OKLAHOMA CITY – Wayland Baptist earned the No. 1 seed in the Sooner Athletic Conference women’s basketball tournament.

The Flying Queens, ranked 10th in the NAIA, snared a first-round bye. The top four seeds gained byes – Mid-America Christian, Texas Wesleyan and Science & Arts will be idle as well when the first round starts Tuesday.

All 12 conference teams made the SAC Tournament. Langston, John Brown, Oklahoma City and Southwestern Christian will host tournament games Tuesday. The winners advance to the quarterfinals Thursday.

The SAC Tournament semifinals take place Monday, Feb. 28 at Mid-America Christian’s Gaulke Activity Center. The title bout will be 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 1 at the Gaulke Activity Center in Oklahoma City.

Wayland Baptist snagged its third consecutive SAC Tournament crown 71-63 over Langston on March 1, 2021 in Plainview, Texas. Kaylee Edgemon collected tournament most valuable player, scoring 26 points in the title game.

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SAN ANGELO – The Angelo State women’s basketball team, returning to action after a two-week layoff due to game postponements, dominated Midwestern State, 98-72, to pick up their first conference win of the season.

The win marks the Rambelles’ first home conference win since February 20, 2020, against Texas A&M-Kingsville; it is also the first conference win for head coach Alesha Ellis.

The 98 points for the Rambelles is the most points scored in a game since December 21, 2019, when the Rambelles put 99 points past Cameron on that day. The 98 points is also tied for the fourth-most points scored by an LSC team this season.

The Rambelles dominated in all facets of the game: they shot a season-high 54.2 percent from the field, including shooting 57.9 percent in the second quarter and 75 percent in the fourth quarter. They made 39 field goals on the night, the most any LSC school has made in a single game this season and assisted 28 times in this game, also a conference-best this season.

The Rambelles also out-rebounded the Mustangs 41-28, the fewest the Rambelles have allowed in a game this season; the Rambelles forced the Mustangs into 25 turnovers, recording a season-high 19 steals in the process.

The largest lead for the Mustangs was seven points with under a minute left in the first quarter; the Rambelles would then go on a 20-4 run until the 4:13 mark in the second quarter to secure a nine-point lead, a lead that they kept building on for the rest of the game.

Seven Rambelles scored in double-digits on the evening, led by Blakely Gerber’s 17 points. The Wayland Baptist transfer was perfect from two-point range in seven attempts, also adding in five assists and three steals.

Sawyer Lloyd and Madeline Stephens both scored 16 points, with Stephens recording her second double-double on the season, grabbing 11 rebounds. Lloyd assisted a game-high eight times, also recording six steals and four rebounds.

Tayjanna McGhee-Pleasant shot 7-8 from the field, finishing with 14 points, seven rebounds and a pair of steals.

Payton Brown, Ashlynn Sharp, and Samantha Rocha scored ten points apiece; Brown assisted seven times while Sharp recorded four steals and Rocha grabbed seven rebounds.

All 11 players dressed for the Rambelles ended up seeing action as well, with Brighton Adams and Neely Woodscoring three and two points, respectively, while Kyla Cobb and Taylor Moravcik also played for the Rambelles on the evening.

The Rambelles improve to 4-9 on the season and 1-1 in conference play. They return to action on Saturday against Texas Woman’s, with that game scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.

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PLAINVIEW – Six players recorded double-figure statistics, and Wayland Baptist came through down the stretch as the sixth-ranked Flying Queens bounced back with a satisfying 88-80 Sooner Athletic Conference victory over Texas Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon in Hutcherson Center.

“That was a much-needed win for our group,” WBU coach Jason Cooper said. “I was very proud of the mental toughness and resolve that we showed in this game. Texas Wesleyan is very athletic and very fast up-and-down the floor. We played some fast teams this year but nothing like that. The girls really had to dig deep and come together to get that victory. And now we know we can do it against a team like that.”

