Women's Basketball | 1/26/2016 9:13:00 PM
Game Notes Live Stats | Video | Audio ABILENE – Owners of the seventh-longest current NCAA DI winning streak in women's basketball at 12 games, Abilene Christian returns home for the first time in two weeks Wednesday to start a two-game homestand against its Southland Conference rivals from Houston Baptist and Lamar.
Game times at Moody Coliseum are 7 p.m. Wednesday and 2 p.m. Saturday. Each game will have free live stats and separate video and audio streams with 'The Voice of the Wildcats'
Grant Boone handling the play-by-play action as the 16-2 Wildcats look to remain atop the league standings at 7-0.
As an added attraction all ACU fans are invited to a special launch party for the Wildcat Club, which will start in between Saturday's women's and men's games at approximately 4 p.m. in Gym C of the Money Student Recreation Wellness Center. Abilene Christian University President Dr. Phil Schubert, Director of Athletics Lee De León and head football coach
Ken Collums are all scheduled to speak, and free refreshments will be provided.
Despite owning conference-leading numbers in several categories including scoring offense (77.1 ppg) and point differential (+16.3), the ACU women certainly expect a steep challenge this week from both the Huskies (8-9, 3-4 Southland) and the preseason favorite Cardinals (8-11, 4-4 SLC).
ACU twice has overcome halftime deficits against Houston Baptist in their three meetings. In 2014, the Wildcats produced a 48-point second half after trailing 39-34 at the break, and in Houston last January they rallied from 14-points down over the final nine minutes to pull out a 53-50 victory at Sharp Gym.
As for Lamar, the Cardinals are the only remaining Southland team with an undefeated record against the Wildcats at 3-0.
ACU led both its games at halftime last season only to falter in the second half. The Wildcats were ahead 41-38 in Beaumont on Jan. 31, only to be outscored 38-31 after the break. In Abilene less than a week later ACU watched its 11-point halftime lead quickly vanish, as it was outscored, 44-18, over the final 20 minutes.
The Wildcats, however, have rebounded to win 10-straight games at home since that loss to Lamar, which took place on Feb. 5, 2015.
The Cardinals received 10 first-place votes in this year's Southland coaches and media preseason polls and have been led in scoring by all-conference honoree JaMeisha Edwards (15.2 ppg) and Addesha Collins (14.1). Anna Strickland is guiding the Huskies behind an exceptional double-double average of 13.2 points and 13.5 rebounds per game.
ACU recently finished its three-game road trip Saturday with a 86-71 win at Incarnate Word – its fifth-straight victory over the Cardinals in which junior guard
Alexis Mason reached 1,000-career points after finishing with 26 on 7-of-12 shooting.
Mason's effort in the River City combined with a 17-point night Thursday at Sam Houston earned her a third-consecutive Southland Player of the Week award. She is the first Southland women's basketball player to win this honor in three-straight weeks since Central Arkansas' Megan Herbert won it following weeks 12, 13 and 14 of the 2011-12 season.
ACU's triumph at UIW also pushed its road-winning streak to nine games, and of all the schools in NCAA DI, only Connecticut, Green Bay, Maryland, Arizona State and Texas have longer winning streaks away from home than the Wildcats.
With Mason's fine performance vs. Incarnate Word leading the way, all five ACU starters reached double figures in scoring for the first time since the season opener and the first time against a Southland Conference opponent since beating Southeastern Louisiana on the road, 96-82, on March 3, 2014.
The Wildcats also shot over 50 percent (.549) for the second time in three games at UIW.
Lizzy Dimba recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds, and senior
Whitney West Swinford established a school record with 632 3-point field goal attempts. Swinford still needs to make 29 treys over the next 11 games to tie Ashley King's record of 239.
Against the Bearkats, it was
Suzzy Dimba's turn to lead the Wildcats in scoring (22 points) as she made a career-best four 3-point field goals for the fourth time in her career in addition to compiling seven rebounds, six steals and two blocks. Mason, meanwhile, recorded a career high four steals as the Wildcats outscored Sam Houston 28-13 in points off turnovers.
ACU scored 50 points in the second half at Sam Houston and needed every single one of them to compete with the Bearkats' impressive center Angela Beadle, who recorded opponent single-game highs with 17 rebounds and eight blocks.
