Playoff basketball returns to Mabee Arena on Thursday as the KCAC Regular Season Champion and No. 1 seeded Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes host No. 8 seed University of Saint Mary Spires at 7 p.m.
TICKETS
All tickets must be purchased in advance on the KCAC ticketing portal: https://kcacsports.com/sports/2023/1/6/tickets.aspx. KWU will have staff at the entry gates to assist fans with purchasing tickets through the KCAC ticketing portal, but there will be no cash sales and no point-of-sale ticket sales on site. KWU regular season passes will not be accepted at the event.
GAME COVERAGE
The games will be streamed live on the Coyote Sports Network, part of the KCAC Digital Network at www.kcacnetwork.com/kansaswesleyan
An audio-only broadcast of the game will be available online at salinapost.com, by listening live to KINA Radio. The Voice of the Coyotes Tyler Henry and Russ Cossel will have the call of the game with Coyote Pregame Live starting at 6:30 p.m. The game can also be heard locally on KINA AM 910 and simulcast on 107.5 FM.
Live Stats will be available as well, at www.kwucoyotes.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
THE MATCH-UP
KWU and Saint Mary split the regular season meetings, each winning on the opponent's home floor. KWU won 66-54 on December 14 in Leavenworth, and USM won 75-70 on February 1 in Salina.
The teams last met in the KCAC tournament on February 19, 2007, as KWU picked up a 91-45 win in the game.
In the last meeting, Summer Wieneke scored 16 points off the bench for the Spires to lead Saint Mary to the win. USM held KWU to 3 of 20 shooting in the first quarter and 3 of 18 shooting in the fourth. Hampton Williams had a game-high 18 points and eight rebounds for the Coyotes in the game.
In December in Leavenworth, KWU got 15 points and 12 rebounds from Williams while Angel Lee had 11 as KWU overcame a 25.9 percent shooting night, hitting 33 of 48 free throws to come away with the 12-point win.
In the all-time series, KWU leads Saint Mary 33-19.
THE COYOTES
Kansas Wesleyan enters the KCAC tournament with a 22-6 overall record and finished KCAC play 18-4 overall. KWU averages 75.8 points per game while holding opponents to 63.3. KWU shoots 44 percent from the field as a team, 34.5 percent from 3-point range and 72.3 percent from the free throw line. KWU's opponents shoot 38.3 percent from the field, 24.8 percent from 3-point range and 67.7 percent at the line. The Coyotes average 39.6 rebounds per game, outrebounding opponents by 5.6 per game.
KWU has five players averaging 9.0 points per game or better on the season led by LaMyah Ricks averaging 12.0 points per game. Hampton Williams leads the Coyotes in rebounding at 7.3 per game.
KWU ranks second in the KCAC in scoring offense, and second in scoring defense. KWU leads the KCAC in defensive 3-point percentage and ranks 13th in the NAIA. Ricks ranks 18th in the KCAC in scoring average, and Williams ranks seventh in the KCAC in rebounding average.
This season marks only the second time in program history KWU has won the KCAC Championship outright, the other time coming in 2019-20 under Coach Ryan Showman. KWU was Co-Champions in 1987-88, 2008-09, and 2010-11.
Showman was named as the Lonnie Kruse KCAC Women's Basketball Coach of the Year headlining KWU's All-KCAC picks this season. LaMyah Ricks was named to the All-KCAC First Team, Angel Lee and Hampton Williams were named to the All-KCAC Third Team, and Jill Stephens was named to the Honorable Mention team. Ricks also earned a spot on the All-Defensive Team.
THE SPIRES
Saint Mary is 13-15 overall and finished KCAC play with a 12-10 record. Saint Mary averages 70 points per game while shooting 38.7 percent from the field, 30.9 percent from 3-point range and 72 percent from the free throw line. The Spires average 39.6 rebounds per game.
Alanis Delgado leads the Spires averaging 15.5 points per game. Addison Schletzbaum leads the Spires in rebounding averaging 7.6 per contest.
Alanis Delgado was named to the All-KCAC Second Team and Addison Schletzbaum was named Honorable Mention. Addison Tower was named to the All-Freshman team.
THE KCAC TOURNAMENT
All quarterfinal match-ups will be played Thursday night at the home site of the higher seeded team.In the other three quarterfinals No. 4 seed Bethel hosts No. 5 Friends, No. 3 Evangel hosts No. 6 Sterling, and No. 2 seed Tabor hosts No. 7 seed Bethany.
On Saturday will be the semifinals with games starting at 7 p.m. The KWU vs Saint Mary winner will get the winner of the Bethel vs Friends game. The winner between Tabor vs Bethany and Evangel vs Sterling will meet in the other semifinal. Both semifinal games will be played at the higher seeded team.
New this year, there will be no Park City Arena for the KCAC Championship. KCAC officials decided to make the change in the tournament and move the championship games back to the home site of the higher seeded team. The KCAC Championship will be played on Tuesday, March 4 staring at 7 p.m.
The winner of the KCAC Tournament receives an automatic berth to the NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship. The second automatic berth to the NAIA Championships goes to the highest remaining seed in the KCAC tournament, regardless of tournament finish, meant to protect the regular season champion, should it lose during the tournament. If the KCAC regular season champion wins the tournament, the No. 2 seed in the tournament receives the second berth, regardless of tournament finish.
NATIONALS