Box Score ALPINE – The Wayland Baptist Flying Queens on Thursday took on Sul Ross State for the second time in less than a week, and this time won even easier than before, 89-58.
Sul Ross (5-4) led after the first quarter, 19-16, but it didn't take long for WBU (8-2), ranked the equivalent of 27
th in the NAIA, to regain its balance and gain the upper hand.
"The first half I think we struggled shooting a little bit, but in the second half we did a better job," WBU coach
Alesha Robertson-Ellis said.
The Flying Queens, playing at the conclusion of finals week, tied the game early in the second quarter before SRSU pulled ahead again. But by the midway point of the second quarter, the Queens really started to gain on the Lobos and once they had the lead again, this time they didn't let it go.
Wayland was up at the half, 41-33, and through the remainder of the game the Flying Queens continued to widen the margin, coasting to a comfortable 31-point win. Wayland on by 19, 77-58, last Saturday in Plainview.
Freshman post
Deborah VanDijk led the team in scoring with a season-high 23 points, missing just once in eight field goal attempts and going 9-of-12 from the free-throw line. She also recorded five rebounds.
"Deborah had a really good game," Robertson-Ellis said. "She did a lot of key things for us."
VanDijk's previous high was 18 points against Eastern New Mexico.
Senior
Jade Jones added 15 points and also had five rebounds. Senior
Shawna Monreal put up 12 points while sophomore
Maci Merket added 11, nine of which came from behind the 3-point line. Merket also had five assists.
The Flying Queens were out-rebounded by the Lobos, 42-38, but they dominated almost all of the other stats, including hitting 31-of-64 (48 percent) from the field and 22-of-29 (76 percent) from the foul stripe.
Wayland outscored SRSU in the paint, 42-22, and scored 29 points off of turnovers compared to just 11 for the Lobos.
Robertson-Ellis was very happy with how her team performed, especially with their defense throughout the game.
"(Sul Ross State) played well, but going into this I felt like we would be OK if we kept our composure, and they did that," Robertson-Ellis said. "They (Flying Queens) are good at finding a way and doing what it takes to win."
The Flying Queens next will be heading to Las Vegas to play in the Las Vegas Hoopla Dec. 19 and 21, first taking on Ottawa (Kan.) and then Northwestern Ohio. They return to Sooner Athletic Conference play and to Hutcherson Center on Jan. 5 against Bacone College at 6 p.m.
