LUBBOCK - Abilene Christian's women's basketball team dropped a 61-44 decision at Texas Tech Wednesday morning at the United Supermarkets Arena, in front of 6,447 screaming fans, a majority of them elementary school students attending the game as part of Lady Raider Education Day.
The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Wildcats, sending their record to 5-2, while the Lady Raiders improved to 5-2 and snapped a two-game losing skid. All five of Texas Tech's wins this season have come at home.
"We couldn't get the ball in the basket and sometimes with the amount of youth on our team, that leads to some letdowns on defense," said head coach
Julie Goodenough, whose Wildcats won their previous game played here, 58-57, last December. "I felt, though, that we did a better job defensively in the second half, as they went deeper in the shot clock, but we still couldn't block out and get those rebounds."
ACU clawed its way back from an early six-point deficit to tie the score at 18-18 at the 7:22 mark of the first half on a three-pointer by sophomore
Ellyn Avery. Unfortunately, that would be the final field goal the Wildcats would hit in the first half as Texas Tech took off on an 18-3 run to close the half, a run sparked by seven points from Amber Battle and a 3-pointer by Minta Spears. Rayven Brooks also sank a pair of first-half triples and went into the break with 10 points.
The Lady Raiders' defense, meanwhile, held the Wildcats to 28.0 percent shooting (3-14) from 3-point range and outrebounded them, 28-12, with 11 boards coming off the offensive glass.
ACU struggled with turnovers early in the second half as Texas Tech pushed its lead to 19 points before the Wildcats struck back with consecutive 3-pointers from Avery and sophomore
Sydney Shelstead, the latter of which was set up by an Avery offensive rebound.
ACU's 13-point deficit would be as close as the Wildcats would get the rest of the way. Following the Shelstead trey, Battle sank a layup that was assisted by Kelsi Baker on a bounce pass in the paint, and then Spears buried another three right after Jamie Roe missed a pair of free throws.
A layup from Baker made it a 20-point game and Dayo Olabode capped a Lady Raiders' 9-0 run at the 10:12 mark with one of her four field goals. Tech held onto its 20-point advantage until a pair of free throws by
Lizzy Dimba at the 2:09 mark made the score 56-37.
Lizzy Dimba led all Wildcats with 10 points and was 8-of-11 from the free throw line. Her sister, Suzzy, pulled down the most rebounds with eight and had one block to go along with three steals.
"I love coming back and playing here in front of my family and friends," said Lubbock native and Coronado High School graduate
Lizzy Dimba. "It just would have been better if we won again. But we didn't do what we needed to do, and that includes me. I needed to created more energy and been a little more active on defense."
For the game, ACU shot 28.2 percent from the floor and made four field goals the entire second half - the treys by Avery and Parker, plus a pair of late layups by
Madison Parker and
Alexis Mason.
Texas Tech didn't have a great game offensively in shooting only 37.7 percent, but the Lady Raiders got five big 3-pointers from Spears, who led all players with 17 points. Battle -- in her first game back from a suspension -- finished with a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double and was 5 of 6 from the charity stripe.
"Amber is a phenomenal player and I knew her presence would change their team dynamic," said Goodeough. "She is as good as advertised and a great weapon to have back. The environment here today with all the Lubbock elementary kids today was electric. They created some great energy and excitement for both teams."
The Wildcats are off from competition for the next 12 days because of Finals Week. They return to action Monday at 7 p.m. at Moody Coliseum vs. Southwestern Christian.
