[Men's Basketball] Men's Basketball closes regular season in meeting with the Swedes Saturday
The Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes end the regular season with a Kansas Conference game against rival Bethany on Saturday. Tip-off is approximately 7 p.m. in Mabee Arena. KWU won the first contest 95-87 in double overtime Jan. 7 in Lindsborg. James Brooks (JR/Cherokee, Kan.) scored 38 points and Jordan McNelly (JR/Salina, Kan,) 21 for the Coyotes. Lavarius Duncan and Tyler Larkin each had 25 for Bethany.
ACTIVITIES AND PROMOTIONS
It's a PURPLE OUT. KWU fans are asked to don purple to show support for the Coyotes. It's Senior Day inside Mabee Arena. Wesleyan will be honoring its 2019 seniors in between the two basketball games. Also all seniors over 55 can receive free admission to the game. Nex-Tech Wireless is Saturday's official game day sponsor. Also up for grabs is another point in the First Bank Kansas Smoky Hill Showdown which KWU currently leads 14-4
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
KWU is 17-10 overall, 15-8 in the conference, and will be the No. 4 seed in next week's KCAC tournament that starts on Wednesday. The Coyotes' six-game winning streak ended Wednesday in a 56-51 loss at York. They shot 25 percent from the field the second half (9 of 36) and were outscored 15-2 from the free throw line for the game (York shot 20 free throws and KWU four). Marquis Kraemer (SO/Aurora, Colo.) led the way with 15 points.
Brooks leads the Coyotes and is seventh in scoring in the KCAC at 16.6 points per game. He leads the conference in made 3-pointers (89) and is shooting 40.8 percent beyond the arc (fifth in the KCAC). Kraemer averages 10.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and is third in steals in the KCAC (1.7). McNelly averages 10.0 points and 5.9 rebounds while A.J. Range averages 8.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and is shooting 63 percent from the field.
The Coyotes have moved atop the KCAC in scoring defense at 68.7 points per game and are third in field goal percentage defense (42.3). They lead the conference in creating turnovers (15.7) and steals per game (8.3) and are third in rebounding margin (plus 3.5).
Offensively, KWU ranks 12th in the conference (73.6), seventh in 3-point field goal percentage (34.3), eighth in field goal percentage (44.6) and ninth in assists per game (13.4). The Coyotes average 14.0 turnovers per outing.
BETHANY AT A GLANCE
The Swedes are 15-14 overall, 11-12 in the KCAC, and tied for seventh with York, which plays at Tabor on Saturday. Bethany has won two in a row and three of four, including a 64-58 victory over Saint Mary on Wednesday in Lindsborg.
Duncan's fifth in scoring in the KCAC (19.3), second in rebounding (9.9) and third in field goal percentage (57.1). Larkin's sixth in scoring (18.5), tied for 10th in field goal percentage (46.0), second in steals per game (1.7), third in assists (4.4) and averages 6.7 rebounds. Isiah Saenz averages 12.1 points and has a team-best 52 3-pointers. He didn't play in the first game.
The Swedes rank sixth in scoring (78.5 points), ninth in field goal percentage (43.8) and 13th in 3-point field goal percentage (30.0). They commit 12.9 turnovers per game (create 12.8) and are seventh in assists (14.4). Defensively, they're seventh in scoring (79.7 points), seventh in field goal percentage (44.2) and sixth in 3-point field goal percentage (34.4). They rank fifth in rebounding margin (plus 2.3) and ninth in steals per game (6.5).