On Nov. 5, Kansas Wesleyan's Kelcey Hinz (SR/Whitewater, Kan.) tied both the Kansas Wesleyan and Kansas Conference record for blocks in a game with 10. On Saturday against the Ottawa Braves, Hinz claimed the record for herself, recording 11 shot-stoppers in KWU's 73-68 double overtime win over Ottawa at Mabee Arena.
The KWU record had stood since 2004, set by Kristen Crittenden, while that feat had been equaled by McPherson's Alicia Demaret in 2015 against Ottawa for the KCAC mark.
Hinz fouled out with 36 seconds left in the first overtime period for the Coyotes before finishing with a game-high 20 points to go along with the 11 blocks and five rebounds.
"The win was huge for us," Hinz said. "It shows we can come back and fight from anything and that one game isn't going to stop us."
Saturday's game was a nice rebound for the Coyotes after falling to Oklahoma Wesleyan 69-60 on Tuesday in Bartlesville.
"I think it's huge. Just to find a way and it gave some other people some chances to step up and play some extended minutes," KWU coach Ryan Showman said. "I thought Catherine Bowman (FR/Bucklin, Kan.) and Sydney Barrett (JR/Beloit, Kan.) were two that came in and played some good minutes and I thought Caila Hill (JR/Rossville, Kan.) filled in nicely for Kelcey when we needed her to."
Hinz was tasked with guarding Ottawa's 6-1 post Kanecia Payne and held her to 0 of 15 shooting on the night.
"We just had to go in and get the stop defensively and turn around and go," Hinz said.
"It's incredible. It just shows the kind of player that Kelcey is," Showman added. "That's an incredible double-double with 20 points and 11 blocks. She's definitely our anchor in the middle, and I thought she defended really really well tonight."
The play of Caila Hill was big down the stretch for the Coyotes as she finished with nine points and eight rebounds. She scored the bucket for the Coyotes with 13 seconds left in double overtime that put KWU up four.
She also had a big block of a shot by Liz Vaughn to protect a 2 point Coyote lead with 23 seconds left in the game.
Amanda Hill (SR/Rossville, Kan.)'s free throw with two seconds left sealed the win for the Coyotes
Ottawa scored the first four points of the contest, but the Coyotes came back and tied it at 4-4 on a bucket by LaMyah Ricks (SO/Shawnee Mission, Kan.).
Despite the Coyotes tying it up several times and taking a brief 12-11 lead in the first, Ottawa would hold a 13-12 lead after a quarter.
A bucket by Amanda Hill with 4:30 left in the second put the Coyotes up three, and free throws by Amanda Hill with 1:15 left gave the Coyotes a 27-21 cushion at the half.
KWU opened the second half pushing the lead out to seven points on a bucket by Hinz, but Ottawa hung around, getting back within three with 4:22 left at 33-30.
A steal and score by Angel Roman (FR/Jacksonville, Fla.) put the Coyotes up 36-30 with 3:23 left and another bucket by Hinz put the Coyotes up seven again at 38-31 with 2:30 to go in the third. Caila Hill's bucket with a minute left put the Coyotes up by a game-high eight before Ottawa cut it to a three-point difference after three quarters.
Wesleyan led by five, 43-38, with 9:17 left when Ottawa got six straight, all from Jalisa Simons to take a 44-43 lead with six minutes left in regulation. The Braves took as much as a 47-43 lead with 4:34 left on a Amyr Lowe free throw before the Coyotes came storming back.
A free throw by Ricks, and buckets by Amanda Hill and Hinz gave the Coyotes a 48-47 lead with 3:47 to go.
Gabby Mureeba (JR/Allen, Texas)'s three-point play and Amanda Hill's bucket pushed the Coyote lead back out to six at 53-47.
Ottawa came back and tied it at 53-all with 55 seconds left, but Mureeba kept the Coyotes in the lead with a bucket with 27 ticks left.
Ottawa tied it at 55 and had a chance to win it but could not get a shot off, sending the game into overtime.
Wesleyan scored the first three points of overtime and extended the lead out to six with 1:29 left, but Ottawa drew even with 16 seconds left, tying it at 64-all.
Mureeba's shot at the end of overtime was blocked and sent the game into second overtime.
KWU fell behind 66-64 to open the extra period, but took a 68-66 lead on Amanda Hill's bucket with 2:51 to go. Ottawa tied it with 1:33 left, but Amanda Hill's bucket and Caila Hill's bucket put the Coyotes up for good.
Wesleyan was 26 of 62 shooting for 41.9 percent, but were just 1 of 11 from 3-point range. Amanda Hill's nine rebounds led the Coyotes. Amanda Hill had 18 points and Mureeba added 15 for the Coyotes, who overcame 24 turnovers in the game.
The Coyotes have a quick turnaround, as they head to Winfield on Monday to take on Southwestern inside Stewart Field House.
"It was a really great team win," Showman said. "Just to find a way, just to find a way to win and that's what they did."