Tabor's Kasey Rice provides spark off the bench in win over Kansas Wesleyan women's basketball
HILLSBORO — Kasey Rice has only played in four games this season for Tabor after having hip surgery in the offseason.
She provided a spark when the Bluejays needed it Saturday night against Kansas Wesleyan.
Rice scored a team-high 14 points, 10 of them in the first half of a 58-48 victory at Tabor Gymnasium. The loss dropped KWU to 9-3 overall and 5-2 in Kansas Conference play.
"It was really good," Rice said. "I just want my team to be successful and with me being out there, they're as successful with me out there or with me not out there.
"We really wanted to win because they beat Sterling."
Previously: Kelcey Hinz scores 28 points and grabs 24 rebounds in Kansas Wesleyan's win over Sterling
It wasn't all Rice. It was all 11 players who stepped on the floor to shut down the Coyotes.
KWU led 2-0 early, but it was its only lead of the game. Tabor led 13-7 at the end of the first quarter, and after the Coyotes pulled back within two went on a 17-5 run to go up 30-16 at halftime.
Wesleyan coach Ryan Showman said Rice was big when the Bluejays needed her.
"(It) kind of gave them a little bit of a cushion," Showman said. "When a 10 or 12-point lead at Tabor feels like 20 the way they defend. After that little flurry in the second quarter, we were playing catch-up.
Showman credited the Bluejays defensively for taking the Coyotes out of what they wanted to do.
The Coyotes finished the game shooting 33.3% from the field.
"We didn't have very good angles going to the basket," Showman said. "They're a very good defensive team and we knew that coming in. We knew we had to execute just a little bit better and I didn't think we were able to do that for 40 minutes."
KWU managed to cut the Tabor lead to eight, 35-27, in the third quarter, but got no closer. When the deficit increased to 13 heading into the fourth quarter, Showman thought the Coyotes had another run in them as they did on Thursday against Sterling.
"We had it down to eight or nine and they hit a big three," Showman said. "They had a couple of kids step up who hadn't made a lot from the outside."
Kelcey Hinz led Wesleyan with a game-high 19 points and 10 rebounds. Gabby Mureeba had 11 points and Amanda Hill 10 points to go with nine rebounds.
More: Meet the Salina Journal's 2021 All-Saline County high school football team
After playing their fourth game in seven days, the Coyotes now are off until 6 p.m. Wednesday, when they play host to Saint Mary at Mabee Arena.
"It's one of those things where we've got to be better in some areas and we will be," Showman said.
Kansas Wesleyan men cruise to fourth straight victory
Four games in a seven-day span can wear on a team.
Not the Kansas Wesleyan men.
The Coyotes won their fourth straight game by defeating Tabor, 85-57. KWU improved to 10-1 overall and 6-1 in the KCAC.
"We wanted to get all these four in seven days," said KWU freshman guard Easton Hunter, who had 10 points in the win. "We (want) to win out before Christmas break here and then finish our finals, and then focus on basketball.
"We've just got to focus on our defense, because our defense will lead to our buckets."
Wesleyan coach Anthony Monson said the Coyotes' depth has helped during this four-game stretch.
"(I'm) just really proud of (how) the guys just never let up and never let their guards downs and find a way to win games," Monson said. "We're doing a great job with it."
The first five minutes were tight between the two teams before KWU took over. After trailing 7-6, KWU used an 18-2 run to go up 24-9 lead with 10:16 left in the first half.
The Bluejays got within 10, 28-18, before Wesleyan finished the period on a 15-8 run and took a 43-26 lead to halftime.
KWU led by as many as 28 in the second half.
Cory Kaplan led the Coyotes with 25 points, while Marcel Dean added 11 and Jun Murdock 10.
"Sometimes the ball just got stuck and (we) played a lot of one-on-one, but at the end of the day these guys are really talented and we're proud of them," Monson said.
Hunter said it's great to spread the wealth around and click every time the Coyotes are on offense.
"We're just trying to stay together as a family, move the ball, play together on and off the court," Hunter said.
Tabor (3-6, 1-5 KCAC) was led by Jack Taylor's 14 points.
KWU returns home to face Saint Mary at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Mabee Arena.
Dylan Sherwood has been a sports reporter for the Salina Journal since August 2019. He can be reached at dsherwood@salina.com or on Twitter @DSherwoodSJ
This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: In Tabor’s win over Kansas Wesleyan, Kasey Rice provided a spark
