Queens enjoy incredible season; ultimate goal still ahead

Looking back on a season that reached great heights yet ended swiftly and sooner than they wanted, Coach Alesha Robertson-Ellis said the Wayland Baptist Flying Queens have plenty to celebrate about the 2015-16 campaign.
 
Surprisingly, the Flying Queens – ranked No. 10 in the preseason – started their season losing three of their first five games, and it looked as if Robertson-Ellis' third year at the helm of the Flying Queens wouldn't play out the way she hoped.
 
Once the new year arrived, however, the Queens turned into a well-oiled machine and embarked on a 21-game win-streak, the longest for the program in almost 30 years. During that run, the Queens defeated reigning national champion Oklahoma City three times – twice in Sooner Athletic Conference regular-season and once in the conference tournament championship as the Queens won their first-ever SAC regular-season title and second-ever SAC Tournament crown.
 
"We got off to a rough start, but they came back and won 21 games in a row," Robertson-Ellis said.
 
With impressive wins most often by large margins, there were also well-rounded performances from various players ranging from the starting seniors to the lone freshman that helped propel WBU to stay in the top 25 in the national rankings.
 
"This group was coachable and hard working," Robertson-Ellis said. "When you see that as a coach, you want them to win. I believed that if we both did our part, it would work out the way God wants it to."
 
The Queens waltzed through the competition until reaching OCU in the conference tournament title game where Wayland eventually pulled away in the final quarter to clinch the title, 71-58.
 
"This was our first time winning the SAC (regular-season) title and second time winning the (SAC Tournament) title," Robertson-Ellis said. "We should be very proud of that."
 
Wayland went to the national tournament ranked 11^th in the country and drew No. 23 Pikeville, Ky., in the first round. Unfortunately, an off-shooting day helped result in a 75-70 loss to the Bears, who went on to win two more games before falling to eventual champion MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) in the semifinals.
Wayland, whose season came to a close in the first round at nationals for the third straight year, ended with a 25-5 record, the most wins for the program since 1997-98.
 
Throughout the season, the Queens used their incredible outside shooting and size in the low post to boast large numbers on the scoreboard. Wayland ranked second in the NAIA in scoring margin (20.6) and third in points per game (79.3). The Queens also ranked high in a number of other statistical categories, including first in assists per game (17.7), second in total rebound margin (9.1), second in free throw percentage (76.4 percent), fifth in field goal percentage (44.7) and sixth in 3-point percentage (36.1).
 
The Queens also boasted a lockdown defense that came up huge in clutch moments, and Robertson-Ellis attributed much of the team's success to depth off the bench. The combination of all of those elements made them hard to beat, the coach felt.
 
Robertson-Ellis said the team's seniors – Stephanie Afunugo, Brianna Bogard, Laura Castillo and Krystal Forthan – will be missed thanks to their contributions to the program.  
 
"You grow a special relationship with them," she said. "We're going to miss the athleticism and experience. They're great kids and will be successful in whatever they do."
 
As for the returners, Robertson-Ellis hopes to build upon the major success from this season and ultimately continue to compete for another national championship.
 
"We have a great squad of returners," she said. "A lot of teaching will go into next season. I expect them to be good leaders.
 
"I'm proud of what we did this season but I wish that it would have ended differently. They're hungry for a national championship, and as long as we stay hungry, we'll be competing for it."