The Queens (16-2, 8-1 SAC) trailed 59-56 after the third period but scored the first five of the fourth and never trailed again. It was tied at 66 with 6:20 to play when WBU scored six straight points. The Rams (13-2, 7-2) hit a 3-pointer to pull to within 75-72, but the Queens began pulling away with back-to-back-to-back fast-break buckets – a 3-pointer by Ashlyn Shelley and layups by Kaylee Edgemon and Angel Hayden after a steal.

That gave Wayland its largest lead of the game, 10 points, with just over a minute to play. The Queens then iced it at the free-throw line by making six foul shots down the stretch, including a 4-for-4 effort by Shelley.

“I told the starting five this game was going to require them to all play 30-plus minutes and they accepted and met that challenge,” Coach Cooper said.

Cooper finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and nine assists and Kaitlyn Edgemon had 15 points and 15 boards to lead numerous impressive stat lines. Shelley added 18 points, including 7-of-7 free throws, Kaylee Edgemon 14 points and seven rebounds, and freshman Taryn Shultz 10 points off the bench. Fapou Semebene finished with 10 rebounds, helping Wayland to a 57-48 edge in that department.

“Such great stat lines all around today,” Coach Cooper said. “Kaitlyn’s 15 and 15 was huge. Jenna getting 19 and nine assists, Kaylee’s 14 and 7… We expect those type of numbers from those two, but we can’t take their high level of play for granted.

“Ashlyn stepped up in a big way with her 18 points. When’s she’s hitting we are very tough to guard. Angel (Hayden) is an amazing point guard. She does so much every game that just doesn’t show up in the stats, but her ball-handling and facilitation of the offense is second to none. She is special.

“Taryn has really started to come into her own lately. What a spark off the bench she has become. Lefty (Sembene) played some big and key minutes today. She really stepped up and made an impact on the defensive end and rebounding. I was proud of her turn around.”

Texas Wesleyan’s Kertisa Amos scored 22 to lead all scorers. Two Lady Rams posted double-doubles: Zarria Carter with 18 points and 11 rebounds and Makayla Coy with 11 and 10.

The win came after rare losses for Wayland in its last two home games, including Thursday’s 81-77 setback to Science & Arts of Oklahoma. TXWES, meanwhile, went into the game on a roll, having won six in a row including 73-61 over Science & Arts.

The Flying Queens hit the road next week for games against North Texas at Dallas (9-7, 3-6) at 6 p.m. Thursday and Southwestern Assemblies of God (5-10, 2-7) at 2 p.m. Saturday. WBU’s next home game is Tuesday, Jan. 18 against Oklahoma-Panhandle State (4-7, 2-7).

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WICHITA FALLS – A record-shattering second half for the No. 3 ranked Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s basketball team helped the Lions cruise to an 81-35 win over the Midwestern State Mustangs at D.L. Ligon Coliseum on Thursday night and move to 10-0 on the season.
 
Midwestern State was held to just seven points in the second half, which is the least amount of points allowed by the Lions in a half under coach Jason Burton. The one point allowed in the fourth quarter is the lowest mark since the NCAA implemented quarters in women’s basketball in 2015-16. The Mustangs were held without a field goal in a quarter for the first time in program history.
 
The Mustangs, who fall to 5-4, did not make a field goal in the last 16 minutes and 50 seconds, scoring just two points in that stretch. The Lions’ margin of victory of 46 points is the most by either team in Wichita Falls in the 50 meetings between the two teams.
 
A&M-Commerce fell down 4-2 in the first two minutes of the game, but responded by scoring the next 11 points in a span of three minutes. Chania Wright (DeSoto) had four of the 11 points. The Lions held Midwestern State to shoot 0 for 5 in that stretch.
 
Mia Deck (Frisco – Lone Star) knocked down a three pointer with 2:48 to go in the first quarter to give the Lions their largest lead of the first half, 18-8. Midwestern State cut into the Lion lead by holding them scoreless for the next two minutes and trailed 20-14 at the end of the first half.
 
The Lions were held without a point for the first three and a half minutes in the second quarter. The Mustangs capitalized and cut it to 20-18. A jumper by Dyani Robinson (Langham Creek) with 4:55 to go in the quarter was A&M-Commerce’s first made field goal of the second quarter, giving the Lions a 23-20 lead.
 
