KWU Women's Basketball Bounces back with 88-45 rout of Avila

Kansas Wesleyan Women's Basketball bounced back from Wednesday's loss with an 88-45 win over the Avila University Eagles on Saturday at Mabee Fieldhouse.

The Coyotes almost couldn't miss especially in the first half, connecting on 24 of 35 shots for 68.5 percent, which included a 12 of 17 effort in the second quarter alone for 70.6 percent.

Wesleyan did all its damage without starting point guard and leading scorer LaMyah Ricks, who was sidelined with an injury sustained in Wednesday's loss to Bethel.

Hampton Williams opened the game hitting a 3-pointer for the Coyotes, who scored the first five points of the game and quickly pushed the lead out to 10 points at 14-4 with 6:07 to go in the first as KWU hit six of its first seven shots in the game.

Avila cut the difference to seven before the Coyotes got untracked again with a bucket by Odessa Ozuna, another Williams triple and another triple by Jill Stephens, another Stephens scored and a score by Paige Chauncey to open up a 26-7 lead with 1:14 left in the first.

The Coyotes continued to pull away in the second, taking a 49-19 lead on another Chauncey score with 4:03 left in the half. KWU led 56-21 at the break.

Wesleyan didn't slow down in the third quarter as well, pushing the lead out to as many as 44 points, 75-31 at the end of the quarter.

KWU closed out the game playing an even fourth quarter, coming away with the 43-point win in the game.

Chauncey led the way with 19 points for the Coyotes on 9 of 10 shooting. Williams had another double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds while Stephens added in 14 off the bench for the Coyotes. KWU was 36 of 62 shooting from the field for 58.1 percent in the game. KWU dominated the rebounding totals 45-22 over the Eagles.

Wesleyan is back in action on Wednesday heading to McPherson to take on the Bulldogs for the second time this season. KWU won 97-64 in the first meeting between the teams on November 20 in Salina. KWU heads to Springfield, Mo., to take on Evangel next Saturday ahead of returning home to host the Swedes on January 22.