Kansas Wesleyan held York to 23.1 percent shooting (12-of-52) shooting for the game as the Coyotes routed the Panthers 67-31 on Wednesday night at Mabee Arena.

The 31 points is the fewest allowed by the Coyotes since holding Bethel to 28 points on February 9, 2017 in a 68-28 victory at Mabee Arena. The win boosts Wesleyan’s record to 20-5 overall and 16-3 in the KCAC.

“Defensively I thought we were solid, every shot they had was contested,” Wesleyan coach Ryan Showman said.

The game started slow for both teams, but after nearly two minutes of scoreless basketball, Kelcey Hinz (SO/Whitewater, Kan.) hit a pair of free throws to start a 6-0 run for the Coyotes capped by Courtney Heinen (SR/Axtell, Kan.)’s bucket with 6:18 left in the first.

York got it to a two point difference just before the end of the quarter, but Hinz scored with 1:20 left to make it 11-7 after a quarter.

Heinen’s free throws with 6:23 left in the second quarter pushed Wesleyan’s lead out to 10 at 17-7, but a 5-0 spurt by York halved the difference until Lauren Flowers (SO/Overland Park, Kan.) scored with 4:27 left to end the run.

The Panthers got it to five with 3:41 to go, but the Coyotes ended the half on a 6-0 run to take a 25-14 lead into the intermission.

The Coyotes led by nine in the third, 27-18, when the offense came alive. A 13-0 run by the Coyotes turned it into a 22-point game at 40-18 on a bucket by Flowers with 4:34 left in the third. The run sparked by outstanding play by Heinen.

“We turned up the offensive pressure in the third quarter,” Showman said. “I was really impressed with Courtney Heinen and how she got things started, hitting a 3, got to the rim a couple times and that kind of got everyone going.”

A bucket by Emily Rank (JR/Kansas City, Mo.) and a 3 by Haleigh Bradford (SR/Schertz, Texas) put the Coyotes up 25 after three quarters at 49-24.

Much of the fourth quarter was played with the Coyote reserves on the floor, but Wesleyan’s defensive pressure and offensive skill didn’t slow down.

Courtney Brockhoff (JR/Hiawatha, Kan.)’s three-point play with 4:42 left put the Coyotes up 30 at 61-31 as KWU held York without a point for the final six minutes of the game.

“Our bench came in and played awesome tonight. They helped extend the lead,” Showman said. “That’s a credit to them coming in and being ready to play.”

Hinz and Heinen led a balanced output for the Coyotes with 11 each. Bradford and Brockhoff added eight each and Hill and Jayme Sloan (SR/Bennington, Kan.) had seven each. KWU was 24-of-61 from the field for 39.3 percent for the game. Hinz had nine rebounds helping KWU to a 46-33 advantage on the boards. KWU also had 12 blocks in the game, led by Hinz with four.

KWU is back at home on Saturday, hosting Saint Mary at 5 p.m. at Mabee Arena.