SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Wayland Baptist made only two 3-pointers but managed to keep pace with defending national runner-up Westmont University as the third-ranked Flying Queens fell to the No. 11 Warriors here Friday afternoon, 60-56.
It was Wayland's second loss during its three-game, week-long trip to California, where on Monday the Flying Queens (10-2) dropped their first game of the season to No. 11 The Master's, 64-49, before bouncing back with a huge win Wednesday over top-ranked Vanguard, 60-58.
The Flying Queens didn't shoot particularly well their first two West Coast games, and that trend continued against the Warriors (9-4) as Wayland made just 2-of-19 3-point shots (11 percent). Overall, the Flying Queens shot 36 percent (21-of-59) from the field and were 12-of-16 (75 percent) from the free-throw line.
Deborah VanDijk led Wayland with 13 points and nine rebounds, missing her second double-double of the season by one rebound for the second time.
Morgan Bennett and
Kambrey Blakey added 10 points apiece, and
Kaylee Edgemon tacked on eight.
Wayland – hoping to avenge a 56-54 loss to Westmont in last year's national semifinals – never led, falling behind by eight points in the first quarter, 16-8. Down 28-25 at the half, the Flying Queens tied it on a couple of occasions in the third period at 31 and 33, but never were able to get ahead.
Up 41-37 entering the fourth, Westmont went on a 10-2 run to take its largest lead, 12 points at 51-39. Wayland managed to cut it to two on only the second successful 3-pointer of the game by
Morgan Bennett with five seconds left, but Iyree Jarrett sealed the win for the Warriors with a pair of free throws.
Kaitlin Larson led Westmont with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Sydney Brown was the only other Warriors in double figures with 12.
Westmont made 21-of-50 field goals (42 percent), 5-of-16 3s (31 percent), and 13-of-21 free throws (62 percent).
Wayland held a 38-35 rebounding edge and turned it over 12 times, three fewer than Westmont.
The Flying Queens are now 0-3 all-time against Westmont, which was coming off a 58-49 loss to Lewis-Clark State, Idaho, ranked the equivalent of 26
th in the NAIA, on Wednesday. Westmont fell to Vanguard in a Golden State Athletic Conference contest on Dec. 3, 63-47.
Wayland, having concluded a six-game road swing that took the Flying Queens to four states, is next in action Jan. 3 at home in a Sooner Athletic Conference contest against Southwestern Assemblies of God. The next Top 25 poll will be released Jan. 2.
