Wildcats’ women’s basketball to battle two-time defending Southland Champions

Women's Basketball | 1/5/2016 11:34:00 PM

Game Notes | Live Stats | Video

ABILENE – Abilene Christian's women's basketball team, which has gained some national recognition in recent weeks as its RPI has skyrocketed into the low teens, will play host to an exceptional side from Northwestern State Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Moody Coliseum.
 
ACUSports.com will offer live stats and a video stream that will feature the 'Voice of the Wildcats' Grant Boone.
 
The first-place Lady Demons have won their last five games, including their first two Southland Conference games against Houston Baptist and Sam Houston, and will make their Key City debut behind an overall record of 8-5.
 
ACU (10-2, 1-0 Southland) is right behind Northwestern State in the league standings as the Wildcats find themselves in a similar position as they were a week ago, trying to extend their season-best winning streak (six games) against an opponent they've yet to defeat. Last week they accomplished their first mission by defeating Central Arkansas, 61-49, in the conference lid-lifter for both teams thanks to a season-high nine blocks and a defense that limited the Sugar Bears to only 34.4 percent shooting and zero 3-point field goals on 12 attempts.
 
Suzzy Dimba blocked four shots to remain the league's leader with 2.0 per game and the nine blocks were ACU's most since reaching the same total in February of 2015 vs. Houston Baptist. HBU also was the last ACU opponent to produce no 3-point field goals when taking 10-or-more attempts.
 
Offensively, the Wildcats got 19 points from junior Sydney Shelstead and 15 from senior Whitney West Swinford, who knocked down three 3-point field goals in surpassing the 1,000-career point threshold.
 
As a result of their win over UCA (plus some other factors), the Wildcats Tuesday moved into 12th in the daily NCAA RPI Rankings and received 36 points in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid Major Top-25 poll released this afternoon. ACU first cracked into the polls' receiving votes column the previous week shortly after defeating Big Sky Schools Eastern Washington and Idaho on the road.
 
A win over Northwestern State would certainly garner the Wildcats even more attention, as this is an opponent that has won the last two Southland Conference Championships. In 2014 the fourth-seeded Lady Demons upset Stephen F. Austin and last season they beat Houston Baptist, 58-50, in a game between the league's sixth and eighth seeds.
 
NSU, much like the Wildcats, isn't afraid to put together a tough non-conference schedule, as earlier this season the Lady Demons battled Lone Star heavyweights, SMU, Texas and Baylor in addition to quality mid-major programs from New Mexico State and Long Beach State.
 
With the Southland Conference expected to be up-for-grabs again this season, Northwestern State was predicted to finish second in the league's preseason coaches' poll with five first-place votes in between favorite Lamar and third-place Stephen F. Austin.
 
The Lady Demons are led by their ultra-dynamic 5-foot-2 senior guard Janelle Perez – a First Team All-Southland Conference selection who recently scored 27 points vs. Sam Houston State on 10-11 shooting. In Perez' previous meeting against the Wildcats she contributed 15 points as her team overcame a 28-15 halftime deficit to win 61-56 at Prather Coliseum, and the year prior she scored 12 points in a 76-72 triumph – a game the Wildcats led 38-31 at halftime.
 
Perez currently ranks 10th in Southland scoring with 13.8 points per game close behind ACU's Shelstead (14.0) and Alexis Mason (13.9).

Thursday's game is the 100th for head coach Julie Goodenough at ACU. Her all-time record with the Wildcats is 66-33 (.667).