No. 6 Flying Queens roll to 57-point win

After opening with three impressive road victories, the sixth-ranked Wayland Baptist Flying Queens made their home debut and continued their winning ways by locking in a 103-46 victory over Northern New Mexico on Wednesday night in Hutcherson Center.
 
Freshman Payton Brown came off the bench and led Wayland (4-0) with 17 points and five assists. Not far behind was another freshman Cailyn Breckel, with 15 points and 12 rebounds, her first double-double as a Flying Queen.
 
Also scoring in double-digits were Maci Merket with 14, Deborah VanDijk and Kaylee Edgemon with 12 each. Edgemon, a sophomore transfer, also had a dozen boards for her second double-double in her fourth game as a Flying Queen. Morgan Bennett, who finished with eight assists, and Kambrey Blakey came within a point each of giving Wayland seven players in double-figures. All 11 Flying Queens scored.
 
Eager to be on their home floor, the Flying Queens got an early jump on the Eagles (1-9), resulting in a 15-point lead, 25-10, by the end of the first quarter. Northern New Mexico's Holly Woodbury, who scored 15 total, started the scoring off with a 3-pointer, but the Flying Queens quickly responded after Coach Alesha Ellis called a timeout just 90 seconds after the opening tip.
 
"We got off to a slow start, but the thing about playing teams like this is that you can't underestimate them, no matter who they are or what their record is," Ellis said.
 
Early in the second quarter the Flying Queens led by just 12, but they stretched that to 31 by the time halftime rolled around, 54-23.
 
Wayland forced the Eagles into 12 first-half turnovers while the Flying Queens only committed three. In fact, Wayland ended with just six giveaways compared to 26 for the visitors from Espanola, N.M.
 
"Our turnovers were under 10, and that's always a goal of ours, so I'm really proud of that," Ellis said.
 
Wayland outscored NNMC – which was playing its seventh game in 13 days, all on the road – 22-12 in the third quarter and 27-11 in the fourth. Their largest lead was 58 points, 101-43, on a bucket by Brown with just under a minute to play.
 
"I felt like we had great energy in the second half, especially off the bench," Ellis said. "What makes this team good is that everyone on the roster is capable of double digits. Anyone can come off the bench and have a big game."
 
The 57-point win was the largest for WBU since a 58-point, 97-39 win over University of the Southwest (N.M.) in last season's opening game.
 
Despite the point difference, the Flying Queens didn't enjoy their best shooting: 42 percent from the field (38-of-90) and 33 percent from behind the 3-point line (12-of-36) while Northern New Mexico shot 36 percent from the field (19-of-52) and 24 percent from the three (6-of-25).
 
"Defensively, I feel like we can do better, but overall our team came together," Ellis said. "We're an aggressive team and I think we're always going to work to find a way to win. We have some things to fix for sure, but I'm pleased with our effort and energy tonight."
 
The Queens will be back in the Hutch for their Sooner Athletic Conference opener against University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma at 6 p.m. Nov. 29. USAO (3-2) is ranked the equivalent of 28^th in the NAIA, one spot behind Mid-America Christian, which Wayland hosts Dec. 1.