Kansas Wesleyan Athletics
A glance at the final statistics trumpeted the fact Easton Hunter (FR/Colwich, Kan.) is feeling better. Much better.
Hampered in recent weeks by a groin injury he tried to persevere but finally had to take time off and missed Kansas Wesleyan's game at Saint Mary last Thursday in Leavenworth – a 72-69 loss.
Hunter was back in the starting lineup against Avila on Wednesday and it didn't take long for him demonstrate how he's feeling. He scored 11 points the first half then exploded in the second, making five 3-pointers and scoring 19 in leading KWU to an 85-57 Kansas Conference rout of the Eagles inside Mabee Arena.
The 30 points were career high for Hunter, who was 11 of 16 from the field, including 8 of 13 from beyond the 3-point arc in 28 minutes of play.
"I definitely felt my legs this game," Hunter said. "The legs are a big thing in basketball, it's crazy to think about it but you definitely need them."
Hunter said scoring was easier than it had been in a while.
"The basket sure looked pretty big tonight," he said.
Asked if the Grand Canyon was a fair comparison he replied "Yeah, about that size."
"You could see tonight that Easton was moving differently than he had moved in a long, long time," KWU coach Anthony Monson said. "That's the Easton we remember and that's what we need out of him. We need him to be aggressive.
"We know he can really shoot it but when you don't have legs and you're beat up like he was you kind of have to go through some things. I wish we'd had him against Saint Mary but just giving him that week to recover and rest and get healthier you saw what he's able to do tonight."
Hunter was 4 of 7 from the field and 3 of 6 from deep in the first half as the Coyotes rolled to a 35-20 halftime lead. He cut loose again early in the second half scoring eight consecutive points then six straight a short time later as KWU pulled away to a 58-31 lead with 12:15 left in the game.
The rest was academic.
KWU improved to 18-8 overall and 13-8 in the KCAC. Avila fell to 9-19 and 8-14.
Hunter said he remained positive during the injury with help from those around him.
"My teammates and coaches having confidence," he said. "It's great having teammates like that."
The Coyotes shot 49 percent (32 of 65), including 13 of 31 from long range. They had 19 assists on 32 made field goals – Jun Murdock (SO/Wichita, Kan.) and A.J. Range with five assists each – and outrebounded Avila 43-26.
Murdock had another big night finishing with 16 points, five rebounds and four steals to go along with the five assists. Trey Duffey (SO/Topeka, Kan.) added a double-double – 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Avila shot 39 percent (22 of 56) and were led by Jaylin Dinkins with 15 off the bench. Eric Smith Jr., the Eagles' leading scorer and rebounder, missed his fourth consecutive game.
"We moved the ball pretty well tonight, guarded pretty well tonight," Monson said. "Avila was missing some guys that are pretty key to them but by the same token sometimes that's a hard thing to do – do what you're suppose to against a team you're supposed to beat. That's what I'm most proud of, we did what we're supposed to do and handled our business."
Next up is a trip to Lindsborg for a 7 p.m. game Saturday against Bethany in Hahn Gymnasium. The Swedes (18-10, 14-8 KCAC) defeated Saint Mary 94-65 Wednesday in Leavenworth.
"Really good big (guys), they play good defense and they're very aggressive," Monson said of Bethany. "We've got to enjoy this one tonight then get ready for our rival."