EL RENO, Okla. –
Jenna Cooper-Jackson scored 20 points,
Kaitlyn Edgemon came up with a double-double and
Marchelle Bowden turned in a strong performance as the Wayland Baptist Flying Queens posted their fourth straight Sooner Athletic Conference win over Oklahoma City University here Thursday, 57-52.
Wayland (16-9, 12-7 SAC) trailed by five in the first quarter and by one, 28-27, at halftime, but was up 43-41 going into the fourth quarter. OCU (11-12, 8-10) took its final lead on a traditional 3-point play with 7½ minutes to play. A minute after that, a layup by Edgemon gave Wayland the lead for good.
The led was two with just over two minutes to play, but a 3-point play by Edgemon and then a free throw by
Ashlyn Shelley put Wayland up 54-48 with 45 seconds to go.
The Stars made a layup to make it 55-52 with eight seconds left, then Shelley made it a two-possession game by hitting a free throw. An OCU turnover led to Cooper-Jackson hitting a foul shot for the final point.
Cooper-Jackson got seven rebounds and seven assists to go with her game-best 20 points, while Edgemon logged her second consecutive and fifth double-double of the season with 15 point and 10 boards. Bowden came off the bench and logged a season-high 21 minutes, nine rebounds and nine rebounds, including six offensive boards. Shelley finished with five points, six rebounds and five assists.
WBU, which defeated OCU earlier in the season, 80-66, outrebounded the Stars, 54-46. The Stars, who made just 3-of-21 3-pointers (14 percent), were led by Amaya Gordon and Annilia Dawn with 18 and 10 points, respectively. Cacie Gorman recorded 10 rebounds.
The game was held at The Pit at Redlands Community College due to facility issues at OCU.
Next for the Flying Queens is a huge contest at 2 p.m. Saturday in Siloam Springs, Ark., against John Brown (18-6, 12-6), which won its sixth straight Thursday over Oklahoma-Panhandle State, 63-44. Wayland is a half-game behind the fourth-place Golden Eagles in the SAC standings, with the top four teams hosting first-round games in the conference tournament. JBU defeated the Queens in Plainview on Jan. 5, 68-61.
