[Women's Basketball] Women's Basketball hosts rival Swedes in regular season finale
The No. 18-ranked Coyotes play Kansas Conference rival Bethany in their regular season finale on Saturday. Tip-off is 5 p.m. at Mabee Arena.
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, at 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 starting at 4:45 p.m.
KANSAS WESLEYAN AT A GLANCE
KWU enters the game with a 20-9 overall record, 18-5 in the KCAC, and will be the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament that begins next Thursday. The Coyotes defeated York 82-60 Wednesday in York, Neb. Courtney Heinen (JR/Axtell, Kan.) led a balanced attack with 15 points while Amanda Hill (SO/Rossville, Kan.) had 13 and Gabbie Miller (SR/Kiefer, Okla.) 12. KWU broke the game open in the third quarter, outscoring the Panthers 26-12 after leading 43-31 at halftime.
Two Coyotes have double figure scoring averages – Kayla Kivinski (SR/Port Richey, Fla.) at 12.3 and Heinen at 10.1. Five others average at least 7.4 points – Sydney Mortensen (SR/Wichita, Kan.) 9.3, Haleigh Bradford (JR/Schertz, Texas) 8.6, Hill 8.0, Virja Lewis (SO/Kansas City, Kan.) 7.5 and Miller 7.4. Mortensen's shooting 41.8 percent from 3-point range (third in the KCAC) and is second in made 3-pointers with 66, two behind Bethany's Kelsi Mueller. Lewis is sixth in rebounding in the conference (7.5 per game) and Miller 14th (5.5). Miller also ranks third in steals per game (2.3) and fifth in assists (3.0).
The Coyotes are second in scoring the KCAC at 74.8 points per game; Sterling's first at 78.3. KWU's second in 3-point shooting percentage (33.7), second in assists per game (13.2) and third in field goal percentage (41.5).
Defensively, Wesleyan ranks eights in scoring (64.1), seventh in 3-point field goal percentage (28.7) and 11th in overall field goal percentage (39.8). They Coyotes are second in steals per game (10.9) and third in creating turnovers (20.2). They're also third in rebounding margin (plus 2.8).
BETHANY AT A GLANCE
The Swedes are 17-12 overall, 13-10 in the KCAC, and riding a four-game winning streak, including a 59-58 victory over Saint Mary on Wednesday in Lindsborg. They're tied for fifth with Oklahoma Wesleyan at 13-10; OKWU plays Southwestern on Saturday.
Mueller's the team's top scorer with an 11.8 average, but is averaging 18.5 points and has 17 3-pointers in the last four games. She's shooting 37.2 percent from beyond the arc for the season and also averages 4.2 rebounds. Sena Aktas is second in scoring (8.7) and is the top rebounder (5.2). Bethany has gotten a boost of late from freshman center Hannah Ferguson, who is averaging 8.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in the last six games. She scored the game-winning basket at the buzzer in the victory Wednesday.
The Swedes are ninth in scoring in the KCAC (61.8), third in 3-point shooting (31.5 percent) and eighth in overall field goal percentage (37.0). Bethany leads the KCAC in defensive field goal percentage (35.0), ranks third in scoring defense (60.7 points) and third in 3-point field goal percentage defense (26 percent). The Swedes are fourth in rebounding margin (plus 2.5), but commit an average of 18.1 turnovers a game while forcing 15.4.