Box Score In the last home game of the Sooner Athletic Conference regular-season, the 14th-ranked Wayland Baptist Flying Queens went out with a deafening bang, defeating Texas Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon in Hutcherson Center, 78-38, to extend their win streak to 18 games.
Before the game, the Queens honored their four seniors – Stephanie Afunugo, Brianna Bogard, Laura Castillo and Krystal Forthan – who have contributed mightily to the incredible season they've had so far.
"Laura is a leader. Steph is just a beast. Brianna is a fiery kid who makes our bench deeper. Krystal's size makes a difference in how we score," Coach Alesha Robertson-Ellis said. "They will be missed next season."
This season, though, is far from over.
The Flying Queens (22-4, 17-1 SAC) will travel to Waxahachie for the SAC tournament, which begins Wednesday when the bottom four teams play in the first round. The Queens are the top seed and receive a bye into the quarterfinals on Thursday against an opponent and at a time to be determined. Semifinals are Friday and the championship on Saturday.
The winner of the tournament earns an automatic berth into the NAIA National Tournament in Independence, Mo., although the Queens already have locked up no worse than an at-large bid. It will be WBU's third straight trip to nationals.
On Saturday, the Queens and Lady Rams (8-20, 3-15) both started cold in the first quarter, but WBU quickly picked it up to carry a 19-5 lead.
Wayland's off shooting continued, but fortunately for the Queens, the Rams were having a much worse day, starting the game just 1-for-14 (7%). After only scoring five points in the first, they scored eight in the second while the Queens doubled their total from the first and held a 38-13 advantage going into halftime.
Although the Rams shot their highest percentage (58%) and point output in the game (19) in the third, the Queens didn't allow them to get any closer the rest of the way. Wayland matched TWU's 19 points in the third then outscored the Lady Rams in the fourth, 21-6.
Wayland continued its well-rounded scoring with all but two players netting a basket and three players ending in double figures. Leading the way was Afunugo, who finished with her sixth double-double of the year, 15 points and a season-high 14 rebounds. Right behind her was Shawna Monreal with 13 points and five rebounds and Castillo with 11 points. Forthan finished with nine points and rebounds, while Bogard ended with seven points.
The Queens also took care of the boards, out-rebounding the Rams, 53-35. Wayland forced Wesleyan, which shot just 26 percent (17-of-66) for the game, into 22 turnovers.
