POINT LOOKOUT, MO. --- Wayland Baptist delivered its most complete fourth quarter of the season, erupting for 28 points in the final frame to storm past College of the Ozarks, 72–66, on Saturday afternoon. The comeback victory marks the Flying Queens' 1,799
th win in program history and first of the 2025-2026 season.
Trailing by as many as 14 points late in the third quarter, the Queens mounted a relentless rally fueled by defensive toughness, second-chance effort, and big-time shot-making from their veterans. Wayland outscored the Bobcats 28–13 in the fourth, shooting a blistering 76.9% from the field while holding Ozarks to 4-of-15 shooting during the final ten minutes.
Junior guard
Jadyn Trusler played hero in crunch time, knocking down three fourth-quarter threes and scoring 11 of her team-high 17 points in the final period. Trusler finished 5-of-8 from deep and secured seven rebounds, anchoring the late-game surge that flipped the momentum.
Her triple at the 1:52 mark gave Wayland a 65–61 lead—its largest of the day to that point—and sent the Queens' bench into a frenzy.
Freshman
Brooklyn Birkenfeld delivered her best outing of the season, posting 15 points and 7 rebounds on an efficient 7-of-12 shooting. Birkenfeld was a steady interior presence throughout, converting tough mid-range jumpers and cleaning up on the offensive glass during Wayland's rally.
Freshman
Cania Mitchell stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists, and played a critical role in WBU's defensive turnaround. Mitchell came up with multiple key rebounds and steals in the fourth quarter while calmly sinking clutch free throws to ice the win in the final seconds.
Wayland shot 48.2% overall and 37.5% from three, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter.
After giving up 23 points in the third quarter and falling behind 51–41, the Queens flipped the script defensively. Wayland forced Ozarks into seven fourth-quarter turnovers, held the Bobcats to 0-for-3 from deep, and dominated the glass late.
WBU also won the turnover battle overall, scoring 16 points off takeaways.
Holding a 69–66 lead with under 20 seconds left, Wayland locked in for the final stops. Mitchell secured a defensive board, Trusler buried two free throws with :10 remaining, and Popovic added the final point from the stripe to seal the six-point victory.
The Queens' largest lead came at 00:08, when they stretched the advantage to six—the final margin.
Wayland Baptist returns to the floor on Tuesday, November 24
th, when they travel to Goodwell, Oklahoma for another Sooner Athletic Conference game against the Aggies of Oklahoma Panhandle State University. The game is scheduled to begin at 6:00 PM.
