Point Lookout, MO – The 18
th ranked Flying Queens suffered a heart-breaking loss at the hands of the College of the Ozarks Bobcats, 75-72, to drop into second place of the Sooner Athletic Conference standings with just one regular season game remaining.
The game began with multiple lead changes as each team converted multiple buckets, but Wayland Baptist was able to pull ahead 15-11 after
Bobbie Fouquet knocked down her first three of the afternoon. Fouquet scored seven straight points for the Queens beginning with that three-pointer and was a key factor in the Queens carrying a 23-20 lead into the second quarter.
The Queens opened the second quarter on a 10-0 run that was sparked by back-to-back threes from
Peyton North to make it 33-23. Fouquet and
Kaitlyn Jerden put the Queens ahead by 14 with just over two minutes left until halftime after knocking down back-to-back threes to make it 42-28. At the halftime break, the Queens held a 44-32 lead over the Bobcats.
Megan Nestor asserted her dominance to begin the second half as she scored six of the first eight points for the Queens to push their lead to 52-36. The Bobcats began to show their fight as they rattled off an 11-0 scoring run to trim the Queens lead to just 52-47.
The Queens got a late three-pointer from North followed by a jumper from Jerden to give them a 63-53 lead heading into the final quarter of play.
The fourth quarter had all the dramatics, and it started with the Queens scoring the first six points of the quarter behind four from Nestor to take a commanding 69-53 lead. However, the Bobcats executed a gut-wrenching 20-0 scoring run to jump in front of the Queens 73-69 with just under one minute left in regulation.
Jerden knocked down a clutch three-pointer to make it a one-point game with under twenty seconds remaining, but the Bobcats were clutch at the free throw line down the stretch and sealed the miraculous comeback win over the Queens, 75-72.
"We didn't match their intensity in the third quarter," said Head Coach
Jason Cooper referencing what went wrong for the Queens. "Playing on the road, you have to have a different level of intensity. You can't come to someone else's court and not out-work them."
Nestor finished with 17 points on 8 of 9 shooting from the floor, 13 rebounds including seven offensive boards, and a steal. North scored 17 points while draining 3 of 7 from three, six rebounds, and two steals. Jerden added 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Up next for the #18 Flying Queens is Senior Night against #23 Mid-America Christian on Thursday, February 20
th. The Queens will recognize five seniors before tipping off the game at 6:00 PM in the Hutcherson Center.
