ABILENE, Texas – ACU's second-half defensive effort squeezed the life out of Eastern Washington's offense, and the Wildcats used a big late run to pull away from the Eagles en route to a big 79-72 non-conference win in women's college basketball action at Moody Coliseum.
The Wildcats – who gave up 45 points and 18 field goals in the first half – limited the Eagles to just 27 points and 40 percent shooting from the field in the second half to snatch the win.
"Our emphasis at halftime was to get out and guard them in transition and slow them down and we were able to do that," said ACU head coach
Julie Goodenough, who improved to 42-20 in her third season at ACU. "That's a really good team we just beat. They were tough to guard, but we really did a nice job on the defensive end in the second half."
The second half was a tight affair with neither team taking more than a five-point lead until a key stretch late in the game – powered by sophomore center
Sydney Shelstead – that helped ACU pull away from the Eagles and push its record to 3-1.
Eastern Washington strung together back-to-back buckets late in the second half to take a 70-68 lead with 5:29 to play. That layup by Jade Redmon, however, would be the Eagles' final field goal of the game and their final points until Lexie Nelson hit two free throws with six seconds to play.
In between, Shelstead – who played her best game as a Wildcat with 18 points and 18 rebounds – powered an ACU run that turned the game in her team's favor. Shelstead had three points, four rebounds and one assist for a dagger 3-pointer from
Whitney West that gave ACU a 78-70 lead 1:35 to play.
Shelstead – whose 18 rebounds are the most by a Wildcat since Kelsey Smith had 19 in a win over Incarnate Word on Feb. 15, 2012 – tied the game at 70-70 with a pair of free throws, and then Echols gave ACU a 71-70 lead with a free throw at the 3:28 mark.
After an EWU miss and Shelstead defensive rebound,
Lizzy Dimba hit a layup on a feed from her twin sister,
Suzzy Dimba. EWU missed again on its next possession and Shelstead grabbed another defensive rebound and went to the free throw line where she hit 1 of 2 to give ACU a 74-70 lead with 2:33 to play.
West hit a free throw with 2:13 to play to make it 75-70, and then the game's key sequence pushed the Wildcats toward the finish line. After West's second free throw rimmed out, EWU grabbed the rebound and went down the floor trailing by just five points. Nelson, however, missed a 3-pointer and Echols grabbed the rebound.
On the other end, Shelstead missed a layup, but grabbed her own miss and threw it out to West, who buried a straight-on 3-pointer to push ACU's lead to 78-70 with 1:35 to play. It was all academic after that as the Wildcats closed it out with a free throw from Echols with 19 seconds to play.
Shelstead was one of two Wildcats to post a double-double as
Suzzy Dimba recorded her 13th career double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds to go along with two assists, two blocks and four steals in 35 minutes.
But it was Shelstead's play that powered the Wildcats in the second half as she finished with nine points and 12 rebounds in the final 20 minutes.
"Sydney worked hard all off-season on improving her body," Goodneough said. "She should be a good rebounder with her body and that's what she is right now."
West finished with 11 points and three assists, while Lyzzy Dimba had 18 points, three rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal in 35 minutes.
ACU returns to action Friday at 3:30 p.m. against George Mason in the Plaza Lights Classic at Missouri-Kansas City. ACU will play UMKC at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
