There definitely wasn’t anything frightening about the Kansas Wesleyan Women’s Basketball team’s performance on Saturday at Mabee Arena against Central Christian. The Coyotes used a huge first quarter to take control and pull away for a 77-60 Halloween victory over the Tigers.

The 3 pointers that weren’t falling for the Coyotes in their last game earlier this week, went in early and often for the Coyotes on Saturday.

Sophomore Gabby Mureeba (SO/Allen, Texas) hit the first triple of the game for the Coyotes tying things at 3-all, then trailing 5-3, Mureeba buried another long ranger, putting Wesleyan up 6-5 with 7:36 to go in the first.

The Coyotes would not trail again. Another triple, this time from Mia Needles (JR/Highland Ranch, Colo.) made it 9-5 in Wesleyan’s favor, and it took almost half of the first period before the Coyotes made a non-3 pointer, when Amanda Hill (SR/Rossville, Kan.) scored with 4:56 left to make it 11-7.

Another 3, this time by Amanda Hill made it 16-9 with 3:08 to go in the first, and after the Tigers scored, the Coyotes went on a 6-1 run to take a 22-12 lead on Caila Hill (SO/Rossville, Kan.)’s bucket with 1:39 left in the first.

The Coyotes would lead 26-14 after a quarter.

Neither team scored the first 2-plus minutes of the second until Amanda Hill got things going in the right direction for the Coyotes. And the spark was quite amazing. Hill would receive a pass over the top from Kelcey Hinz (JR/Whitewater, Kan.) made a one-handed snag and then shoot the shot one-handed, scoring it.

Wesleyan extended its lead to 32-16 with 6:27 led on a bucket by Hinz, but Central was able to get back within nine at 34-25 with 3:45 to go before the half. Five straight points capped by a triple by Payton Whaler (SR/Sublette, Kan.) gave the Coyotes a 39-25 lead and a bucket by Hinz right before the half sent KWU into the intermission up 43-29.

Free throws by Hinz with 4:44 left in the third put the Coyotes up 17 at 54-37, but an 11-3 run by the Tigers cut the difference to nine with just under a minute left in the quarter. A three-point play by Hinz with 18 seconds left would push Wesleyan’s lead back out to 12 at 60-48 at three-quarter time.

Amanda Hill’s bucket with 5:13 left pushed the Coyote lead to 21 at 72-51. The Tigers got within 16 with two minutes left but a triple by Needles with 1:06 left pushed the lead back out to 19.

Amanda Hill had a huge game for the Coyotes, scoring 23 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Hinz had another double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds, to go along with four blocks. Wesleyan was 30-of-74 shooting for 40.5 percent in the game and dominated the rebounding numbers 51-32. Mureeba scored a career high 15 and Needles scored a career high 11.

The Coyotes return to action on Wednesday, opening Kansas Conference play at Southwestern at 6 p.m. inside Stewart Field House.