Box Score PUEBLO, Colo. –
Jade Jones,
Shayla Monreal and
Deborah VanDijk all scored 14 points, and Wayland Baptist outscored Colorado-Colorado Springs 24-11 in the third period as the No. 22 Flying Queens defeated the NCAA Division II Mountain Lions here Friday night, 65-56.
On the first day of the Quality Inn & Suites Thanksgiving Classic, Wayland (4-0) remained unbeaten thanks to several big runs after halftime, when the Flying Queens trailed by two. Wayland was down 27-23 when it went on the first of its runs, eight unanswered points.
The Flying Queens' lead was just two when they staged a 10-0 push that put them in command, up by a dozen.
WBU grew its lead to as many as 15, 51-36, early in the fourth, and the win was never much in doubt after that. UCCS (3-2), ranked the equivalent of 37
th in NCAA D-II, did pull to within five, 61-56, with 40 seconds left, but WBU's
Morgan Bennett and Monreal hit two free throws apiece to lock things up.
Besides their 14 points, VanDijk added eight rebounds, Jones got six, and Monreal produced six assists.
Wayland drilled 24-of-28 (86 percent) of its free throws, with Monreal going 6-for-6, Bennett and
Shawna Monreal both 4-for-4, and Jones 2-for-2.
The Flying Queens' accuracy at the foul stripe made up for a 1-for-10 showing behind the 3-point line, where UCCS also struggled (2-for-21). Both teams also had a hard time taking care of the ball as Wayland committed 26 turnovers and the Mountain Lions 28. Wayland was outrebounded, 42-37.
The Queens are back in action at 6 p.m. (CST) Saturday against another NCAA D-II, host No. 17 Colorado State-Pueblo (4-0), which was taking on Morningside, Iowa, on Friday night. The ThunderWolves on Nov. 12 in Denver defeated Lubbock Christian, 65-61. The defending national champion and 24
th-ranked Lady Chaps downed Wayland in an exhibition Monday in Lubbock, 72-50.
