OKLAHOMA CITY -- Alexia Kelley recorded a monster double-double with career-highs of 22 points and 16 rebounds and Lindsey Mann also scored 19 points in her debut to lead the Mid-America Christian University Lady Evangels to an 84-66 victory over the Wayland Baptist University Flying Queens in Sooner Athletic Conference action tonight (Jan. 15) inside the Gaulke Activity Center.
Trailing by as much as 12 in the first 20 minutes, the Lady Evangels fought back to lead by two at the half and continued the strong play into the second stanza.
Kelley scored nine points to key a 17-4 push during the first six minutes of the second half to build the lead to 54-39.
The Flying Queens got back into it by outscoring the Lady Evangels 15-4 over the next four minutes to cut the lead to 58-54.
After a three by Ashlee Ferguson extended the lead back to seven, the Flying Queens crawled within two with a 6-1 spurt that made it 62-60 with 8:59 left.
At that point, the Lady Evangels took control for good by outscoring WBU 19-2 over the next five minutes to take a commanding 81-62 lead.
The Lady Evangels extended the lead as high as 20 when a pair of free throws by Alliyah Spatafora made it 84-64 at the 1:46 mark.
The Lady Evangels got off to a slow start as the Flying Queens scored the first eight points of the game and then led 25-13 at the 10:19 mark of the opening half.
Mann would come off the bench and ignite the offense with 13 first half points, including 3-of-4 from the perimeter.
With the deficit at 12, Mann and Spatafora each connected from three-point distance to begin a 15-2 spurt that ended with five straight from Felicia Foster that gave the Lady Evangels their first lead of the game at 28-27 with 4:59 left in the half.
Following consecutive buckets from Laura Castillo and Honesty Sullivan that put the Flying Queens back in front by three, Mann drove the lane and scored to start a run of six straight by the Lady Evangels as MACU regained the lead.
The Lady Evangels then held WBU to only two field goals over the final 4:22 of the half and led 37-35 at the break.
Spatafora also scored in double-figures with 17 points along with five assists, while Mann also recorded five dimes. Ferguson added 11 points for the Lady Evangels (10-4, 3-2 SAC).
Stephanie Afunugo paced the Flying Queens (7-7, 3-2 SAC) with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. Castillo scored 11 and Sullivan contributed 10 points. Iesha Greer pulled down a team-high 11 boards for WBU.
After each team registered identical 37.5 shooting percentages in the opening half, things changed dramatically in the second.
The Lady Evangels warmed up to a 44.1 percent (15-of-34) shooting clip, while limiting the Flying Queens to only 25 percent (9-of-36) from the floor in the second half.
MACU will next play at Southwestern Christian University Saturday afternoon (Jan. 17) at 3 p.m. in Bethany, Okla.
