ACU rallies past TexAnns
1/8/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Wildcats rally past TexAnns, 69-66
ACU's inside game too much for Tarleton State
STEPHENVILLE -- ACU's inside trio of Lynsie Blau, Stephanie Riles and Melanie Carter led a second-half charge Thursday night that propelled the Wildcats to a 69-66 win over Tarleton State in a Lone Star Conference crossover game at Wisdom Gym.
The win -- the Wildcats' second straight and fourth in their last five games -- propels ACU to 6-5 overall heading into Tuesday's LSC South Division opener against nationally ranked Angelo State at Moody Coliseum. The TexAnns, meanwhile, saw their three-game winning streak snapped as they fell to 7-5.
Blau followed up her 9-point, 17-rebound, 4-block effort of Monday night with a 14-point, 18-rebound, 6-block performance Thursday night. Riles sparked ACU off the bench with 11 points and four rebounds, and Carter was herself with 19 points (7 of 12 shooting), nine rebounds and one assist.
The Wildcats led briefly on two occasions in the first half, but lost the lead by halftime and trailed by five (36-31) at the break. The TexAnns then pushed their lead out to 43-36 with 15:41 to play before ACU got back into the game with a 13-6 run that tied the game at 49-49 with 10:54 left.
After Tarleton regained the lead at 55-52 with 8:32 to play, ACU got the gam tied at 55-55 with 5:36 left when Riles converted the old-fashioned three-point play. Riles then hit two more free throws 20 seconds later, and after a turnover, Ashley King drilled a 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a 60-55 lead with 4:59 to play.
Riles then scored, followed by back-to-back buckets by Blau to make it a 65-56 ACU lead with 3:55 to play. The lead was still nine (69-60) with 2:48 to play before the TexAnns rallied with four straight free throws and a fast-break bucket by Katie Crawford to make it 69-66 with 58 seconds to play.
Tarleton's Charise Billingsley had an open look at a 3-pointer at the buzzer, but it was offline and Leah Wilson grabbed the rebound to seal the win for the Wildcats.
The Wildcats will open LSC South Division action Tuesday at 7 p.m. when it hosts 11-0 Angelo State at Moody Coliseum.
