Coyotes Pull Away in Second Half

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Avila men's basketball put forth a great first half, staying within three points of one of the nation's best teams after 20 minutes, but No. 18 Kansas Wesleyan (7-0, 4-0 KCAC) pulled away from Avila (2-8, 1-4 KCAC) in the second half, ultimately winning 61-39 on Thursday night in Mabee Fieldhouse.

Avila men's basketball debuted a new addition to their home jerseys on Thursday – a #21 patch just under the right shoulder, in honor of football student-athlete Justin Barbee who passed away just before the start of the fall semester. The #12 patch in honor of former baseball coach Daryl Cronk remains firmly in place on the other end of the shirt.

Not for the first time, it was a great effort from the Eagles against a Coyote team in or around the national rankings – at least for a while. Avila held KWU to only 21 points and forced 10 turnovers in the first half, keeping the Coyotes to within 21-18 at the halftime break.

But after that break, Kansas Wesleyan was the better team. The Coyotes shot better than 55% from the field after halftime and blocked four shots, while allowing Avila to make only seven field goals (21%). All that conspired to lead the Coyotes to a comfortable win that helped them remain undefeated on the campaign.

That result was anything but a guarantee in that first half. The teams literally traded shot for shot over the first four minutes – any time the Coyotes scored, the Eagles answered, thanks entirely to Donte' Simpson and Tremaine Banks.

The Coyotes began to seize control early with six straight points after Banks' second bucket to build a 14-8 lead with 11 minutes left, a lead that swelled to ten points with four minutes left. The Eagles put together a strong surge late in the half, with Jorden Gilmete knocking down a pair of shots – both assisted by Simpson – before Simpson cashed in himself with a driving layup in the final 30 seconds, bringing the Eagles to within 21-18 of one of the nation's best at halftime.

Kansas Wesleyan was ready to roll in the second half. Taking full advantage of a couple of steals, the Coyotes scored ten points in the first two minutes to build a 31-20 lead. Avila quickly called for a timeout, but the Eagles were unable to string buckets together in the second half, and their deficit was double digits from then on. The Eagle offense went quiet in the final ten minutes of regulation, allowing KWU to ease into a 61-39 win.

Three Coyotes tied for the team lead with 12 points, and all excelled in different areas of the game as well: Alex Littlejohn recorded 11 rebounds, Thurbil Bile had five steals and three blocks, and Jun Murdock had five assists. Simpson tied for the team lead with ten points along with nine boards and five assists in another great all-around game; Gilmete had his best game in a while with ten points, and Brandon Johnson scored nine in his return to action. In other action, Avila's JV squad toppled Missouri Valley 78-49 on Tuesday in Mabee, the third win of the season for coach Darien Minor's squad.

Avila men's basketball will have a short break before the Eagles face their toughest test of the season so far: Oklahoma Wesleyan comes to town next Wednesday, December 7, and those Eagles are ranked inside the NAIA's Top 10 ahead of their clash with Kansas Wesleyan this weekend. Tipoff is slated for 8 PM following the conclusion of the women's game; as always, you can watch all the action on the Avila Sports Network.