NORTH NEWTON - Kansas Wesleyan Women's Basketball completed an undefeated run through the Bethel College Classic on Friday as the Coyotes defeated the Central Methodist University Eagles 65-56 at Thresher Gym.
The victory improves KWU's record to 2-1 overall and snaps a three-game losing streak to CMU in the all-time series.
After a slow start in the first quarter, the Coyotes settled inn shooting 50 percent from the field over the last three quarters (19 of 38), finishing 25 of 61 for the game for 41 percent.
The Coyotes scored the first eight points of the game to lead and led 11-2 with 6:01 left on a 3-pointer by Odessa Ozuna, but CMU came back and tied it at 11 on a 9-0 run with 3:46 left in the quarter.
Raegann McDonald's free throws at the end of the first quarter gave the Coyotes a 15-13 lead.
CMU took a brief lead to start the second but a triple off the hand of Jadyn Mangan got the Coyotes up 18-17 with 8:43 left in the quarter.
The lead bounced back and forth with the Coyotes leading 22-21 with 3:22 to go on Katrina Schutz's bucket that sparked a 7-0 run to give KWU a 27-21 lead with 2:09 to go.
A bucket by Annie Dawson put the Coyotes up eight at 31-23 with 1:18 left and the Coyotes would take a 33-27 lead into intermission.
KWU pushed the lead out to 41-31 with 5:39 left in the third on a bucket by Anna Jueneman and a score by Mangan with 3:55 left put the Coyotes up 45-31. CMU answered back getting within five at 48-43, but Ozuna's bucket right at the end of the quarter put the Coyotes up 50-43.
CMU got within three with 6:36 left in the game, but a 6-0 run by the Coyotes, all six points coming from Jueneman made it 59-50 with 5:32 to go. Jueneman's rebound and stickback with 2:33 left put the Coyotes up 10 again at 63-53 and her final bucket with 1:17 left gave the Coyotes the final score margin.
Jueneman paced the Coyotes with a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Schutz got her first double-double as a Coyote with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Ozuna added 12 points and five assists. Izzy McCool had five assists and six points.
The Coyotes were able to turn 20 CMU turnovers into 25 points and outrebounded the Eagles 37-35.