Siloam Springs, AR – The 18
th ranked Flying Queens took a 2-0 lead, on two made free throws by
Megan Nestor, thirteen seconds into the game and never trailed as they defeated the Golden Eagles of John Brown University 79-61.
Wayland Baptist's defense held John Brown to 30.4 percent shooting for the game. They led by as many as twenty points on six different occasions and took their largest lead of twenty-one points, 57-36, with 1:59 remaining in the third quarter.
Five different Queens scored from the field and Nestor added four free throws as WBU held a 16-8 lead at the end of the first quarter. Wayland outscored the Golden Eagles 25-15 in the second quarter, scoring sixteen points in the paint. The Queens held a 41-23 halftime lead due in large measure to their harassing defense which forced fifteen John Brown turnovers. The second half saw each team score 38 points, bringing the final score to 79-61.
The Flying Queens had four players in double figures, led by
Megan Nestor with 29 points. Nestor also grabbed 12 rebounds and 4 steals.
Linda Brice scored 14 points and had a team-high 6 steals.
Peyton North scored 13 points along with 5 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal.
Kaitlyn Jerden also contributed 13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and a steal.
Bobbie Fouquet narrowly missed double figures as she scored 8 points and nabbed 4 rebounds.
Teodora Popovic scored 2 points and added 3 assists.
Brooklyn Hurtado and
Jaycee Freshour grabbed 4 and 2 rebounds, respectively.
Emily Sigala added 3 assists and a rebound.
The win brings the Flying Queens overall record to 23-2, including a 20-2 conference record which is good for a first-place tie with Langston.
Coach
Jason Cooper had these comments about the win over John Brown, "We are playing a very efficient style of basketball right now. Our assist to turnover ratio has been elite the last few weeks. Linda was huge today. It was the best defensive day she has had as a Queen. Six steals and so many deflections. She really had their guards rattled. Add her 14 points to that and it might have been her best all around game of the year. Peyton was solid for us today. Her back-to-back threes late in the game put that dagger into JBU. Meg made some very high level basketball plays today on offense. Her player efficiency was off the charts! 12-15 from the floor and 5-6 from the free throw line. 29 points, 12 boards and 4 steals. It was a very dominant performance."
The next action for the Queens is Monday, February 17 at the College of the Ozarks. That game is scheduled to begin at 3:00 PM.
