HELENA, Mont. --- The Wayland Baptist Flying Queens opened their 2025–26 season on the road Thursday afternoon, coming up short against #16 Carroll College (Mont.), 79–58, at the PE Center in Helena, Montana.
Despite a strong third-quarter surge that briefly brought life to the Queens' offense, Wayland couldn't overcome Carroll's size and rebounding advantage as the Fighting Saints pulled away late.
The Flying Queens (0–1) were led by a pair of freshmen,
Cania Mitchell and
Brooklyn Birkenfeld, who each scored 13 points, combining to shoot 11-of-19 from the field. Junior
Peyton North added 12 points, including two three-pointers and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Off the bench,
Iliana Hernandez gave the Queens a spark with eight points on 2-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc.
Wayland struggled early from deep, going just 2-of-10 from three-point range in the first half, while Carroll (1–1) used a 21-point second quarter to take a 39–28 lead into halftime.
The Flying Queens responded after the break, shooting 67 percent in the third quarter to outscore the Saints 22–21. Mitchell and North combined for 10 points in the frame, helping cut the deficit to single digits. However, Carroll's Willa Albrecht proved too much to contain, finishing with a game-high 28 points and 17 rebounds, including nine points in the final period as the Fighting Saints closed on a 19–8 run.
For the game, Wayland shot 37.7 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three-point range. The Queens were outrebounded 48–27 and managed seven second-chance points compared to Carroll's 18.
The Flying Queens continue their Montana road trip on Friday, November 7
th when they take on Montana State University - Northern in Great Falls, with tipoff scheduled for 2:00 p.m. MST.
