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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DALLAS – Parrish Hewitt began his career as a Pioneer by scoring a game-high 17 points and grabbing nine rebounds to lead Wayland Baptist to a 66-52 Sooner Athletic Conference victory over North Texas-Dallas here Thursday.

Wayland opened a 37-23 halftime lead then cruised in the second half as the Pioneers (8-9, 4-6 SAC) picked up a much-needed win over the Trailblazers (7-10, 3-7), snapping a four-game slide that include a pair of forfeit losses.

“I’m proud of how our guys have handled the adversity we’ve been through the last two weeks with COVID. We were locked in and had one of our best defensive efforts of the year,” Wayland coach Clint Galyean said.

Hewitt, a senior guard from Memphis, Tenn., who transferred from Northwestern Oklahoma State, spurred the Pioneers, who also got nine points from Thad Udoh and eight from Javorian Miller. Jaxon Recer pulled down nine boards and Jibrael Washington recorded half of WBU’s season-best 10 blocks.

The Trailblazers, in their second season and first in the SAC, were led by Vernon Johnson’s 12 points.

Wayland held a 44-35 edge on the boards and hit 16-of-22 free throws.

The 52 points by the Trailblazers represented the third-lowest output by an opponent this season, behind only 37 by Dallas Christian and 39 by Calvary Bible.

Both the Pioneers and Trailblazers struggled from the 3-point line, combining to go 0-for-11 in the second half. Wayland hit 4-of-9 from long range in the first half, the makes coming from four different players.

Next for the Pioneers is a match against 12^th-ranked Southwestern Assemblies of God University at 4 p.m. Saturday in Waxahachie. The league-leading Lions (12-3, 9-1) defeated Oklahoma-Panhandle State on Thursday, 86-68.

“Saturday is our biggest challenge of the year so far going to SAGU,” Galyean said. “We need to get some things cleaned up on the offensive side and play with the same intensity defensively.”

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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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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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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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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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ROUND ROCK – Less than two days after a dramatic double-overtime win over Houston-Victoria, the Wayland Baptist women’s soccer team captured a 2-0 victory over Huston-Tillotson here Monday morning.

It was the third straight win for the Pioneers (3-2), who on Saturday defeated Houston-Victoria, 2-1.

“What a great game, especially after a 2-overtime win 48 hours before,” WBU coach Shiloh Posey said. “I couldn’t be more pleased with the efforts of every player. Each one encourages their teammates all the way through. I couldn’t have asked for a better response.”

Bianca Roman scored her fourth goal of the season just 10½ minutes into the match. The Pioneers got an insurance goal in the 78^th minute when, after a WBU corner kick, the HTU keeper put the ball over the goal line while holding it.

“The entire defense and goalkeeper (Kanade Morita) only gave up one goal the entire road trip and made some incredible individual plays during both games,” Posey said. “The midfield worked both sides of the ball with focus, shutting down opponents and getting into the attack. With only two goals in each game, their combined efforts kept us in the game.

“Our attacking side of the ball created several chances and we were able to capitalize on enough of them to get the wins and keep the opposing defenses honest.”

Wayland was credited with just three shots, compared to 10 for the Lady Rams (1-1), who lost their first game of the season after opening with a 6-2 win over Schreiner on Sept. 3. Morita made five saves. 

The Pioneers have 10 days off before their next match Sept. 23 at home against Jarvis Christian.

“Now we have a few days to rest and prepare for the next game,” Posey said.

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PLAINVIEW – Wayland Baptist set a program record for most goals in a match as the Pioneers overwhelmed Bacone College (Okla.) on Tuesday at Hilliard Field, 14-0.

The Pioneers (2-1) actually broke the goals record in the first half when the pounded out a dozen, breaking the mark of 11 set against Ecclesia College in last season’s opener.

Eight different Pioneers scored, led by Bryan Alfaro with three and Ryan Naidoo, Samba Gnokane, Marco Magnoli and Leonardo Amaral with two each. Magnoli also produced five assists, the lone player with more than a single helper on the day.

A total of 24 Pioneers saw action against Bacone’s outmatched 12-person roster. Wayland rarely lost possession of the ball.

By mutual agreement of both head coaches, the match was halted close to the 70^th minute when the match became official according to NAIA soccer rules.

The Pioneers hit the road for their next three matches, starting Saturday at 1 p.m. against Houston-Victoria.

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Wayland Baptist made its home debut by going 3-0 over the weekend, capping the sweep with wins Saturday over Langston, 25-10, 25-12, 25-13, and Our Lady of the Lake University, 25-27, 25-17, 28-26, 25-20.

“That’s a good start to our home season,” WBU coach Jim Giacomazzi said as his team improved to 8-2 with a seven-match win streak. The Pioneers are 2-0 in the Sooner Athletic Conference.

Wayland opened SAC play with a 3-0 win over Central Christian on Friday. OLLU (4-2) also swept both Central Christian and Langston prior to meeting the Pioneers in the unofficial championship match of the weekend.

“Our Lady of the Lake was in the (national) tournament last year, so it’s always good to beat a team that’s nationally recognized,” Giacomazzi said.

Wayland got it done with an excellent blocking performance. The Pioneers produced just one solo block but 28 block-assists, including nine by Alexa Hinojos which is one shy of the school record held by all-American Shahala Hawkins. Lucie Mahelova and Jayla Schultz ended with five block-assists each.

“Our blockers worked really hard to line up correctly and stop their offense. They did a good job there,” Giacomazzi said. “Alexa did a super job. That’s one of the things you want to see.”

The coach also highlighted his team’s digging. Wayland ended with 85 digs, six more than OLLU’s 79. “They are a good digging team, so the fact that we outdug them says a lot,” Giacomazzi said.

Amber Daniel led the way with a career-high 29 digs, followed by Ariel Marquez with 19 and Mahelova, who had 47 assists, with 10. “Amber and Ariel both had good nights.”

“We kept our reception errors down (four), so I was very pleased with that. We talked a lot about blocks and block penetration. We made the adjustments we needed in that fourth set.”

Tatijana Markic and Wendy Cobbah (.450) paced the Pioneers’ hitters with 12 and 11 kills, respectively. “Wendy did a good job. Her and Paxton Patterson are tag-teaming that position and had 19 kills between them with only four errors. That’s a lot of juice coming from that side of the court. Tatijana’s 12 kills are good, we just have to minimize her errors.”

Against Langston (3-3, 0-2 SAC), Daniel ended with a team-high nine kills and 10 digs, while Patterson had eight kills and hit .462. Mahelova produced 24 assists while Markic recorded four aces and Jayda Nelson three.

Wayland’s seven-match win streak will be tested Tuesday when the Pioneers host NCAA Division II Lubbock Christian at 7 p.m.

“LCU is a solid team with a new coach. They’ll serve a little tougher than we’ve seen,” Giacomazzi said.

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