Box Score
FORT WORTH – Wayland Baptist scored 20 straight points to erase an eight-point second-half deficit, and the Flying Queens went on to defeat Texas Wesleyan in Sooner Athletic Conference play here Thursday night, 87-80.
"It was a good win for us on the road," Wayland coach Alesha Robertson said.
Angeleigh Davis scored 27 points and pulled down 10 rebounds – the senior's first double-double of the season – to lead Wayland (6-8, 3-2 SAC), which posted back-to-back victories for the first time since its first two games of the season.
"She's a big key to what we do," Robertson said of Davis. "If we're going to win big games, we're going to have to have her scoring."
Shayla Monreal hit four 3-pointers and scored a season-high 16 points while LaTericka Anderson and Laura Castillo added 12 points each. Anderson, in just her third game of the season, also had eight rebounds and Castillo delivered six assists.
"Our bench came off and played really well," Robertson said. "Our guards did a nice job. LaTericka and Aubrey (Pedigo, 8 points) did a really nice job guarding their posts, and I thought that was one of the keys to the game, stopping their posts."
After leading by as many as six in the first half, the Flying Queens trailed at halftime, 41-40, when the Lady Rams hit a 3-pointer with three seconds left before intermission. Wayland fell behind by eight, 58-50, before making its big push with just under 12 minutes to go in the game.
"They pulled it together," Robertson said of her team. "I told them to calm down and take care of the ball. Texas Wesleyan was making some of the same mistakes we were, so we needed (to stop making turnovers and give ourselves) a chance to score."
The long ball fueled Wayland's game-changing push as Monreal and Castillo each hit a pair of bombs during the spurt.
"The twins (Shayla and Shawna Monreal) came off the bench and gave us a good game," Robertson said. "They hit some pretty big shots."
By the time the 20-0 run was over, the Flying Queens had kept Texas Wesleyan scoreless for close to 5½ minutes to assume a 70-58 lead.
"Once we went on that run, it got Texas Wesleyan out of their game," Robertson said.
Wayland's 12-point lead coming off the lopsided run was Wayland's largest advantage of the game before the Lady Rams rallied to get back in it. Texas Wesleyan pulled to within four at 74-70, but that's as close as Wayland let it get.
Up 81-75, the Flying Queens came through down the stretch as Monreal and Castillo combined to hit four free throws and Davis connected on her final bucket, all in the final 29 seconds.
Davis' 27 points, on 11-of-18 field goal shooting and a 5-of-8 effort from the free-throw line, was five shy of the career-high 32 she scored on Saturday in a win over Mid-America Christian University.
The Lady Rams (8-7, 4-3) were led in scoring by Takoia Larry with 23 points and Amy Moody with 19.
Wayland hit 81 percent (21-of-26) from the foul line and 8-of-28 (28 percent) from 3-point range. The Flying Queens held a 49-41 edge on the boards.
WBU next plays at 1 p.m. Saturday against University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (3-6, 2-4) in Chickasha. The Flying Queens will be looking for their first three-game win streak of the season.
Robertson said the Lady Drovers are quick and similar to the Flying Queens with their fast-paced style.
"They're nobody to overlook," she said. "We have to keep playing technique and doing the little things and not over-thinking things…just play basic basketball."
