Box Score ABILENE – Abilene Christian University used two big runs early in each half – 11 unanswered points to open the game and 15 straight early in the second half – to do in the Wayland Baptist Flying Queens here Monday night, 79-59.
"We did some good things," Wayland coach Alesha Robertson said. "I was happy with the pace of the game, and we didn't tire at that speed, which was good."
But the Flying Queens also struggled in some areas, especially shooting and fouling.
"We have to pick those up," Robertson said.
The loss was the second in three days for Wayland (2-2) to a member of the NCAA Division I Southland Conference, having fallen to Angelo State on Saturday, 81-73.
While ACU raced to an 11-0 lead, it took Wayland 3½ minutes to notch its first points on a bucket by
Stephanie Afunugo. The Flying Queens fought back to within two, 21-19, thanks to six unanswered points from
Angeleigh Davis, Afunugo and
Sydney Hearn, but that's as close as Wayland ever got.
The Wildcats went on an 8-1 run to again assume control. The Flying Queens battled to within four before a 3-pointer by ACU with eight seconds left before halftime put the Wildcats up at the break, 40-33.
ACU was ahead 44-39 when the Wildcats – fueled by a pair of 3-pointers – rolled off 15 straight points to take complete command. WBU never got closer than 18 after that.
"They had a lot of shooters," Robertson said.
The Wildcats' largest lead was 27 points, 79-52, before Wayland scored the final seven points of the game.
Afunugo and
Christie Mooney led Wayland with 14 points apiece, followed by Davis with 13. No other Flying Queen scored more than four. Afunugo added 11 rebounds.
"We have to learn how to finish at the rim. If we can do that and keep people off the foul line, we'll be doing a lot better," Robertson said.
She said the Flying Queens – and many other teams – are having a difficult time adjusting to the new hand-check rules.
"Everybody is used to the game being a lot more physical," she said.
WBU hit just 2-of-16 (13 percent) from 3-point range while making 30 percent (20-of-67) from the field overall. Wayland was 17-of-27 from the free-throw line.
"We're getting open shots, but just can't knock them down," Robertson said.
ACU got 20 points from sophomore guard Whitney West, who made 4-of-11 from 3-point range. Cemetra Jenkins, another sophomore guard, added 16 points, including a trio of 3s. Freshman forward Sydney Sheldstead ended with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
"They're a really good team," Robertson said of the Wildcats. "They're going to go far in their conference."
The Wildcats shot 39 percent (29-of-74) from the field and 27 percent (9-of-34) from long range. They were 12-of-20 from the foul stripe.
Wayland has a week off before its next game, on Nov. 19 in San Antonio against Trinity University, which is ranked 19
th in NCAA Division III. Trinity opens its season at a tournament hosted by Southwestern University in Georgetown on Friday and Saturday, taking on Moravian College (Pa.) and Hardin-Simmons.
"They can shoot the ball and have some height," Robertson said of Trinity. "We'll need to use our speed and make sure our defense continues to get better…and work on our shots."
The Flying Queens then play University of the Southwest, a team they've already defeated, 102-41, on Nov. 23, in Hobbs, N.M., before ending a four-game road trip on Nov. 30 against Our Lady of the Lake.
