Friends 72-67 Saturday at Mabee Arena, fueled by another gritty defensive effort. The Falcons entered the game averaging 90.7 points. Brooks was named the KCAC Player of the Week for his efforts in two wins last week and McNelly was named the KCAC Defensive Player of the Week for his work against Ottawa's Isaiah Palmer on Wednesday and Friends' Jordan Murdock on Saturday. Murdock had 22 points against KWU, seven below his average.
Wesleyan ranks second in the KCAC in scoring defense (69.5 points) and field goal percentage defense (42.3 percent), leads the conference in 3-point shooting percentage defense (29.6) and steals (8.5 per game) and is third in turnover margin (1.8) while forcing a KCAC-best 15.9 turnovers per game. Offensively, they rank 11th in scoring (74.5) and seventh in field goal percentage (45.0), but are outscoring opposing teams by an average of 5.1 points per game, thanks to their defensive work.
Individually, Brooks is seventh in scoring in the KCAC at 16.5 points per game. He leads the conference in 3-pointers made (78), is tied for sixth in 3-point shooting percentage (41.3) and is shooting 46.7 percent overall (ninth in the KCAC). McNelly averages 10.3 points and 6.0 rebounds; Kraemer 10.1 points, 3.4 assists and is second in the KCAC in steals (1.7). Brayden White (SO/Topeka, Kan.)'s fifth in steals (1.50). Range averages 8.4 points, a team-best 6.4 rebounds and is shooting 63.7 percent. Ithello Cross (SR/Gainesville, Ga.) is shooting 61.8 percent and averages 5.2 points. Hammond has missed the last four games with an ankle injury.
BETHEL AT A GLANCE
The Threshers are 13-13 overall, 8-12 in the KCAC, and are scrambling to stay in the hunt for a berth in the conference's postseason tournament. They lost at Ottawa 81-70 on Saturday – their fifth consecutive setback, three of them at home.
Bethel's also solid defensively, ranking fourth in the conference in scoring (76.6 points) and third in field goal percentage (42.4). The Threshers are eighth in scoring (76.7), 12th in field goal percentage (42.1) and fourth in turnover margin (0.4). They're averaging 14.5 turnovers per game and forcing 14.1. They rank ninth in rebound margin (-0.1).
Dakota Foster, who didn't play against KWU in the first game, leads Bethel in scoring (17.1) and is shooting 39.1 percent from 3-point range. Scott, a 6-4 freshman guard, averages 13.5 points, leads the KCAC in rebounding (10.2), steals (1.9) and is fourth in blocks (1.1). Weiher averages 11.9 points and Poe Bryant 10.4 points and 5.7 rebounds.