NORTH NEWTON - After a big third quarter by the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes, the Bethel Threshers answered right back in the fourth outscoring the Coyotes by 10 in the final period, but it was the Coyotes who held on for a thrilling 63-61 win over the Threshers on Thursday night at Thresher Gym.
Angel Lee was the hero of the night, scoring with 2.3 seconds left to propel the Coyotes to the win, and gain a game on second-place Friends who was defeated by Sterling on Thursday night.
Wesleyan has a 2-game lead in the conference standings over Friends and Tabor with three games left in the regular season.
Leading by two at half time, the Coyotes exploded out of the gates in the third, taking a 43-34 lead with 6:12 to go on a bucket by Paige Chauncey. The Coyotes led by seven until the 3:49 mark when Odessa Ozuna buried a 3-pointer to make it 48-38 Coyotes.
Another triple by Hampton Williams put the Coyotes up 13 with 2:09 to go, but Bethel got a free throw to make it 12 at the end of the quarter.
Wesleyan went up by 14 twice to start the fourth, the last time with 8:56 left on a bucket by Chauncey at 55-41, but the Coyotes would not score for the next four minutes as Bethel used a 12-0 run to get back within two points at 55-53 with 4:46 to go.
A score by Alexis Dixon with 4:22 left stopped the drought for the Coyotes who rebuilt a 60-53 lead with 2:31 to go.
Back came Bethel again, getting within two points with 18 seconds left, and after Lee sank 1 of 2 free throws, the Threshers got a game-tying triple with 13 seconds left setting up the final play.
LaMyah Ricks found Lee at the left elbow who then turned and drove down the side of the lane and buried the shot from 6 feet with 2.3 seconds left.
Bethel dashed down the floor frantically, but the last-second heave was not off in time and was off the mark giving the Coyotes the win.
The first quarter was back and forth, with neither squad leading by more than three points, when Bethel hit a 3-pointer to open the game, only to be answered back by Hampton Williams and the Coyotes. The first quarter would end in a 13-13 deadlock.
The Coyotes went up by as many as 10 in the second quarter when Ozuna hit 2 of 3 free throws with 5:06 to go putting KWU up 31-21, but Bethel would close the half on an 11-3 run to make it a 2-point game at the half 34-32.
Chauncey led the Coyotes with 16 points while Williams and Ozuna had 13 and Lee had 10 as KWU was 24 of 62 from the field for 38.7 percent. Williams had 10 rebounds to lead the Coyotes.