PLAINVIEW, Texas – The Texas Wesleyan women's basketball team (13-2, 7-2 SAC) dropped a hard-fought, 88-80 conference game to No. 6 Wayland Baptist (16-2, 8-1 SAC) at Hutcherson Center on Saturday.
Coupled with fast starts to each half, a 10-2 Wayland run in the final two minutes of the ball game was the difference in an otherwise evenly matched, offensive showcase of the top two teams in the Sooner Athletic Conference.
The Flying Queens outshot the Rams from the floor, 42 to 37 percent, and was +9 in rebounding.
Kertisa Amos led all scorers with 22 points, marking her third 20+ performance of the season. She also had four steals.
Zarria Carter and
Makayla Coy each contributed a double double in the effort. Carter posted 18 points, 11 rebounds, while Coy managed 11 points and 10 boards in the loss.
Na'Teiona Cole posted a season-high eight assists.
The Flying Queens used a fast start to keep a narrow lead throughout the first half of the opening quarter. The Lady Rams took used a 4-0 burst to take a 13-12 lead on a
Zarria Carter jumper, but the sixth-ranked Flying Queens used home court advantage to build a five point lead to end the first. The second frame was neck and neck, as each high-powered offense took turns making plays.
Hailee Walls drained a three ball to knot things up at 39 apiece two minutes before the half, but it was Wayland Baptist that went into the break with a 42-40 lead.
Another slow start from the Lady Rams to start the third quarter allowed Wayland to keep TXWES at arms length deep into the quarter. Again Texas Wesleyan pulled within 1-point on a
Mary Nyakundi triple at 56-55 with just over a minute remaining the third, and then finished off a 9-0 rally capped by a pair of
Kertisa Amos free throws to grab a 3-point, 59-56 lead heading into the final stanza.
Another 5-0 run from Wayland to start the fourth gave the game another lead change, and the two teams volleyed for momentum. Nyakundi put down another three-pointer to cut the Wayland lead to three at 75-72 with two and a half minutes left in regulation, but the Flying Queens made a clutch 10-2 run from there to make it a 10-point game with less than a minute left. TXWES was forced to foul to save clock, and Wayland outlasted the Lady Rams to keep a strong hold on the top spot in the conference with an 88-80 win.
The Lady Rams stay on the road and take on Oklahoma City on Thursday, Jan 13. That game set for a 6 p.m. start.
