CHICKASHA, Okla. – More shooting woes – this time mostly from the free-throw line – cost Wayland Baptist another Sooner Athletic Conference game here Saturday afternoon as the fifth-ranked Flying Queens fell to Science and Arts of Oklahoma, 77-70.
Wayland (17-4, 11-2 SAC) – which on Thursday came up short at Mid-America Christian, 85-66, after making just 4-of-32 3-pointers – finished 11-of-20 from the foul stripe and 7-of-28 from the 3-point arc as the Flying Queens fell to USAO (13-8, 8-5) for the third time in their last four meetings.
WBU fell behind by 13 points, 32-19, in the second quarter but scored 13 straight points to end the half and tie it up. The back-and-forth third quarter saw the Flying Queens fell behind by six then go up by seven, and ended with Wayland clinging to a 51-50 lead.
The Queens scored the first six points of the fourth period to again make it a 7-point game, but the Drovers kept plugging and took a 65-61 lead. A 3-pointer by WBU's
Kambrey Blakey tied it at 67 with 2:41 to go, but USAO took control of the game after that.
A pair of missed field goals and a turnover, plus efficient offense by the Drovers put the home team up 76-70. Then, after Wayland misfired on a couple of 3-point tries, it was over.
Blakey led Wayland, which defeated USAO, 71-65, in the conference-opener on Nov. 29 in Plainview, with 17 points, followed by
Deborah VanDijk with 15.
Morgan Bennett contributed 11 points, eight rebounds and four assists, while
Kelea Pool finished with 10 points and
Kaylee Edgemon nine.
The Drovers were led by the trio of Reyna Ammons, Vivian Holcomb and Kaytlen Johnson, who combined for 55 points and went 20-of-32 (63 percent) from the field. Ammons and Holcomb got 19 points each while Johnson got 17. Holcomb also pulled down 18 rebounds.
Wayland's 16 turnovers were four fewer than the Drovers, who outrebounded the Flying Queens by one, 37-36.
WBU will look to get right back at home against Langston (8-13, 3-10) at 6 p.m. Thursday. The Flying Queens defeated the Lady Lions – who on Saturday lost at 12th-ranked Oklahoma City, 82-42 – in the first half of conference play, 101-77.
Wayland now trails first-place OCU (18-2, 11-1) in the league standings by a half-game.
