Dallas – The 17
th ranked Flying Queens pulled away late for a 91-78 victory over the Trailblazers of UNT-Dallas at the Ellis Davis Fieldhouse. The win improves their impressive record to 19-2 overall and 16-2 in conference play – clinching their spot in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament.
The Queens got off to a slow start offensively tonight – scoring only three points in the first five minutes of the game. With just over three minutes left in the first quarter, graduate Kailtyn Jerden gave the Queens a 14-12 after knocking down an open three. The Trailblazers closed the quarter strong and held a 24-19 lead, but junior
Teodora Popovic knocked down a pull-up three with two second left on the clock to make it 24-22, UNT-D, after the first.
Jerden lifted the Queens back ahead in the first minute of the second quarter after knocking down her second three-pointer of the night to make it 26-24. The Queens later extended their lead to seven points after
Megan Nestor finished back-to-back buckets to make it 32-35, WBU.
The Trailblazers battled back to make it 39-37 with just over one minute left until the intermission, but the Queens closed the half on a 6-0 scoring run that was capped off by
Peyton North sinking three straight free throws to make it 45-37.
The Queens held a 47-42 lead after a quick Trailblazer scoring spurt, but they answered back with a 7-0 scoring run that featured five points from Jerden to push their lead back up to 54-42.
The Trailblazers wouldn't let the Queens pull away as they fought back to tie the game up at 61-61 with just over one minute remaining in the third quarter. The Queens carried a 66-64 lead into the fourth after
Linda Brice knocked down a late three-pointer.
After a bucket from the Trailblazers opened the scoring in the fourth, Nestor and North rattled off the next six points for the Queens to give them a 72-66 advantage.
Bobbie Fouquet would push the Queens lead to 84-76 after a smooth short corner jumper with just over two minutes remaining in the game.
The Queens closed the game strong and were able to pull away from the Trailblazers and secure the 91-78 road victory to keep pace with Langston at the top of the Sooner Athletic Conference standings.
Jerden finished with a team-high 20 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals. North was solid – scoring 17 points, eight assists, and four rebounds. Nestor added 18 points, 20 rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Brice totaled 14 points, five rebounds, and two steals. Sigala finished with 11 points and two rebounds.
"I think it was a gritty effort by our girls," remarked Head Coach
Jason Cooper. "There were so many fouls in the first half that we ended up playing most of the half with strange groupings. It was tough to get a feel for the game."
Coach Cooper continued, "I thought the fourth quarter we really buckled down and played solid defense, which resulted in us getting better looks on offense.
Peyton North just continues to improve. Meg finally got that 20 rebound game. Kaitlyn was solid as always."
The 17
th ranked Queens will look to extend their winning streak to five games as they travel to Waxahachie, Texas for a Sooner Athletic Conference show down against the Lions of Nelson University. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 PM on Saturday, February 1
st.
