KWU Athletics
The Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes aren't ready for their season to end and Cory Kaplan is doing his best to see it doesn't.
Kaplan unleashed a spectacular shooting display Tuesday night, making 10 of 11 shots that included 6 of 7 from beyond the 3-point arc and finished with a season-high 26 points. Three others also scored in double figures as KWU took control at the outset and cruised to a 102-59 victory over Tabor in the first round of the Kansas Conference Tournament inside Mabee Arena.
The fifth-seeded Coyotes, who won for the seventh time in nine games, advance to Thursday's quarterfinals and a game against fourth-seeded Ottawa at 7 p.m. in Ottawa. The Braves (21-10) defeated Sterling 93-70 Tuesday.
Leading 16-10 Wesleyan went on a 17-0 run and led 33-10 with 8:49 left in the half. Kaplan scored 15 in the first 10½ minutes of the game and propelled the Coyotes to a 46-23 halftime lead.
Intermission did nothing to cool off him as he opened the second half with three consecutive 3-pointers – KWU's first five field goals of the half were from beyond the 3-point arc.
The Coyotes were a dazzling 16 of 26 from deep for the game (61.5 percent) and 38 of 63 overall (60.3 percent).
"I just got good looks, my teammates were finding me when I was open so I got a thing going," Kaplan said. "I got in the gym a couple of times today and it paid off."
Kaplan said he and his teammates are playing with a sense of urgency.
"Winning or going home definitely put something in all of our heads," he said. "Obviously we don't want the season to be over so we're all just going as hard as we can and finish as strong as we can."
"Cory really got us going early and sparked us," KWU coach Anthony Monson said. "I thought we moved the ball well, I thought we got great shots and we were just locked in and focused from the start. I thought we just did a really good job of finding a rhythm and staying in a rhythm.
"We had a great warm-up and the guys were ready to go. It's tournament time and that's how we responded in the first game."
Alex Littlejohn also had a big game finishing with 16 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
"He's ultra-talented," Monson said. "Other than the freshman at Oklahoma Wesleyan (Derrick Talton Jr.) he's the best freshman in the league. He plays meaningful minutes and he can do things in so many different ways. He's getting comfortable, he's got confidence and he believes in himself."
CJ Weathers added 13 points and Jun Murdock 10 as 12 Coyotes scored in the game.
KWU outrebounded Tabor by a whopping 43-22 margin and had 15 second chance points off of 11 offensive rebounds.
"We did a good job on the glass," Monson said. "We just kind of beat them up."
Defense was a factor too, according to Monson. Tabor shot 39 percent (22 of 56), 5 of 13 from the perimeter and had 18 turnovers that led to 29 Coyote points. James Aboaba led the Bluejays (8-20) with 15 points.
"The defense takes the pressure off the offensive end," Monson said. "Basketball's always a game of adjustments and we adjusted a few things. We hadn't been guarding very well, we gave way too many 3-point shots. We needed something to jumpstart us and make things a little bit tougher for people."
KWU and Ottawa split during the regular season, each winning at home.
"We have to get stops on the defensive end for sure, they're all athletic and can shoot," Kaplan said of the Braves. "We definitely have to focus on the defensive end."
"They're going to be ready to go too," Monson said. "The game is going to mean a lot for both teams and we just need to find a way to be one point better."