FORT WORTH, Texas – The Texas Wesleyan University women's basketball team (0-2, 0-1 SAC) dropped a closely contested, 77-75 game to second-ranked Wayland Baptist (3-0, 1-0 SAC) in the Sooner Athletic Conference opener at the Sid Richardson Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Lady Rams stuck around, especially down the stretch, and had an opportunity to tie or take the lead in the last possession of the ball game. The Flying Queens made a play when it mattered most and ducked out of Fort Worth with 2-point win, avoiding the upset.
"I thought the kids played hard and they battled until the end", said head coach Steve Trachier. "We need to tighten up our defense in order to improve, but overall I thought they did a great job."
TXWES outshot its opponent from the field, 45% to 41%. The Flying Queens shot poorly from beyond the arc in the second half, going 4 of 16 and shot 30% in the category for the game. By comparison, the Lady Rams shot 41% from the three line, hitting 7 of 17 in the game.
Makayla Coy found a groove and led the all scorers with 21 points, going 7-of-15 from the field. The sophomore from biology major added eight boards. Evie Whorley was the catalyst for the home team. The senior business major recorded her sixth career double-double behind 15 points and 13 rebounds. It was her first double-double, since recording five in her sophomore season. Alexus Brigham poured in 17 points and had five assists and five boards in the loss.
The Flying Queens got off to a good start, leaping to a 12-5 advantage in the first five minutes of the contest. A Payton Brown three-pointer made it a double-digit lead that the Flying Queens managed into the second quarter.
A 10-2 Lady Ram run in the second frame gave TXWES a 1-point, 25-24 lead, highlighted by a Coy triple and capped on a Brigham jumper off turnover. Shelby Salter gave the Lady Rams a 28-26 edge with a splash from downtown with just over four minutes remaining in the half. The Flying Queens were stalwart though, and regained a five-point, 40-35 lead at the break.
In the third quarter the two teams went shot-for-shot, which favored a disciplined Wayland team. The Flying Queens built a 15-point advantage to take a comfortable 69-54 heading into the final stanza.
TXWES turned up the pressure to 11 and really outworked the opposing team throughout the fourth quarter. A good amount of pressure mounted as the Lady Rams chipped at the lead. Whorley kept the team in it with a magnificent high motor play, sprinting to secure an offensive rebound before dishing the rock to Brigham for a lay-up. That made it a 9-point game with just over five minutes left in regulation. Whorley then came right back down in the next possession, completing a 3-point play after drawing a foul on a fast break layup.
Salter made her presence felt, knocking down a step-back triple to make it a 73-69 game with under three left in the game. The two team continued to battle, and Brigham cut the lead to just two at 77-75 on a fade away jumper with 36 seconds remaining.
Wayland missed on the next possession and left the door open for the Lady Rams to take the lead with a three-pointer, or tie with a two. With eight seconds left, the Lady Rams missed on a pass and the Flying Queens cut it out to preserve the lead and turn away the upset-minded Lady Rams.
Up next, the Lady Rams welcome Oklahoma Panhandle State to the Sid Richardson Center on Monday, January 11. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. Live coverage of that came can be found at RamSports.net/live.
