FORT WORTH – Wayland Baptist scored 18 unanswered points and the sixth-ranked Flying Queens rallied from a 13-point deficit to secure a 78-64 Sooner Athletic Conference win over Texas Wesleyan here Saturday afternoon.
Kambrey Blakey scored a season-high 18 points to lead the Flying Queens (10-2, 3-1 SAC).
Payton Brown ended with 15 points and eight rebounds while
Kaylee Edgemon put in 13 points.
Morgan Bennett ended one assist short of a triple-double as the senior posted 10 points and 10 rebounds with her nine assists.
Kelea Pool and
Jenna Cooper contributed nine points apiece.
With just seven players, Texas Wesleyan (8-3, 3-1) was led by Makayla Coy and Destiny Winkfield with 17 and 16 points, respectively. Nicole Gleason, the Rams' leading scoring averaging 14.1 ppg, was held to just six on 1-of-10 shooting from the field, including 0-of-6 from 3-point range where as a team Texas Wesleyan hit just 3-of-21 (14 percent) 3-pointers.
Wayland finished 9-of-32 (28 percent) from long range as the Queens shot 40 percent (29-of-72) overall. WBU outrebounded the home team, 45-33.
The Lady Rams assumed a 13-point, 31-18 lead with 6½ minutes left in the first half. Wayland pulled to within seven at halftime and was down 50-46 with 4½ minutes to go in the third quarter when the Flying Queens went on their game-changing run.
Bennett and Brown hit 3-pointers on either side of a pair of free throws by Blakey to get the run going. Two foul shots by
Kelea Pool completed the march that saw Wayland go from a 4-four hole to a 14-point, 64-50 lead with 7:49 left in the game.
During the run, Texas Wesleyan went some eight minutes without scoring.
The Flying Queens return to Hutcherson Center at 6 p.m. Jan. 9 when they host Mid-America Christian (11-2, 4-0), a 73-71 winner over John Brown on Saturday. The Evangels, ranked the equivalent of 29
th in the NAIA, have won their last four, a run that began Dec. 13 with a 75-73 overtime road win over John Brown.
Wayland split with MACU last season, with the Evangels handing the Flying Queens their worst loss of the season in Oklahoma City, 85-66.
