[Men's Basketball] Surging Men's Basketball team hosts Tabor on Saturday
The surging Coyotes entertain Tabor in a Kansas Conference game Saturday at Mabee Arena, starting around 7 p.m. Wesleyan defeated the Bluejays 72-59 in their first meeting on Jan. 2 in Hillsboro. The Coyotes trailed 28-26 at halftime, but outscored Tabor 46-31 the second half. James Brooks (JR/Cherokee, Kan.) had a team-high 16 points.
LIVE COVERAGE
The game will be available online through the Coyote Sports Network, powered by Stretch Internet, portal.stretchinternet.com/kwu. Live Stats will be available on the Stretch portal and on DakStats at www.dakstats.com/naia. Radio coverage will be on FM 104.9 in the Salina area and around the world at www.ksal.com. Pat Strathman will have the call with pregame starting after the women's contest, which starts at 5 p.m.
GAME PROMOTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
Saturday is faculty appreciation day. KWU Faculty can get free reserve tickets for themselves and family by contacting Meagan Contreras (meagan.contreras@kwu.edu), or by coming to the ticket gate at the game. Faculty that were invited by members of both the men's and women's teams will be recognized between the varsity games for their contributions to KWU and their support of KWU student-athletes. Jimmy John's is Saturday's official game day sponsor.
KANSAS WESLEYAN AT A GLANCE
A victory will clinch the No. 4 seed and give the Coyotes a home game in the first round of the KCAC tournament later this month. They've won five in a row, seven of their last eight and 10 of 12. They're fourth in the standings at 14-7, are 16-9 overall and coming off a 73-70 victory over Bethel on Wednesday in North Newton.
Eight Coyotes are averaging at least 5.0 points per game, led by Brooks at 16.8, which ranks seventh in the KCAC. Marquis Kraemer (SO/Aurora, Colo.) averages 10.3, Jordan McNelly (JR/Salina, Kan,) 10.2, A.J. Range 8.5, Darius Hammond (SO/Dallas, Texas) 7.2, Nate Leach 5.2 and Ithello Cross (SR/Gainesville, Ga.) 5.0. Brooks has been a tear of late, scoring at least 21 points in five of his last six games and is averaging 22.7 points in the three contests. He leads the KCAC in 3-pointers made (82), is shooting 41.2 percent beyond the arc (seventh in the KCAC) and 47.2 percent overall. Kraemer's second in steals (1.7) and Brayden White (SO/Topeka, Kan.) fifth (1.6). Kramer's also averages 3.9 rebounds and is ninth in the KCAC in assists (3.5). Range is KWU's top rebounder (6.4), followed closely by McNelly (6.0).
The Coyotes' surge is directly tied to their stellar defensive play – coach Anthony Monson's hallmark. They're second in scoring in the KCAC (69.6 points), first in 3-point field goal percentage (30.0), second in overall field goal percentage (42.5), lead the conference in steals per game (8.5) and force a conference-best 16 turnovers per game. They're also fourth in rebound margin (3.7).
Offensively, the Coyotes are 11th in the KCAC in scoring (74.6 points), seventh in field goal percentage (45.0), seventh in 3-point percentage (34.3) and 10th in assists (13.4).
TABOR AT A GLANCE
The Bluejays are 7-20 overall and 5-16 in the KCAC. They were idle Wednesday and lost to Saint Mary 72-63 Saturday in their most recent game. They defeated Bethany 75-70 Jan. 30 in Lindsborg, but have lost three of their last four. They had an eight-game losing streak at one point during the season.
Tabor averages 75.3 points (10th in the KCAC) and gives up 83.5 (12th). The Bluejays shoot 44.9 percent overall (eighth) and 35 percent from 3-point range (sixth). They're 11th in turnover margin (0.74) and 12th in rebounding margin (minus-6.6).
Tevin Berry (13.0 points) and Darnell Jones-Bowie (12.5) are Tabor's top two scorers. Berry has 61 3-pointers and shoots 40.9 percent beyond the arc. Patrick Roulette averages 8.6 points and a team-best 5.6 rebounds while Shawntez Scroggins averages 8.5 points and 3.3 assists. Scroggins scored 15 points, Jones-Bowie 12 and Berry 10 in the first game against Wesleyan.