BELLEVUE, Neb. – Amanda Hill (JR/Rossville, Kan.) scored a career hight 24 points, while Kelcey Hinz (SO/Whitewater, Kan.) recorded another double-double and Haleigh Bradford (SR/Schertz, Texas) added 19 points as Kansas Wesleyan upset Bellevue University 69-61. Bellevue is receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 poll.

Kansas Wesleyan also faced an old nemesis on Wednesday evening inside the Lozier Athletic Complex at Bellevue University in former Southwestern head coach Dave Denly, who started the Bruins’ women’s program four years ago after spending the previous 17 in Winfield.

The Coyotes didn’t let Bellevue get out to a quick start like Hastings did last Saturday. Bradford’s 3 for the Coyotes gave KWU a 5-2 lead with 8:43 to go in the first, and it was Bellevue that would have to do the catching up.

Bellevue would take a 17-10 lead at a late point in the first quarter, but Hill’s triple would cut the first quarter different to 17-13 in favor of Bellevue.

Another triple by Hill with 7:59 left in the second would give the Coyotes the lead back for the first time since in the first, but the Bruins would answer back, building a 26-20 lead with 6:05 to go. Bradford’s triple got the Coyotes within one at 26-25 with 4:03 to go, and a three-point play by Hinz tied things up at 28-all with 2:45 left before the half.

Hill’s bucket with 2:08 left would give KWU at 31-30 lead that would hold for the final two minutes of the half for the intermission score.

Bellevue took a 38-33 lead with eight and a half left in the third, but the Coyotes came storming back. Four straight by Hinz got the Coyotes within a point and Bradford’s bucket with 6:17 left put KWU up 39-38.

The Bruins led 47-46 with two minutes left in the period when Hill would put the Coyotes up 48-47 and her bucket as time ran out in the third would give KWU a 52-47 lead three-fourths of the way home.

After Bellevue cut the lead to three at 53-50, the Coyotes responded with 10 straight points sparked by Hinz’s score and capped by a triple from Hinz as KWU led 63-50 with 6:23 to go.

Bellevue got within six at 65-59, but buckets by Hinz and Hill put the Coyotes up 10 again with a minute left before the Coyotes came away with the 69-61 win.

Wesleyan was 26-of-70 shooting for 37.1 percent in the game, and hit 9-of-11 free throws for 81.8 percent. Hinz had 19 points and 13 rebounds for her third double-double in as many games. Hill had seven rebounds and Jayme Sloan (SR/Bennington, Kan.) had six helping KWU to a 41-38 advantage on the boards.

The Coyotes are back at home on Friday hosting Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) at 6 p.m. inside Mabee Arena.