PLAINVIEW --- The Wayland Baptist Flying Queens battled to the final buzzer but came up just short in an 82–78 loss to College of the Ozarks on Thursday night in Plainview, Texas.
After a slow start in the opening period, Wayland settled in and matched Ozarks' physical play on both ends. The Queens trailed 17–14 after the first quarter, then continued to chip away in the second behind balanced scoring and strong interior play. By halftime, the Queens had narrowed the deficit to just five points at 37–32.
Coming out of the locker room, the Queens delivered their best stretch of the night. Wayland shot over 60 percent in the third quarter and outscored Ozarks 24–22, using aggressive drives and improved ball movement to close the gap.
Cania Mitchell and
Brooklyn Birkenfeld sparked the offense during the run, while the defense forced key stops to keep momentum on the home side.
The fourth quarter turned into a back-and-forth battle. Wayland stayed within two possessions for most of the final period and continued to apply pressure with strong rebounding and attacking play. Mitchell finished several tough drives in traffic, while Birkenfeld and
Zalika Stevens provided timely scoring off the bench. Despite multiple chances to tie or take the lead in the final minutes, Ozarks connected at the free-throw line down the stretch to hold off the comeback attempt.
Mitchell led the Queens with 18 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds, recording a strong all-around performance. Birkenfeld added 17 points, while Stevens contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double.
Bella Dabbs chipped in 13 points, and the Wayland bench combined for 34 points, giving the Quens valuable production throughout the night.
As a team, Wayland shot 40.9 percent from the field and battled on the glass with 32 rebounds. The Queens also forced 15 turnovers and scored consistently in the paint, finishing with 32 points inside.
The Flying Queens will look to get back into the win column on Saturday, February 7
th when they host the Golden Eagles of John Brown University at 2:00 PM in the Hutcherson Center.
