It may be Valentine's Day, but the Wayland Baptist Flying Queens and Pioneers don't expect any expressions of fondness when they hook up with John Brown University on Thursday night in Siloam Springs, Ark.
Especially the Pioneers.
That's because
Matt Garnett and his team upset fourth-ranked John Brown the last time the teams met in Plainview not quite three weeks ago. Not only did Wayland win, but the Pioneers prevailed with ease, 84-70, for the Eagles' lone Sooner Athletic Conference loss all season.
The rematch will come at 8 p.m. Thursday after the coach
Tory Bryant's Flying Queens and John Brown square off at 6. Both games can be followed via live stats and video/audio streaming. Find links at
www.wbuathletics.com.
Thursday's action will be followed by Wayland's final regular-season road games of the season Saturday as the Queens and Pioneers travel to Claremore, Okla., to take on Rogers State at 1 and 3 p.m.
Both Wayland teams are fighting for seeding position for the SAC Tournaments, which will take place Feb. 28-March 2 at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee.
The final regular-season road trip will be especially rugged for the Pioneers (14-11, 5-7 SAC) as they continue their streak of facing Top 25 competition, starting with No. 4 John Brown (22-4, 11-1).
In their Jan. 26 game at Hutcherson Center, the Pioneers got off to a blistering start, assuming a 19-2 lead. The Golden Eagles rallied to within five points in the second half, but the Pioneers were able to hang on for one of their biggest wins in recent years.
Reggie Fondren put in a season-high 30 points for Wayland, 12 more than the senior guard has scored in any other outing this season. Fondren, who also had nine rebounds and five steals against JBU, nailed all seven of his 3-point attempts as the Pioneers went 12-of-19 from long range. The Golden Eagles also made a dozen 3s, but it took them 34 tries.
The Pioneers, who also got 17 points from
Eric Milam and 12 from
Tanner Hazelbaker, neutralized John Brown's decided height advantage provided by 6-foot-10 Nate Anderson and 6-9 Max Hopfgartner. Anderson did not score while Hopfgartner had seven points. Three guards – Abel Galliguez with 18 points, Coleson Rakestraw with 17 and Kent High with 10 – paced JBU's scoring. Rakestraw's 11.6 points-per-game average leads the well-balanced Eagles, who rank second in the SAC in scoring defense, allowing opponents 65 ppg. The Pioneers average 71.5 ppg.
On Saturday, the Pioneers take on Rogers State (18-8, 6-6), the SAC's highest-scoring team averaging almost 80 points a game, in a contest pitting two of five teams battling each other for the fourth through eighth conference positions.
The Hillcats were ranked No. 18 when they came to Plainview and downed Wayland, 69-61. Since then, Rogers State has lost three of five games and fallen out of the Top 25, although the Hillcats still are receiving poll votes.
In the first meeting, Wayland led Rogers State by 11 points, 18-7, but the Hillcats outscored Wayland 22-6 late in the game to win it. The Pioneers were led by Milam's 13 points while Hazelbaker and Fondren scored 11 each and
Theo Hatcher 10. Fondren also had nine rebounds. RSU, with six NCAA Division I transfers on its roster, got 16 points from 6-5 senior guard Donald Williams, a transfer from Ole Miss and the SAC's third-leading scorer averaging just over 17 a game. Ken Holdman and Justynn Hammond added 14 points apiece and Alex Ewings 12.
Like the Pioneers, the Flying Queens (13-13, 5-7) are jockeying for the fourth seed in the SAC Tournament, although the women's race isn't quite as tight as the men's. Thursday's opponent, John Brown University (9-15, 4-8), is immediately behind Wayland in the current standings.
Further making the game an important one is the fact the Flying Queens need to get back to their winning ways. Fighting a range of inconsistency on the court, Wayland has won just once in its last six outings.
One of those losses was a 74-67 decision to John Brown. In that game, the Queens rallied from a 13-point deficit to tie it, but the Golden Eagles went 12-of-12 from the free-throw line in the closing 1:22 to secure the win. For the game, JBU was 23-of-29 from the charity stripe. The Golden Eagles also were hot from three-point territory where they made 9-of-13, with six different players sinking bombs.
