Kansas Wesleyan’s Amanda Hill is healthy, is getting accustom to college basketball and, most importantly and impressively, has found her shooting touch from long range.
Hill, a freshman forward from Rossville, spent a chunk of first semester battling an illness. Just about the time she started feeling better the holiday break arrived, making continuity and confidence tough to come by.
Hill, though, is optimistic her luck has turned as evidence by her performance Saturday night. She scored a team- and career-high 19 points that included 5 of 6 shooting from 3-point range as Coyotes crushed York 79-45 at Mabee Arena.
KWU improves to 11-9 overall, 8-4 in the Kansas Conference, while York falls to 4-14 and 1-11.
Wesleyan led 39-18 at halftime and made it a rout by outscoring the Panthers 29-13 the third quarter. Hill led the way with four 3-pointers the final 3:18 of the quarter.
“Once I hit that first one I thought, ‘Just keep shooting it,’” Hill said. “I was still open so I just kept shooting it. I kept going and just got hot.”
Hill finished the game 6 of 10 from the field and 2 of 2 at the foul line in 13 ½ minutes of play.
“I’m really happy for Amanda, she played really well,” KWU coach Ryan Showman said. “She was part of the extra passes that led to open shots and she knocked them down.
“She was really starting to find that stride (first semester), then she got sick and then we go into break. Now she’s come back and is giving great minutes in the rotation. She is producing for us and that’s what we need.”
“I think I’m getting more confidence each game,” Hill said.
Gabbie Miller had 15 points and six rebounds as the Coyotes shot 39.7 percent (27 of 68) and won the rebounding battle 45-29. York shot 31 percent (17 of 55) and had 24 turnovers that led to 35 KWU points.
Showman was pleased with the third-quarter blitz.
“At halftime I thought we had some execution issues of offense,” he said. “We were taking quick threes, I didn’t think they were great threes and we weren’t making them. If we have empty possessions offensively and then they get in rhythm and make some shots, they’re back in this thing. For teams like that to hang around in the fourth quarter, they’re going to find a way to win. We didn’t want that.
“That was the challenge coming and out at halftime and wow, they answered the call. They got better shots, they made extra passes and they hit open threes.”
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