Kansas Wesleyan women’s basketball opens the 2021-22 season against the Cougars in a non-conference game at 6 p.m. Friday inside Mabee Arena.

LIVE COVERAGE
The game will be available online through the Coyote Sports Network at www.kcacnetwork.com/kansaswesleyan Live Stats will be available on the at www.kwucoyotes.com. Kansas Wesleyan’s Alex Sherer, part of the Coyote Sports Media Team, will be broadcasting Friday’s game.

RECORDS
Kansas Wesleyan 0-0
Columbia 0-0

THE SERIES
This is the fourth all-time meeting between the two schools. Columbia defeated the Coyotes 74-53 on November 1, 2006 inside Muir Gymnasium in the last meeting.

FIVE THINGS ABOUT KANSAS WESLEYAN

The Coyotes open the season with three consecutive home games, starting Friday. They play Health Sciences and Pharmacy-St. Louis on November 5 and Evangel on November 6 inside Mabee Arena.

KWU returns four starters from a year ago – Amanda Hill (SR/Rossville, Kan.), Kelcey Hinz (SR/Whitewater, Kan.), Caila Hill (JR/Rossville, Kan.) and Gabby Mureeba (JR/Allen, Texas). LaMyah Ricks (SO/Shawnee Mission, Kan.) played significant minutes and also returns.

Amanda Hill led the team in scoring (16.3 ppg) followed by Hinz (14.3 ppg, 11.0 rebounds) and Mureeba (11.0 ppg). Caila Hill averaged 7.5 points and Ricks 5.9.

The Coyotes were 16-11 overall and 13-8 in the Kansas Conference last season. They finished strong, winning seven of eight before losing to Sterling the semifinals of the conference tournament.

Coach Ryan Showman is in his ninth season and has a 153-98 overall record. His teams are 106-60 against KCAC opponents.

FIVE THINGS ABOUT COLUMBIA

The Cougars were 15-6 last season, 10-2 in the American Midwest Conference.

Columbia was among the teams receiving votes in the NAIA preseason poll released Wednesday.

The Cougars lost to Lyon College in the conference tournament championship but received an at-large bid to the NAIA National Tournament. They defeated Mid-America Christian in the first round before losing to Sterling in the second round.

Columbia lost to NCAA Division I-member Western Illinois 90-56 in an exhibition game Tuesday night in Macomb, Ill.

Mallory Shetley, a sophomore, led Columbia with 18 points against Western Illinois. She averaged 13.1 points and 5.1 rebounds a year ago while earning NAIA Honorable Mention All-America honors.