John Brown was led by Kortni Barenberg's season-high 17 points, followed by Abbie Warren with 12 and Kami Garrison with 11. For Wayland,
Angeleigh Davis, the SAC's fourth-leading scorer, put in 23 points,
Christie Mooney got 16 and
Rochelle Norris added11.
LaTericka Anderson hauled in 14 rebounds.
On Saturday, the Queens will be looking to avenge a disappointing 73-54 setback against Rogers State from a Jan. 24 game in Hutcherson Center. The loss put a damper on the Queens' 1,500 wins celebration.
Wayland had a dismal night shooting in the matchup, hitting just 14 percent from the field in the first half when the Queens fell behind by 15 points, and ending the game at 22 percent. Mooney led the Queens with 16 points while Norris had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Conversely, Rogers State shot 49 percent from the field, including 5-of-11 3-pointers, and made 16-of-24 free throws. Four Hillcats scored in double figures, including team leader Kelby Fritz with 14 and Sierra Cornwell with 12.
The Hillcats were ranked 15
th when Wayland faced them the first time, but Rogers State – after a 100-78 loss to No. 3 Lubbock Christian – has won four in a row and is up to No. 12 this week.
SAC Standings (Women)
|
School |
SAC |
Overall |
GB |
Streak |
|
Oklahoma City |
13-0 |
1.000 |
21-2 |
.913 |
-- |
Won 20 |
|
Lubbock Christian |
10-2 |
.833 |
23-2 |
.920 |
2.5 |
Won 2 |
|
Rogers State |
10-2 |
.833 |
20-6 |
.769 |
2.5 |
Won 4 |
|
Oklahoma Baptist |
6-7 |
.462 |
13-11 |
.542 |
7.0 |
Won 1 |
|
Wayland Baptist |
5-7 |
.417 |
13-13 |
.500 |
7.5 |
Lost 2 |
|
John Brown |
4-8 |
.333 |
9-15 |
.375 |
8.5 |
Lost 3 |
|
MACU |
3-9 |
.250 |
12-11 |
.522 |
9.5 |
Lost 5 |
|
Saint Gregory's |
3-9 |
.250 |
10-16 |
.385 |
9.5 |
Lost 1 |
|
USAO |
1-11 |
.083 |
10-14 |
.417 |
11.5 |
Lost 3 |
SAC Standings (Men)
|
School |
SAC |
Overall |
GB |
Streak |
|
John Brown |
11-1 |
.917 |
22-4 |
.846 |
-- |
Won 4 |
|
Oklahoma Baptist |
9-4 |
.692 |
21-6 |
.778 |
2.5 |
Won 1 |
|
MACU |
8-4 |
.667 |
13-8 |
.619 |
3.0 |
Won 1 |
|
Rogers State |
6-6 |
.500 |
18-8 |
.692 |
5.0 |
Won 1 |
|
Lubbock Christian |
6-6 |
.500 |
13-11 |
.542 |
5.0 |
Won 2 |
|
USAO |
5-7 |
.417 |
12-8 |
.600 |
6.0 |
Lost 1 |
|
Wayland Baptist |
5-7 |
.417 |
14-11 |
.560 |
6.0 |
Won 1 |
|
Oklahoma City |
5-8 |
.385 |
12-9 |
.571 |
6.5 |
Lost 2 |
|
Saint Gregory's |
0-12 |
.000 |
6-16 |
.273 |
11.0 |
Lost 14 |
NAIA Div. I Women's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll - No. 8
|
RANK |
LAST TIME |
SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) |
2012-13 RECORD |
TOTAL POINTS |
|
1 |
T1 |
Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) (6) |
24-1 |
277 |
|
2 |
T1 |
Oklahoma City (5) |
22-2 |
276 |
|
3 |
4 |
Lubbock Christian (Texas) |
23-2 |
263 |
|
4 |
5 |
Westminster (Utah) |
22-2 |
254 |
|
5 |
6 |
Cumberland (Tenn.) |
24-1 |
245 |
|
6 |
8 |
