Kansas Wesleyan Women's Basketball had a chance at a game-tying bucket, but Jocelyn Hall's jumper as time expired bounced off the rim and the Friends Falcons held on for a 64-62 win on Saturday at Mabee Arena.
The Coyotes had tied it at 62 with 1:05 to go on a pair of free throws by Emma Gertken, but Friends was able to run the clock down, getting a bucket by Abigail Barr with 3.1 seconds left to take a 64-62 lead.
After a KWU timeout, the Coyotes inbounded to Hall whose shot just missed falling home.
"I think that we played really hard and we did a lot of the things that we prepared for, but it just came down to that last second shot," Wesleyan head coach Harper Taylor said on the post-game radio show. "We did everything we could, but we just needed to make one more bucket."
The game was nip and tuck all night. Friends led 51-46 after three quarters and led by six, 54-48, with 9:11 left, but the Coyotes came back on five straight points by Madison Lambert and a bucket by Anna Jueneman gave the Coyotes a 55-54 lead with 6:55 to go. After Friends tied it, Izzy McCool's free throws gave KWU a 57-55 lead with 5:14 to go. A bucket by Jueneman with 4:32 left gave the Coyotes a 59-55 lead.
Five straight points by Friends gave the Falcons a 60-59 lead but a Hall free throw tied it with 2:02 to go.
"We are still trying to work through a lot of things and find our identity as a young team," Taylor said. "I know these close games now are going to pay off when it comes to the playoffs."
Wesleyan jumped out to a 10-5 lead to start the game, but Friends came back and took a 12-10 lead. The Coyotes would take a 15-12 lead on a 3-pointer by Maile Hrabe, but Friends again tied it.
After free throws by Odessa Ozuna game the Coyotes a 17-15 lead, back-to-back steals and buckets by Jueneman gave the Coyotes a 21-15 lead with 1:35 left in the quarter. KWU led 22-16 after one.
"To watch Anna thrive on the court has really been a joy, it's been awesome," Taylor said.
Jueneman gave the Coyotes a 25-17 lead in the second, but Friends turned up the defensive pressure, holding the Coyotes scoreless for nearly seven minutes while taking a 27-25 lead. Jueneman's 3-pointer as time expired in the half gave the Coyotes a 30-29 lead at intermission.
Jueneman had 19 to lead the Coyotes, and was the only player in double figures for KWU. The Coyotes shot 38.9 percent from the field (21 of 54). McCool had nine and Hall had eight.
Friends got 20 from Rayland Garner and 13 from Barr.