Women's Basketball | 1/11/2017 1:53:00 PM
ACU vs. Stephen F. Austin:
Live Stats |
Video |
Audio (98.1 FM – The Ticket) |
Game Notes
ABILENE - Two of the three remaining undefeated Southland Conference women's basketball teams square off Thursday night at 5:30 p.m. when the Wildcats play host to Stephen F. Austin. The Ladyjacks come arrive in the Key City on a league-best 11-game winning streak, while the Wildcats have won their last four.
Fans unable to make it for the seventh all-time meeting between ACU and SFA can follow the game via live stats, watch via Stretch Internet, or listen locally on 98.1 FM – The Ticket.
Seth Wilson will handle the play-by-play as
Grant Boone is on assignment for Golf Channel.
ACU trails SFA in their all-time series, 5-1, with the lone victory coming last season in Nacgodoches, 85-70. ACU went on to win the league's regular-season title at 17-1 while the Ladyjacks – regarded as one of the nation's best mid-major programs with 1,005 D1 wins – finished fourth with overall and conference marks of 18-12 and 12-6 under first-year head coach Mark Kellogg.
This year, however, the Ladyjacks look like their old selves again having won 12 of their first 14 games, with victories coming against quality sides from George Mason, UT Arlington and Louisiana Tech. SFA also has whipped its first three conference opponents by an average of 25.3 points per game. Their lone losses have come against Texas A&M, 63-48, and the nation's No. 5 mid-major team South Dakota, 80-74.
ACU (9-6, 3-0 Southland) is coming off a tremendous 83-76 victory over one of the league's top defensive teams in Central Arkansas. The Wildcats led the Sugar Bears by as many as 19 points near the tail end of the third quarter thanks to 13-of-26 shooting from the 3-point arc and a 22-of-24 performance from the free throw line.
Four players made all their shots from the charity stripe, while two others only missed once as Saturday's free-throw percentage was the Wildcats' third highest in conference play behind two perfect performances vs. Lamar in which they were 12-of-12.
ACU's 50 percent effort from the 3-point arc was its first of this season and fifth time in the
Julie Goodenough era. Late last season, the Wildcats made 10-of-19 attempts last season at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (.526), and in Goodenough's second year with the Wildcats, they made 10-of-17 (.588) 3-pointers in a big win over Texas A&M-Commerce on Dec. 3, 2013.
Individually, Suzzy and
Lizzy Dimba each scored over 20 points in a single game for the first time together in their collegiate careers. Each made 4-of-5 3-point attempts against the Sugar Bears and combined to go 8-8 from the free-throw line.
Suzzy Dimba scored a career high 28 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to win her third Southland Conference Player of the Week crowd. She also made 9-of-15 field goals and blocked three shots in playing her seventh complete game. Suzzy double-double was the 31st of her career, while Lizzy totaled 20 points on 7-11 shooting and dished out three assists.
The Dimbas are the first Wildcat duo to score 20 points in a game since Jan. 21, 2016 when
Suzzy Dimba scored 22 points and
Sydney Shelstead scored 21 win in ACU's victory at Sam Houston State.
Alexis Mason contributed 11 points vs. UCA with two 3-point field goals that tied her with former teammate
Whitney West Swinford for second place on the school's all-time list for 3-pointers made with 234. Ashley King remains the school's record holder with 239 made between 2002-06.
Mason's game Thursday will be the 100th of her collegiate career.
Suzzy Dimba and
Sydney Shelstead each played their 100th collegiate game Dec. 17 vs. Murray State.
Lizzy Dimba is expected to play hers on Jan. 18 at Nicholls.