Midwestern State stayed within one possession of the Lions for most of the second quarter and took its first lead of the half on a layup by Frances King at the 2:55 mark at 26-25. Robinson regained the lead for the Lions with an and-one. The Lions closed out the first half with a mini 4-0 run on jumpers by Wright and DesiRay Kernal (Newton, Kan.) to lead 32-28 at the half.
 
Laila Lawrence (Lewisville) was halfway towards a double-double in the first half with eight points and six rebounds. She also had 2 steals.
 
The Lions started the third quarter on a 6-0 run to match their largest lead of the game at 38-28. Lawrence gave the Lions a 48-33 lead with 4:03 to go in the third quarter, which was their largest lead up to that points. A&M-Commerce held the Mustangs without a made basket for six minutes and 50 seconds during the third quarter. Yasmine Sifaoui ended the Mustangs’ scoring drought with a free throw.
 
Heading into the fourth quarter, the Lions led by 53-34. The Mustangs were held to shoot 2 for 15 from the field in the third quarter and made one of their two free throw attempts, scoring one point in the last seven minutes of the third quarter.
 
The scoring drought for the Mustangs extended into the fourth quarter. They were held to a point in the quarter. A&M-Commerce scored 28 in the quarter.
 
Lawrence and Kernal nearly missed double doubles. Lawrence totaled 19 points on 8 for 16 shooting as well as nine rebounds and two blocks. Kernal grabbed 13 rebounds and scored nine points, she also had three assists.
 
Robinson led the team in scoring with 18, she also tallied three assists. Asiyha Smith (Conway, Ark.) scored seven points in the fourth quarter, while Wright scored six in the game.
 
Ravae Payne (Pearland) recorded four points and two rebounds. Deck scored six, while Victoria Hinton (Potomac, Va.) totaled four points and four rebounds.
 
No Midwestern State player had more than six points in the game. The two teams meet again in two weeks in Commerce to open Lone Star Conference play on Friday, December 31 at 2 p.m.

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HIALEAH, Fla. – The Wayland Baptist Flying Queens wrapped up their trip to the Sunshine State with another win here Wednesday, rolling past Florida National with a dominating second half for a 98-39 victory.

The win in WBU’s final non-conference game of the regular-season advanced the Flying Queens, who remained No. 6 in the latest NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 Poll released earlier in the day, to 13-1, matching last season’s record. Florida National fell to 2-9.

Five Flying Queens scored in double-figures, led by Jenna Cooper’s near double-double of 22 points and nine assists, and 12 points and 10 rebounds by Angel Haydenfor her second double-double as a Flying Queen. Kaylee Edgemon went for 15 points while Kaitlyn Edgemon and Taryn Shultz added 11 each, with Kaitlyn grabbing nine rebounds. Ashley Shelley ended with seven points and as many rebounds, while Fapou Sembene put up six points and eight boards.

Wayland, who on Monday posted a come-from-behind 73-69 win over St. Thomas University, outscored Florida National by eight points in both the first and second periods to lead at halftime, 41-25. The Flying Queens then ran away from the home team in the second half with a 37-9 third period and a 20-5 fourth.

After making five 3-pointers in the first half, Florida National went 0-for-9 from beyond the arc after intermission and made just five field goals in 30 attempts in the final 20 minutes. The Flying Queens shot 62 percent (13-of-21) in the third.

WBU turned the ball over just six times, compared to 18 for Florida National, and held a 57-29 rebounding advantage.

The Flying Queens now take a 2½-week Christmas break before returning to Sooner Athletic Conference play Jan. 1 at Oklahoma City University.

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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Wayland Baptist scored the final seven points of the game, and the sixth-ranked Flying Queens fended off the upset attempt of St. Thomas here Monday, 73-69.

