Plainview – The 13
th ranked Flying Queens edged the Lions of Nelson University, 76-66, behind 23 points from
Kaitlyn Jerden to move to 4-0 in Sooner Athletic Conference play.
Wayland Baptist fell behind 7-2 early to begin the contest, but a layup from junior
Megan Nestor followed by a three from senior
Emily Sigala evened the score up at 7-7. The Queens would push their lead to 17-12 after a smooth layup from senior
Linda Brice off the feed from
Teodora Popovic gave the Queens some momentum.
Jerden would cap off the first quarter for the Queens with a three off another feed from Popovic to give Wayland Baptist the 20-15 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Lions scored the first four points of the second quarter to trim their deficit to just one point, but sophomore
Bobbie Fouquet knocked down an open jumper to give the Queens a 22-19 lead. At the midway point of the second quarter, the Queens pushed their lead to 26-21 after sophomore
Peyton North drained an open three with barely any time left on the shot clock to give the Queens a spark.
The Queens would get buckets from Brice and Nestor down the stretch of the second quarter, which allowed them to take a 35-27 lead over the Lions into the halftime break.
The third quarter was dominated by the Queens in large part to their work on the offensive glass. The Queens grabbed nine offensive rebounds in the third quarter, including five from Nestor. Nestor put this on display with just over three minutes left in the quarter after she cleaned up an offensive rebound for a putback layup to give the Queens a 49-38 lead.
With just under a minute left in the quarter, Jerden attacked the bucket and finished through contact for a beautiful and-one to put the Queens up 52-42. North would follow up Jerden's and-one with a huge three-pointer just before the buzzer to give the Queens a 55-42 lead heading into the final quarter.
The Queens got back-to-back buckets from Brice and Jerden to push their lead to 59-42, but the Lions would score the next ten points to trim their deficit to 59-52 with just over five minutes left in regulation.
With just over two minutes left in the game, Jerden struck again for another and-one to give the Queens a 67-60 lead and halt the Lion momentum. Jerden converted the final made bucket for the Queens to give them a 69-61 lead, but the Queens would sink 7 of 8 free throw attempts down the stretch to fend off the Lions, 76-66.
"I was really proud of our effort in today's game. We knew Nelson would come in and put up a tough fight, but we did an excellent job adjusting and countering their defensive strategies," said Head Coach
Jason Cooper when talking about tonight's win.
Coach Cooper continued, "They focused heavily on Megan, yet she still delivered an impressive performance with 15 points and 19 rebounds. Kait's performance was a highlight of the game. Having her out there is a huge boost, and she stepped up with 23 points and five assists. She was fully engaged in both the offensive and defensive flow, contributing to a well-rounded and complete game."
Jerden finished with a team-high 23 points, five rebounds, five assists, a block, and three steals. Nestor added 15 points, a season-high 19 rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. Brice notched 13 points, nine rebounds, and an assist.
Coach Cooper said, "Linda also made a significant impact, especially on the boards. As our three guard, her 13 points and 9 rebounds were critical to our success tonight. I was really proud of Peyton for being ready to shoot. Coming off the bench and going 2 for 3 from beyond the arc was huge. She gave us some great minutes and provided a spark when we needed it."
The Flying Queens will host the Aggies of Oklahoma Panhandle State University on Tuesday, November 26
th at the Hutcherson Center in another Sooner Athletic Conference game. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 PM.
