CONWAY, Ark. - Senior forward
Suzzy Dimba recorded the best offensive game of her career Wednesday night by scoring 33 points on 12-of-15 (80 percent) shooting, but the rest of the lineup combined for just nine field goals as Abilene Christian slipped into a three-way tie for second place following its 80-70 loss to the Southland leading Sugar Bears of Central Arkansas at the Farris Center.
Dimba's single-game point total is the most by any Wildcat during the team's NCAA Division I era, eclipsing
Alexis Mason's record of 32 set vs. Lamar less than a month ago. This also was ACU's highest individual effort most since Mack Lankford dropped 35 on Southeastern Oklahoma State in December of 2010. Dimba additionally contributed five rebounds and a block as the Wildcats (15-8, 9-2) had their season-high winning streak snapped at six games.
The victory extended Central Arkansas' winning streak to nine games as the Sugar Bears improved to 18-4 and 10-2. Stephen F. Austin held off Nicholls tonight, 82-77, to create a three-way tie for second place with the Wildcats and Lamar, which plays host to last-place Sam Houston State Thursday night.
Dimba scored 12 points in the first quarter and her layup at the 4:36 mark gave the Wildcats an 18-8 lead, and following a three-point play by UCA's Kierra Jordan, the Wildcats took off on a 6-0 run to grab their biggest advantage of the game at 24-11.
The Sugar Bears clawed their way back into the game during a 23-15 second quarter thanks to a couple of baskets from Jordan and Brianna Mullins that made it a one-possession game with 7:34 remaining in the half. ACU then saw its lead rise and fall again twice more as the home team answered each Wildcat bucket with one of its own until the final 1:14 when the Sugar Bears scored the final seven points of the half, including a buzzer beating 3-pointer by Olivia McWilliams.
UCA made 11-of-14 field goal attempts (78.6 percent) in the second quarter and McWilliams' basket gave the Sugar Bears their first lead since the opening possession at 42-41. They went on to pad their lead in the third quarter as the defense limited the Wildcats to seven points.
ACU, which made 13-of-26 3-pointers and 22-of-24 free throws in its 83-76 win over UCA earlier this year, tonight was held to 3-of-10 shooting (30 percent) from beyond the arc and missed 12 of 37 attempts (67.6 percent) from the charity stripe.
Sydney Shelstead and
Alexis Mason tied for second on the team with 11 points, and
Lizzy Dimba was the Wildcats' leading rebounder with nine. Breanna Wright dished out five of the team's six assists.
The Sugar Bears were led in scoring by Maggie Proffitt's 23 points, followed by Taylor Baudoin's 15 and 10 from Brianna Mullins. UCA made 31-of-58 attempts (53.4 percent) in becoming the first Southland team to post 80 points on the Wildcats since Southeastern Louisiana scored 82 in a 96-82 loss late in the 2013-14 season. The Sugar Bears additionally hit six treys and made 12 of 15 free throws.
The Wildcats return to action Saturday for a 2 p.m. home game vs. Northwestern State. ACU defeated the Lady Demons last season, 67-46, in their lone meeting at Moody Coliseum.
