BELLEVUE, Neb. – Kansas Wesleyan Women’s Basketball opened its 2023-24 campaign on Friday picking up a 72-63 win over the Bellevue Bruins in the Bellevue Chick-Fil-A Classic at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.

Decisive second and fourth quarters for the Coyotes were the difference as KWU outscored the Bruins 43-25 in the two periods after the game was tied at 12 after one quarter.

Wesleyan jetted out to a 10-1 lead to open the game, but was outscored 11-2 the rest of the first quarter to end the first tied at 12.

A pair of free throws just before the end of the half by LaMyah Ricks gave the Coyotes a 28-18 lead heading into the break.

Bellevue used an 14-3 run to open the third quarter to take a brief 32-31 lead with 6:15 to go but Alexis Dixon scored it for the Coyotes and three free throws by Jill Stephens gave the Coyotes a 36-32 lead with 5:20 left.

Freshman Odessa Ozuna scored 12 of her game-high 16 points in the fourth quarter as KWU outscored the Bruins 27-19 in the period.

After Bellevue had taken a 51-50 lead with 6:37 left, Ozuna scored nine straight points for the Coyotes to push Wesleyan’s lead out to 59-51 with 3:56 left.

KWU shot 23 of 54 from the field for 42.6 percent as Stephens added 14 and Ricks and Hampton Williams scored 11 each.

KWU takes on Dickinson State on Saturday.