Oklahoma City, Okla. - In a heart-stopping Sooner Athletic Conference game, the 12th ranked Flying Queens secured a narrow victory over 18th ranked Mid-America Christian, triumphing with a final score of 83-81 at the Gaulke Activity Center.
Wayland Baptist fell behind 15-9 after the first four minutes of the opening frame in large part to the Evangels hitting four of their first five shots. The Queens increased their aggressiveness as the first quarter played on, but even after a
Peyton North interior bucket, the Queens still trailed by six, 20-14. Over the final three minutes of the first quarter, the Queens were able to chip away at the Evangel lead by getting to the free throw line and converting three of four attempts to make it 22-17.
The Evangels took a 23-17 lead, but junior
Teodora Popovic knocked down a huge three-pointer with only a few seconds remaining in the first quarter to make it 23-20, which is how the score would look heading into the second.
The Flying Queens got off to a rough start in the second quarter, allowing the Evangels to go on a 7-0 scoring run to increase their advantage to 30-20. The Queens took that small scoring run personal, which prompted them to go on an 18-5 scoring run over the next four minutes, sparked by three massive three-pointers from sophomore
Peyton North and three tough buckets on the inside for
Megan Nestor.
However, the game of runs would continue as the Evangels answered back by scoring the next six points to take a 41-38 lead with just under two minutes until halftime. The Queens defensive intensity continued to increase as they forced the Evangels to miss their final four shots of the quarter, while
Brooklyn Hurtado and Popovic scored back-to-back buckets to send the Queens in the locker room with a 42-41 lead at the half.
The two team's went back-and-forth for the first five minutes of the third quarter until the Evangels pulled ahead 54-50, but the Queens responded by getting back-to-back three's from Popovic and
Emily Sigala to take a narrow 56-54 lead. The Evangels wouldn't let the Queens pull away – answering back by scoring the next 8 points to go ahead 62-56.
After the Evangels extended their lead to 65-58,
Brooklyn Hurtado would make her presence felt in the paint as she cleaned up the offensive glass for a put-back layup to make it 65-60 with just under a minute left in the period. The Queens couldn't get that one stop to end the quarter as the Evangels sunk a three with a few seconds left on the clock to take a 68-60 lead into the final quarter.
With 6:54 remaining in the game and the #12 Flying Queens falling behind 76-64, their chances of picking up a huge road win were dwindling. The Queens knew they needed to hit some shots and pick up their defensive intensity, and that's exactly what they did.
The comeback started with Nestor scoring the first two buckets – a tough and-one through contact and another layup – to make it 78-69, MACU. Next, North continued her strong shooting performance with two buckets to make it 78-73 with just under five minutes left in the game. The Evangels would score the next bucket to halt the Queens scoring run, but
Emily Sigala put the Queens back in prime position after draining a clutch three-pointer to make it 80-76 with just over three minutes left.
The Queens got their break after a technical was assessed to MACU, which prompted
Emily Sigala to step up big and hit two clutch free throws. After the Queens kept possession due to the technical, Nestor would tie the game at 80-80 with another tough bucket inside off the feed from North – her 7
th assist of the contest.
After the Queens got a huge stop with under a minute left and the game tied, they capitalized for another interior bucket by Nestor to give WBU an 82-80 lead with just :14 remaining. The Evangels got fouled while in the bonus, but they split the free throws and kept the Queens ahead 82-81 with :06 seconds left on the clock. The Evangels fouled Popovic, who split her free throws to give the Queens an 83-81 lead. The Evangels had a chance to win the game, but Nestor saved the day by getting a last second steal to secure the 83-81 victory for the #12 Flying Queens over the #18 Evangels.
Top performers for the Flying Queens included
Peyton North with a remarkable 22 points, followed by
Megan Nestor who contributed 16 points along with a double-double of 15 rebounds. Notably, Nestor also recorded two steals and two blocks, playing a pivotal role throughout the game.
Teodora Popovic and
Emily Sigala added 13 and 10 points, respectively, with Sigala also dishing out five assists. Hurtado went for 8 points and 6 rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench.
Head coach
Jason Cooper praised the team's performance, emphasizing the significance of their victory, "That's a huge win for our team. Any win in the SAC on the road is tough. Playing a nationally ranked team like MACU in front of a large crowd on their home court adds to the challenge. Our girls stayed in it and never panicked. I'm just very proud of our poise and that's the bottom line," said Cooper.
Coach Cooper also highlighted a few key performances, "
Peyton North is a beast. 22 points and seven assists in the biggest game of the year! Not to mention knocking down four out of six three-pointers. Super proud of Brooklyn. When Megan got in foul trouble, we really needed her so we could keep our size advantage, and she gave us 16 huge minutes!"
 The #12 Flying Queens now look forward to their next challenge against Sooner Athletic Conference foeÂ
RV Langston on January 16, 2025, in Langston, Oklahoma. With a current record of 15-1 overall and 12-1 in SAC play, the team is in excellent form and hopes to extend their winning streak to eight games.
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