Ellis earns 100th win at Wayland as Flying Queens drop Lady Evangels, 85-68

Box Score It took some 43 hours longer than they anticipated, but the fifth-ranked Wayland Baptist Flying Queens presented coach Alesha Ellis with her milestone 100^th victory Saturday afternoon at Hutcherson Center thanks to an 85-68 win over Mid-America Christian.
 
"I can't believe this is my fifth year at Wayland, but I just thank God for the opportunity to be here. Without Him none of it would have been possible," said Ellis, who is 100-39 at WBU. "I've been fortunate enough to surround myself with great assistant coaches who have helped me get to this point. I'm also very thankful for all the players I've coached over the last five years. They're the ones who made it happen."
 
The Flying Queens came up short in their first try for Ellis' 100^th win on Thursday, falling to Science & Arts of Oklahoma, 71-66. Saturday's second attempt was close until Wayland took control in the second half.
 
Over the first quarter between the Flying Queens (11-3, 5-2 SAC) and Lady Evangels (9-6, 3-4), the lead changed hands nine times. The period ended with MACU in front, 20-19.
 
Sophomore Kendrick Clark, making her first career start for Wayland, opened the second quarter just as she did the first, with a 3-pointer. MACU scored to tie it, then when Maci Merket nailed a 3 to give the Flying Queens a 25-22 advantage, Wayland never trailed the rest of the way.
 
"We came out a little bit slow, but we had a sense of urgency and really picked it up and stuck to our game plan," Ellis said.
 
Up just 40-38 at the half, the Flying Queens saw their first double-digit lead, 53-42, on a jumper by Kambrey Blakey midway through the third.  Wayland went up by 14 but MACU cut it to five, 63-58, with a 3-pointer to open the final period.
 
The Flying Queens responded with a 16-2 run, started with a traditional three-point play by Deborah VanDijk and ending with a fast-break bucket by Blakey that made it 77-60. WBU's largest lead was 21 points.
 
The Queens' second-half play was an effort made not only by the team's starters but those coming off the bench as well. Blakey was Wayland's leading scorer with 15 points. Also off the bench was Kelea Pool with eight points and Margaret Gaydon who contributed seven points as well as five rebounds.
 
"Kambrey came off the bench and had a really good game. So did Margret and Kelea," Ellis said. "They may not have played a lot of minutes, but when they were in the game they were efficient and gave us a spark off the bench. They stepped up and took the challenge."
 
Clark and VanDijk finished with 13 and 11 points, respectively, and VanDijk had a game-high 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the season.
 
Wayland hit 9-of-38 3-pointers with six players hitting from long range.
 
MACU leads the NAIA in rebounds at almost 48 per game, but the Queens out-rebounded the Lady Evangels, 52-42. Wayland tallied 29 defensive and 23 offensive rebounds, helping lead to the Flying Queens' 17-8 advantage in second-chance points.
 
Wayland was strong on the defensive end as well, forcing 20 turnovers while the Queens had only 12. Lady Evangel Alexis Shannon, ranked seventh in scoring in the NAIA averaging 20 points per game, was held to 13 points by Wayland's defensive effort.
 
The Lady Evangels, who hit 26-of-32 free throws (81 percent), were led by Chelseah Savage with 17 points and Nevada Denton with 16, including 11-of-12 free throws.
 
"MACU is one that can sneak up on you. They're very quick and athletic, but we took care of the ball and did a better job in the second half of stopping their drives, which made a huge difference," Ellis said.
 
Wayland now leads the all-time series with MACU, 18-3.
 
The Queens will play their third straight home game at 6 p.m. Monday against Oklahoma Panhandle State (9-5, 2-5), which after defeating MACU on Thursday, 74-59, lost Saturday to USAO, 66-46.