Box Score OKLAHOMA CITY – Three days after an upset loss in Goodwell, Okla., the fifth-ranked Wayland Baptist Flying Queens got back on the right track here Thursday night, defending Mid-America Christian in a back-and-forth Sooner Athletic Conference affair, 82-74.
"It was a little bit nerve-wracking in the end, but we were able to finish," Wayland coach
Alesha Ellis said.
The Flying Queens (21-4, 14-3 SAC) went on a 16-2 run to end the first half then built a 21-point lead early in the third. The Lady Evangels (17-9, 11-7), ranked the equivalent of 31
st in the NAIA, made a game of it though, closing to within five with 4½ minutes left
Wayland was able to hold off the charge, however, with consecutive buckets by
Jada Riley,
Deborah VanDijk and
Nina Sato to help the Flying Queens stay within reach of the conference championship with just three regular-season games left.
Ellis said leading scorer
Maci Merket was forced to the bench with a bloody nose near the end of the game.
"I was proud of the kids we had out there. They were able to step up without her," Ellis said.
VanDijk led WBU in scoring with 20 points, one point shy of her season-best. The sophomore made 9-of-11 field goals.
Morgan Bennett had another well-rounded performance with 15 points, five rebounds and seven assists, which should keep her atop the NAIA in that category.
Merket ended with 14 points and six boards while
Kendrick Clark chipped in 11 points and nine rebounds. Riley added nine points.
"Our game plan was a little different today on defense. We had some trouble adjusting to that, but in the second half they came back and did a lot better job," Ellis said. "(MACU) started taking it at us, so we went to a zone and were able to finish in the end."
Alexis Shannon led MACU with 22 points, followed by Jessica Fairley with 14.
Wayland – which on Monday fell to Oklahoma-Panhandle State, 64-55, just two days after winning their 10
th straight over No. 4 Oklahoma City, 73-66 – led 29-26 when Merket and Clark combed for four quick 3-pointers, three by Merket. That kicked off a 23-5 run that boosted WBU's advantage to 52-31 early in the third period.
"Deb had a really good second quarter," Ellis said. "We were hitting open shots and executing our plays, and we made stops on the defensive end."
Wayland was up by 16, 70-54, going into the fourth when the Lady Evangels scored the first eight points to cut their deficit in half. They got as close as five before the Flying Queens reasserted themselves.
MACU hit 18-of-21 free throws (86 percent), while Wayland finished 12-of-16 (75 percent). Both teams made eight 3s, while overall the Flying Queens shot 46 percent (31-of-68) from the field to MACU's 37 percent (24-of-65). Both teams committed 20 turnovers.
It was Wayland's seventh win in a row in the series against MACU, which also included an 85-68 victory earlier this season in Plainview.
The Flying Queens play their final regular-season road game at 1 p.m. Saturday in Chickasha, Okla., against SAC co-leader Science and Arts of Oklahoma (23-4, 15-3), which on Thursday defeated Oklahoma Panhandle State, 75-59. Wayland will be looking to pay back the Drovers for a 71-66 loss in Hutcherson Center back on Jan. 11.
Ellis called it a "huge game."
"This is a big one. We have to make sure we're mentally prepared for them and know exactly what they're going to do and how we're going to beat it."