After trailing by as many as eight in the third quarter, Wayland (12-1) found itself behind the Bobcats (7-5) 69-66 with a minute to play. Flying Queen Kaitlyn Edgemon nailed a 3-pointer from the left wing to tie the score with 37 seconds left. Wayland’s Fapou Semebene then came up with a pivotal steal, which led to Kaitlyn Edgemon feeding Semebene for a lay-up and a two-point WBU lead with 15 seconds to go.

STU missed a long 3-pointer, and Wayland was awarded possession when the rebound went out of bounds. Flying Queen Jenna Cooper was fouled and calmly put the game on ice by sinking a pair of free throws with three seconds to play.

Semebene and Cooper tied for high-point honors, hitting 19 points each. It’s the second straight game for Semebene to notch a career-high, bettering the 15 she scored against Oklahoma-Panhandle State six days earlier. She also pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds for a second straight double-double. Cooper added eight boards and a team-leading six assists.

Kaylee Edgemon tacked on 17 points while sister Kaitlyn got 10. Angel Hayden provided half of WBU’s eight steals, and Taryn Shultz got seven rebounds.

The Queens made 11-of-13 free throws (83 percent) compared to STU’s 13-of-23 (57 percent). Wayland went 6-of-21 (29 percent) from 3-point range where the Bobcats were 8-of-26 (31 percent). 

The Flying Queens will stay in Florida for another game at 4 p.m. (CST) Wednesday in Hialeah against Florida National (2-7).

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RICHARDSON, Texas – Following a first win of the season for the Angelo State women’s basketball team, the Rambelles’ Madeline Stephens has been named the LSC Offensive Player of the Week, the conference announced this afternoon.

The Lubbock native earns the award after posting her fifth-career double-double and her first double-double of the season in the Rambelles’ victory over St. Edward’s on Saturday in Brownwood. Stephens shot 7-9 from the field and was perfect from the free-throw line in five attempts to score 19 points and grab ten rebounds.

On the season, the second-year guard has started all ten games for the Rambelles, averaging 6.7 points per game and 8.9 rebounds per contest. She is shooting 53 percent from the floor and is tied for the team lead for blocks with five.

Stephens becomes the first player under head coach Alesha Ellis to win a weekly award and is the first Rambelle to win a weekly conference honor since Sawyer Lloyd and De’Anira Moore swept the defensive and offensive player of the week honors back on December 9^th, 2019.

Stephens and the Rambelles are back in action inside the Junell Center tomorrow against Huston-Tillotson, with that game scheduled to tip off at 5:30 p.m.

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GOODWELL, Okla. – Jenna Cooper recorded a rare triple-double as No. 6 Wayland Baptist eased to an 83-40 Sooner Athletic Conference victory over Oklahoma-Panhandle State in Goodwell on Tuesday.

Wayland improved to 11-1 overall and remained perfect in five conference games. OPSU fell to 3-4 on the season and 1-4 in the SAC.

Interestingly, Cooper ended with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists as the junior forward posted the first triple-double for a Flying Queen since 2019 when freshman Cailyn Breckel went for 18 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in a 113-26 drumming of Bacone.

Besides Cooper, four other Flying Queens posted double-digit points or rebounds, and two of those had double-doubles. Second-year freshman (due to COVID) Kaitlyn Edgemon ended with a team-high 20 points and a dozen rebounds while Fapou Semebene put up 15 points and 12 more boards. Kaylee Edgemon added 12 points and Angel Hayden 11 rebounds.

The Flying Queens were perfect from the free-throw line (10-of-10) while making just 1-of-16 from 3-point range. Overall, WBU was 36-of-81 (44 percent) from the field. OPSU shot 19 percent (5-of-26) from long range. 

Wayland scored 22 points in each of the first two quarters to lead 44-18 at halftime. The Queens put up 17 points in the third before another 22-point period in the fourth.

It was the final conference game of the year for the Flying Queens, who head to Florida for their next two games against St. Thomas (Fla.) in Miami Gardens on Dec. 13 and Florida National on Dec. 15. WBU returns to SAC play Jan. 1 at Oklahoma City University.

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TYLER – Four Patriots scored in double figures and four more added at least seven rebounds to lead UT Tyler in a 15 point comeback victory over Southern Arkansas.
 
