Women's Basketball | 2/26/2016 12:44:00 AM
Game Notes | ACU4SUELive Stats | Video ABILENE – New Orleans makes its first trip to the Key City and Moody Coliseum for Saturday's 2 p.m. game against Abilene Christian women's basketball. The game will be live streamed on ACUSports.com and kicks off a three-game homestand that concludes the 2015-16 regular season.
The Wildcats have played at New Orleans the past two seasons and recorded two completely different results.
UNO was ACU's first Southland Conference opponent on Jan. 9, 2014, and the Wildcats posted what remains their largest margin of victory against any league opponent, 88-44. ACU shot 55.2 percent from the field, which was its second-highest percentage of the 2013-14 season, while holding UNO to opponent season low 22.8 percent.
However, in their rematch a little over a year later, ACU missed 17-of-21 3-pointers while the Privateers – then ranked last in the Southland in 3-point shooting at .277 – connected on 9-of-17 attempts for an opponent season high percentage of 52.9. UNO won the game 71-50 thanks to Randi Brown's 27 points. Brown continues to lead the Privateers with 17.6 points per game and is second on the team in rebounding (4.2).
UNO enters this weekend's game at 7-17 overall and is 4-14 vs. the Southland Conference, but two of those wins have come against conference-tournament bound teams from Stephen F. Austin (W, 58-57) and Nicholls (W, 62-55). The Privateers also beat Southeastern by 11 points and Incarnate Word by six early in league play.
ACU (23-3, 14-1 Southland) is undefeated at home at 11-0 and finished its regular season with an impressive 12-3 away record following Wednesday's 76-55 thumping of Houston Baptist. In completing the season sweep of the Huskies, the Wildcats limited the home team to only six first-quarter points and took a 44-21 lead into the locker room at halftime.
HBU's six points were the fewest allowed by the Wildcats to a conference opponent in a single quarter since Northwestern State scored six in the third quarter of their Jan. 7 game. Missouri Valley, however, holds the opponent season low for points in a quarter with four (fourth quarter).
The Wildcats additionally received great production from its bench vs. the Huskies as five players combined for 22 points led by
McKenzie Martin's 10 points (two 3-pointers). ACU's reserves also scored 22 points in the 77-60 win vs. HBU on Jan. 27 at Moody Coliseum.
Junior
Alexis Mason had another big game vs. Houston Baptist, scoring 23 points on 9-12 shooting (4-5 from 3-point range) with eight rebounds and three steals, and
Suzzy Dimba scored 14 points with six rebounds and two blocks.
Prior to Saturday's game, the Wildcats will honor Mason and
Whitney West Swinford during a short recognition ceremony as each crossed the 1,000-career point threshold earlier this season. Swinford eclipsed this milestone Jan. 2 during ACU's conference season-opening win at Central Arkansas. Mason joined the 1,000-point club on her 26th and final point (free throw) three weeks later at Incarnate Word.
Suzzy Dimba (967 points) and
Sydney Shelstead (961 points) are the next Wildcats in line to score 1,000 points.
