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ABILENE - The Abilene Christian women's basketball team hits the road for the first time in two weeks this weekend for Southland Conference games at Stephen F. Austin and Northwestern State. The Ladyjacks were the coaches' preseason favorite to win the league, but have lost their last three in dropping to 10-9 overall and 4-3 in league play, while the Lady Demons (10-9, 3-4) are coming off a season-low .260 shooting percentage in a 61-52 defeat at Oral Roberts.
Both of this weekend's games will be broadcast live in Abilene on 98.1 FM - The Ticket and via the
ACU Sports Portal provided by Stretch Internet. ACU will tip-off at Stephen F. Austin Thursday at 6 p.m. and vs. Northwestern State Saturday at 1 p.m.
The Wildcats (12-8, 3-2 SLC) have never faced the Lady Demons and last battled SFA in the first-round of the 1978 TAIAW (Texas Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) tournament in San Angelo. ACU lost that game, 113-80, to a Ladyjacks' squad that was ranked among the nation's top-20 teams. ACU also faced Stephen F. Austin at the 1975 tournament (L, 37-75), but the schools haven't met during the regular season since Feb. of 1973 when both schools were part of a tournament hosted by Tarleton State. The Ladyjacks won that contest, 49-34.
While the Ladyjacks and Lady Demons were getting swept last weekend by first-place Central Arkansas and defending champion Oral Roberts, ACU was completing its four-game homestand with a pair of tense, final-minute decisions against Lamar and Sam Houston State.
The Wildcats had three players -
Suzzy Dimba,
Alexis Mason and
Renata Marquez - score over 20 points in a single game for the first time in four years last Thursday vs. Lamar, but the Cardinals' Gia Ayers buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 12.54 seconds to play to give her side 84-83 lead. On the Wildcats' next possession, Marquez drove into the lane, but was whistled for traveling as she bumped into a trio of Lamar defenders.
Dimba's performance against the Cardinals featured her seventh double-double of the season and single-game highs in six categories, including field goal attempts (19), points (23) and rebounds (16). She also tied her personal best with four blocks, while Mason set a single-game school record with 15 3-point field goal attempts.
Mackenzie Lankford held the previous record of 14, which she set on Feb. 19, 2011 at Eastern New Mexico.
Dimba continued to post big numbers Saturday in the Wildcats' televised victory over the Bearkats, recording a game-high 18 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. She currently ranks seventh in the conference in rebounding (8.5), third in defensive rebounds (6.3) and fifth in blocks (1.3).
Also of note from ACU's win over Sam Houston is the Wildcats' season-record low of eight turnovers. Prior to last Saturday, ACU had not turned the ball over fewer than 10 times in a game since Nov. 22, 2008 vs. St. Edward's (9), and the team's last game with eight turnovers took place vs. Angelo State on Jan 14. 2003. However, the program's single-game record is believed to be five (at Central Oklahoma on Dec. 2, 1999).
On the season, ACU is 9-2 when it commits fewer turnovers than its opposition.
Stephen F. Austin received seven first-place votes in each the coaches and sports information directors' preseason polls, but the Ladyjacks begin the week in fifth place and are in the midst of a three-game losing streak.
Porsha Roberts - who was one of two Ladyjacks picked to the preseason all-conference team along with Antoinette Carter - ranks second in the league in blocks per game (43rd nationally) with 2.2 blocks per game, and her season mark of 41 blocks is just six shy of ranking in the top 10 in school history for a single season a third straight year.
The 6-foot 2-inch Roberts also is ranked fifth in school history with 147 career blocks and is averaging a team best 15.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game this season, while shooting .522 from the floor.
Northwestern State has lost three of its last four with its lone win in recent weeks coming against the Ladyjacks, but at Prather Coliseum, where the Lady Demons will play host this week to UIW and ACU, they are 6-1 this season and 15-5 all-time under the direction of co-head coaches Brooke and Scott Stoehr.
The Lady Demons are led by sophomore guard and preseason all-conference honoree Janelle Perez, who is 12th in scoring (12.0), ranks eighth with a .480 field goal percentage (.373 from 3-point range) and second with 4.3 assists per game.
Northwestern's Keisha Lee is averaging 15.4 points per game, while senior Trudy Armstead is averaging 14.3 and shooting .495 from the field.
