Flying Queens Pull Away from Tigers Late for 89-78 Victory

Plainview – The Flying Queens found themselves in a battle with the Tigers of Central Christian College Saturday afternoon at the Hutcherson Center, but the Queens pulled away down the stretch to secure the 89-78 win to move to 2-0 in Sooner Athletic Conference play.
 
The 13^th ranked Flying Queens opened up the game with a 7-4 lead after sophomore Bobbie Fouquet drained an open 3-pointer followed by a Kaitlyn Jerden layup off the feed from Emily Sigala. The Tigers answered with an 8-0 scoring run to take a 12-7 lead over the Queens with just over five minutes left in the opening quarter. The Tigers extended their lead to 19-13, but junior Megan Nestor converted a successful and-one to trim the Queens' deficit to 19-16. The Queens trailed the Tigers 21-16 at the end of the first quarter.
 
Central Christian scored the first five points of the second quarter, but Fouquet would get the Queens on the board with another 3-pointer to make it 26-19, Tigers. Later in the second quarter, the Tigers held a 35-28 lead over the Queens, but Fouquet would knock down a jumper to make it 35-30 with just over three minutes until the halftime break. Jerden would bring the Queens even at 39-39 entering the halftime intermission after converting a solid and-one then scoring another layup.
 
The Tigers scored their first few baskets of the third quarter to take a 46-41 lead, but Nestor would convert her second and-one of the game and cut the Tigers lead to just 46-44 after a few minutes of play. The Queens would take the lead after the Tigers committed a foul followed by a technical foul, then Nestor would convert inside again to make it 52-49 in favor of the Queens. Junior Teodora Popovic would give the Queens a 58-49 lead after sinking a massive three to give the Queens a spark of energy that was needed.
 
The Tigers would battle back, but another bucket from Popovic gave the Pioneers a 66-61 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Nestor took over at the beginning of the fourth quarter, scoring the first nine points of the quarter for the Queens to give them a 75-65 lead over the Tigers with just over seven minutes left in regulation. The Tigers cut their deficit to seven points, but Jerden showed her toughness by finishing through contact for another and-one to give the Queens an 80-70 lead with just over three minutes remaining. Sigala would drain four straight free throws in the final seconds to secure the 89-78 victory for the Flying Queens.
 
Head Coach Jason Cooper talked about the win saying, "I'm always grateful for a win, but this one was a real battle. I have to give credit to Central Christian. They executed their game plan exceptionally well and made some big shots. They're a much-improved team from last season."
 
Coach Cooper continued, "It was great to see Bobbie find her rhythm and knock down some shots. Hopefully, that momentum carries into next week's games. Meg's performance in the second half was outstanding. I'm thankful she stepped up when we needed her most, making a huge impact on the outcome."
 
Nestor finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds, a block, and two steals. Fouquet added 13 points, six rebounds, a block, and a steal. Popovic tallied 12 points, three rebounds, and two assists in 21 minutes off the bench. Jerden finished with 12 points, four rebounds, two assists, and four steals.
 
The Queens will host the Trail Blazers of the University of North Texas at Dallas for a Sooner Athletic Conference game on Thursday, November 21^st at 6:00 PM.