Liah Davis added another monster double-double of 22 points and 17 rebounds and Elli Emrich added 14 points and six assists to distance the Patriots to their second win of the season.
 
The Patriots got out to a slow start from the field, shooting just 3-15 in the first quarter and finding themselves down 21-6 after the first quarter. UT Tyler turned the ball over 10 times in the period and the Muleriders converted those into 14 points.
 
The Patriots got the offense going in the second quarter and started to break open the press from Southern Arkansas. UT Tyler went 11-17 from the field and added in two makes from the three point line to outscore the Muleriders 24-13 in the period.
 
On the defensive side of the ball, the Patriots allowed Southern Arkansas to shoot just 20% from the field on 4-20 attempts and held them to 2-12 from the three point line in the second quarter.
 
The score was 34-30 at the half, and the Patriots used another strong quarter to even things up going into the fourth. After being down seven points at the 3:43 mark of the third quarter, four different Patriots scored to close out the quarter on a 9-2 run.  
 
Emrich got the scoring started in the fourth quarter with a layup to give UT Tyler their first lead of the contest. The Patriots went on a 14-5 run to start the quarter and stretch the lead all the way out to nine by the four minute mark of the final quarter. The lead got all the way to 12 before the Patriots closed out the game by a score of 78-72.
 
The Patriots continue to have a strong paint presence, outscoring the Muleriders 48-16 in that department. UT Tyler outscored Southern Arkansas on second chances, fast breaks, and points off of the bench.
 
Azaria Reed added 12 points and Destini Whitehead added 10 to round out the double figure scoring for the Patriots.
 
Kelsey Crouse joined Emrich with a team high six assists on the afternoon.
 
Whitehead and Crouse each chipped in eight rebounds and Montse Gutierrez added seven of her own to help the Patriots win the rebounding battle by a 55-33 margin.
 
UT Tyler will get a short rest for the holiday before heading to Commerce, Texas for the Lion Hoopsgiving tournament. There they will take on Northeastern State on Saturday at 7:30, and Arkansas-Monticello on Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
The Patriots will come back to Herrington Patriot Center for their next home game on Thursday, Dec. 16 against UAFS. That game is scheduled for a 5 p.m. tip.

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The first time the Wayland Baptist Flying Queens ever faced off against Loyola University (La.) wound up being an historic occasion for the home team.

The winningest collegiate women’s basketball program in the nation picked up its milestone 1,700^th win Thursday night in Hutcherson Center, coming away with a hard-earned 76-71 victory over the Wolf Pack on the first day of the 2021 Queens Classic

A strong finish by the eighth-ranked, undefeated Flying Queens (5-0) secured the triumph as Wayland used a late 10-2 run to break a 65-65 tie against No. 23 Loyola, which was making its season-opener. 

New Flying Queen Fapou Semebene hit both of her two field goals during the win-clinching run, while all-Americans Jenna Cooper and Kaylee Edgemon added a pair of clutch free throws apiece. Another new face, senior point-guard Angel Hayden, came up with numerous key offensive rebounds in addition to a bucket down the stretch.

Edgemon ended with 22 points while Cooper got 18 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Hayden, meanwhile, produced 13 points and 13 boards (eight offensive) in addition to her five assists. Ashlyn Shelley tacked on eight points, Semebene six, Taryn Shultz five and Lara Mason two.

Wayland didn’t have a particularly strong shooting night, hitting just 33 percent (22-of-66), and suffered 23 turnovers. But the Queens nailed 10 3s, sank 20-of-23 free throws and, maybe most importantly, out-rebounded the Wolf Pack, 52-35, including 24-14 on the offensive end.

Loyola was led by Tay Cannon, who got 22 points and nine rebounds. Kennedy Hansberry added 15 points.

The Queens Classic – featuring a single game each day of the three-day, three-team event – continues Friday when Loyola takes on Our Lady of the Lake at 4 p.m. The Flying Queens are back on the floor at 2 p.m. Saturday to face OLLU.

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