OKLAHOMA CITY – Southwestern Christian seized its first Sooner Athletic Conference women's basketball tournament championship with a 70-60 victory over Wayland Baptist on Tuesday night at the Gaulke Activity Center in the Oklahoma Ford Dealers SAC Tournament title game.
The Eagles (17-13) secured their first appearance in the NAIA Championship Tournament. Wayland Baptist (21-10) had taken the previous four SAC Tournament championships.
Southwestern Christian reeled in the conference's tournament berth in the NAIA Championship Opening Round on March 7-8 at various sites throughout the country. SAC regular-season champion Texas Wesleyan snared the league's other automatic bid. The opening-round pairings will be announced 6 p.m. CST Thursday by the NAIA.
Tresha Yager stood front and center for the Eagles with 17 points, nailing four 3-pointers and all five of her free-throw tries. Christina Jenkins provided Southwestern Christian with 13 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
M.J. Case became the conference tournament most valuable player after posting 17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists a game over the past week. Case, a sophomore from Yukon, Okla., came through with 30 points in Southwestern Christian's first SAC Tournament quarterfinal win Feb. 23 over Science & Arts in Chickasha, Okla. Case contributed nine points, five rebounds and three assists Tuesday. Jenkins joined Case on the all-tournament team.
"I'm so proud of these ladies and all the work they've put in," Southwestern Christian coach Mark Arthur said. "The progress we've made over the last five months is truly remarkable, and I'm just so proud of them and happy for our seniors who have helped lay a strong foundation for future success."
The Flying Queens' Jenna Cooper-Jackson posted 23 points and six assists, while Kaitlyn Edgemon stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, six rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots. Edgemon and Jackson were Wayland Baptist's representatives among the all-tournament honorees.
Yager ignited Southwestern Christian to an 11-2 early lead, nailing two treys and three free throws at the 6:56 mark of the first quarter. Jayden Mason gave the Eagles a 24-10 advantage on a pair of foul shots with 1:34 to go in the first.
In the fourth quarter, the Flying Queens recovered to take a 48-46 edge on Jackson's 3-point play with 5:28 remaining. Southwestern Christian answered with the game's next seven points sparked by back-to-back buckets by Delaney Reimer.
Southwestern Christian canned 10 of its last 11 free-throw attempts the final two minutes of the contest. The Eagles took all three games against Wayland Baptist this season and halted the Flying Queens' nine-game win streak.
All-SAC Tournament
Zarria Carter, Texas Wesleyan; Jenna Cooper-Jackson, Wayland Baptist; Kaitlyn Edgemon, Wayland Baptist; Christina Jenkins, Southwestern Christian; Hailey Jordan, Langston.
Most valuable player: M.J. Case, Southwestern Christian.