Box Score SAN ANGELO – Sisters Shayla and
Shawna Monreal and
Nina Sato all scored 20 points each to lead No. 24 Wayland Baptist to a 91-71 win over Angelo State here Saturday night.
"We were a totally different team out there. They played like they know how to tonight," Wayland coach
Alesha Robertson-Ellis said. "We shot really well. It was our best game all year."
Against one of the top teams in the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference, the Flying Queens (6-4) got out to a 9-2 lead and never looked back, leading by 17 points early in the second quarter, 28-11. The Belles (6-3) pulled to within five, 56-51, late in the third, but
Laura Castillo and
Shawna Monreal nailed back-to-back 3-pointers to end the period and give WBU an 11-point cushion going into the final 10 minutes.
"(ASU) is very athletic and quick and they got up In our face, but we responded to that very well," Robertson-Ellis said.
ASU again got within five, 64-59, but the Flying Queens once more responded with a bucket by
Stephanie Afunugo, who finished with 10 points, and a 3 by
Shayla Monreal. Another bucket by Afunugo, a 3-point play by Sato, another 3 by
Shayla Monreal, and two free throws by Sato presented Wayland with a comfortable 17-point cushion with 3½ minutes to go.
"When they came back and made a run at us, we didn't fold," Robertson-Ellis said. "We responded well to some adversity down the stretch (and) adjusted to the way the game was being called."
Wayland's largest lead was 22, 91-69, which was the score by which the Queens defeated McMurry a day earlier.
Led by
Shayla Monreal's 6-of-8 effort from 3-point range, which missed a program record by one bucket, the Queens hit 12-of-22 (55 percent) from that distance to tie a program record, and wound up shooting 56 percent (35-of-63) overall from the field. They made 9-of-11 free throws (82 percent), with Sato perfect in six attempts.
Sato ended with a team-high eight rebounds and two blocks, while
Shawna Monreal had five assists.
"We showed up at every position. In order to win these games that's what we have to do," Robertson-Ellis said.
In the second half, Wayland made 8-of-10 3-pointers, shot 66 percent overall, and hit all six of its free throws.
"They shot the ball with more confidence today," Robertson-Ellis said. "To have three players with 20 points…that's big time."
Shayla Monreal's 20 points marked a career-high by four, while Sato's total was one off her career best.
"We moved the ball well, which is something we've been working on," Robertson-Ellis said. "The more we move the ball, the better shots we're going to get, and I felt like that was a factor tonight."
Angelo State got 18 points each from Taylor Dorsey and Brea Mitchell. Jasmine Prophet put in 11 points and had nine rebounds. The Belles shot just 18 percent (6-of-33) from beyond the arc and 34 percent (26-of-76) overall. They were 13-of-23 (57 percent) at the foul stripe.
Wayland overcame 21 turnovers, eight more than ASU.
"I'm really proud of the team. With it being close to the Christmas break and nobody expecting us to win, they could have backed down from this game, but they didn't," Robertson-Ellis said. "We were upbeat. There was more energy everywhere on the floor tonight.
"They went out there with the attitude that they weren't going to get beat. That was how I envisioned this team being."
The game ended a six-game road swing for the Queens, who next are in action Jan. 7 at home against St. Gregory's as Sooner Athletic Conference play resumes.
"It's a good way to go out for the Christmas break," Robertson-Ellis said. "The thing we have to do now is come back from Christmas break and get ready to play conference."
