Ashland, Ore. — Megan Nestor’s 35-point, 15 rebound performance lifts the 7-seed Flying Queens past 10-seed Carroll (Mont), 72-63, to advance to the Round of 32 in the 2025 NAIA Women’s Basketball Championships.
Wayland Baptist got the offense rolling early in this one as they jumped out to an early 7-4 lead after back-to-back buckets from Nestor followed by a Linda Brice three. The Saints battled back to take a 20-12 lead with just over three minutes left in the opening frame.
Nestor scored the final two buckets of the first quarter for the Queens, but Wayland Baptist trailed the Saints 26-16 at the end of the first quarter.
The Queens had a strong start to the second quarter, in large part to Nestor and Kaitlyn Jerden combining for the first eight points of the period and trimming their deficit to just 28-24. The Queens fought back and took a 31-30 lead after a tough bucket on the inside from Nestor followed by a Peyton North three-pointer.
The Saints squashed the Queens momentum by taking a 40-35 lead with just over two minutes left in the half. Nestor scored the final two buckets in the half for the Queens as the Saints carried a 43-39 lead into the locker room.
A strong start to the second half was vital for the Queens in order to remain in this game, and a strong start is exactly what they got as they battled back and tied the game up at 45-45 after a nice finish from Jerden. The Saints continued to be tough on the Queens and built their lead back up to 58-51 at the end of the third quarter.
With the game on the line and the Queens needing a push to open the fourth in order to keep their season alive, Nestor showed why she was named SAC Player of the Year as she rattled off an 8-0 scoring run by herself to put Wayland Baptist ahead, 59-58. Nestor’s eight straight points ignited a 14-0 scoring run by the Flying Queens that jolted them ahead 65-58 with just over four minutes remaining.
Senior Emily Sigala stepped up big time for the Queens at the free throw line in the final minute of the game – converting 4 for 4 from the line – and sealing the 72-63 Opening Round win for the Flying Queens.
Head Coach Jason Cooper had this to say after his team’s Opening Round victory – “I was proud of our fight and the way we stuck to our game plan. The fourth quarter we totally took over on the defensive end of the court.”
“I was proud of Meg tonight. She totally took over the game. Kaitlyn really stepped up and played well in the second half. I was proud of Bobbie’s effort off the bench. Our guards did a tremendous job in the fourth quarter especially of shutting down their guards. We finally got some pressure on them.”
Nestor was an absolute force for the Flying Queens tonight – scoring a career-high 35 points on an astounding 17 for 20 shooting from the floor, 15 rebounds, one block, and one steal. Jerden added 14 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. Brice finished with seven points, five assists, and three rebounds.
The 7-seed Flying Queens will challenge the Ashland, Oregon Region host, 2-seed Southern Oregon University, on Saturday, March 15th at 7:00 PM CT with a berth to the Sweet 16 on the line.
source: wbuathletics.com