STEPHENVILLE – A four-game winning streak late in the season gave the ACU Wildcats one last chance to earn a spot in the Lone Star Conference Post-Season Tournament.
Unfortunately, that one chance unraveled on them in a hail of turnovers, missed shots and poor play as Tarleton State clinched the LSC women's championship with an 85-71 win over ACU at Wisdom Gym.
The loss eliminates the Wildcats from contention for the final spot in the post-season tournament with a final record of 12-14 overall and 7-13 in league play. The TexAnns, meanwhile, will go into next week's tournament at 20-8 overall and 17-3 in league play.
ACU played without
Kelsey Smith, its second-leading scorer and leading rebounder, after she suffered a mild concussion in last Wednesday's win over Texas A&M-Commerce.
The Wildcats shot just 7 of 19 from the floor in the decisive first half, including 0 for 3 from 3-point range and 13 of 22 from the free-throw line.
After a relatively close first 10 minutes, the TexAnns went on a 10-2 run – bookended by 3-pointers from Lisa Parker and Brianna Bledsoe – as Tarleton pushed the lead to 29-18 with 8:03 to play in the half.
ACU would not get closer than nine points the rest of the way, and in face would trail by as many as 30 points (76-46) with 5:15 to play.
Sophomore guard Mack Lankford – the LSC's leading scorer and sixth-leading scorer in the nation – led all scorers with 19 points for the Wildcats, while
Hillari Adam had 14 points and seven rebounds. Pressed into starting duty because of Smith's absence, senior
Sarah Reno had nine points and 11 rebounds in her final game as a Wildcat.