Westmont (Calif.) |
20-3 |
234 |
|
T7 |
7 |
Lee (Tenn.) |
22-2 |
223 |
|
T7 |
3 |
Vanguard (Calif.) |
17-2 |
223 |
|
9 |
9 |
MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) |
23-2 |
209 |
|
10 |
11 |
Xavier (La.) |
20-4 |
200 |
|
11 |
10 |
The Master's (Calif.) |
22-3 |
189 |
|
12 |
15 |
Rogers State (Okla.) |
20-6 |
172 |
|
13 |
14 |
Benedictine (Kan.) |
22-4 |
171 |
|
14 |
21 |
Shawnee State (Ohio) |
19-6 |
156 |
|
15 |
17 |
Columbia (Mo.) |
20-5 |
152 |
|
16 |
18 |
Faulkner (Ala.) |
22-4 |
147 |
|
17 |
16 |
Bethel (Tenn.) |
18-6 |
142 |
|
18 |
12 |
Campbellsville (Ky.) |
18-7 |
135 |
|
19 |
13 |
Georgetown (Ky.) |
17-8 |
127 |
|
20 |
20 |
Lyon (Ark.) |
22-3 |
110 |
|
21 |
22 |
Wiley (Texas) |
20-3 |
105 |
|
22 |
19 |
Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) |
23-2 |
98 |
|
23 |
23 |
William Woods (Mo.) |
19-4 |
72 |
|
24 |
RV |
Southern Poly (Ga.) |
20-2 |
64 |
|
25 |
25 |
Carroll (Mont.) |
16-7 |
60 |
Others receiving votes: LSU Shreveport (La.) 59; St. Catharine (Ky.) 48; Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) 33; Baker (Kan.) 21; Southern-New Orleans (La.) 17; Robert Morris (Ill.) 10; Central Methodist (Mo.) 5; Cumberlands (Ky.) 3; Coastal Georgia 3.
NAIA Div. I Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll - No. 8
|
RANK |
LAST WEEK |
SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) |
2012 – 13 RECORD |
TOTAL POINTS |
|
1 |
1 |
Columbia (Mo.) (11) |
25-0 |
281 |
|
2 |
2 |
Lee (Tenn.) |
24-1 |
272 |
|
3 |
3 |
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) |
23-2 |
262 |
|
4 |
4 |
John Brown (Ark.) |
22-4 |
251 |
|
5 |
5 |
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) |
22-3 |
244 |
|
6 |
6 |
Westmont (Calif.) |
21-4 |
239 |
|
7 |
8 |
Cal State San Marcos |
20-4 |
227 |
|
8 |
13 |
SAGU (Texas) |
23-3 |
212 |
|
9 |
16 |
Faulkner (Ala.) |
22-3 |
208 |
|
10 |
10 |
Oklahoma Baptist |
20-6 |
193 |
|
11 |
17 |
Evangel (Mo.) |
19-5 |
178 |
|
12 |
18 |
Montana State-Northern |
21-5 |
176 |
|
13 |
22 |
Georgetown (Ky.) |
19-5 |
168 |
|
14 |
11 |
Xavier (La.) |
21-5 |
163 |
|
15 |
9 |
Emmanuel (Ga.) |
23-3 |
153 |
|
16 |
14 |
Bethel (Tenn.) |
22-4 |
145 |
|
17 |
7 |
Pikeville (Ky.) |
19-5 |
130 |
|
18 |
12 |
Westminster (Utah) |
20-5 |
128 |
|
19 |
19 |
William Carey (Miss.) |
20-4 |
124 |
|
20 |
21 |
LSU Shreveport (La.) |
18-4 |
105 |
|
21 |
15 |
Hope International (Calif.) |
21-5 |
104 |
|
22 |
22 |
MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) |
19-7 |
77 |
|
T23 |
25 |
Mid-America Christian (Okla.) |
13-8 |
69 |
|
T23 |
RV |
Culver-Stockton (Mo.) |
20-6 |
69 |
|
25 |
RV |
Arizona Christian |
16-6 |
56 |
Others receiving votes: Philander Smith (Ark.) 50; Martin Methodist (Tenn.) 50; Montana Western 44; Rogers State (Okla.) 43; Concordia (Calif.) 23; Shawnee State (Ohio) 14; St. Thomas (Texas) 6; Southern-New Orleans (La.) 6; Campbellsville (Ky.) 3.
