ABILENE –
Sara Williamson scored 20 points and
Breanna Wright chipped in 19 on 60 percent shooting to lead Abilene Christian women's basketball to an 80-68 victory over Houston Baptist Wednesday evening at Moody Coliseum.
The victory extended the Wildcats' season-long winning streak to six games as they improved to 11-4 overall and 5-0 vs. the Southland Conference, while the Huskies fell to 4-10 and 0-4. ACU is 7-0 all-time vs. HBU.
After leading by 13 points late in the second quarter, the Wildcats went into the break ahead only by five (38-33) as the Huskies finished on a 12-4 run capped by Amanda Johnson's jumper at the buzzer that gave her 23 first-half points. ACU, however, would clamp down on Johnson and the rest of the Huskies during a crucial third quarter in which the home team outscored HBU, 21-14, on the strength of 50 percent shooting (9-18) and three 3-pointers.
Senior
Sierra Allen hit back-to-back jumpers early in the third to push the Wildcats' lead to seven points at 42-35 – assisted both times by Wright (eight assists) – and with 3:49 to go Williamson hit an uncontested layup following a steal to give ACU its first double-digit lead since the 3-minute mark of the second quarter.
Josie Larson then buried a trey with two minutes remaining in the third, and Golightly nailed one of her two triples at the buzzer that pushed ACU's advantage to 59-47. The Wildcats' soon ballooned their lead to 20 points at the 5:57 mark of the fourth on Wright's fifth and final 3-pointer of the evening that completed a 15-7 run.
HBU eventually trimmed its deficit to 10 points in the closing seconds but could get no closer as Wright and Williamson hit their final four free throws. ACU went 11-of-12 (.917) from the charity stripe tonight to go along with .441 shooting (30-68) from the field.
Wright again played a complete game (fourth of season, eighth of career) and her eight assists were a career high. She only turned the ball over once, and added five rebounds to her stellar stat line.
Williamson's 20-point effort on 7-15 shooting was her fourth of the season. Six of her points came from the free-throw line, as she also compiled seven rebounds, six assists, three blocks and three steals in 33 minutes of play. Her rebound and block totals tied her single-game career highs.
Allen reached double figures for the fourth time this season, finishing with a season-high 15 points on 7-14 shooting. Many of her jump shots came in the paint.
Golightly scored 10 points and had a solid game defensively with three blocks, two steals and five defensive rebounds, while freshman guard
Kayla Galindo came up with seven points, four assists and career high five steals.
ACU started the game 7-of-7 from the field in jumping out to a 17-5 lead at the 6:41 mark, but a four-minute (0-8 FG) scoring drought allowed HBU to cut its deficit in half at 17-11. Golightly helped her team recover offensively with a timely 3-pointer at the 2:36 mark, and Williamson dropped in a driving layup to make it an eight-point game (22-14) with 1:23 to go.
The Huskies made it a one-possession game (22-19) after Johnson hit a 3-pointer for the first points of the second quarter, but the Wildcats hit three of their next four field-goal attempts right afterward and added two free throws from Golightly that made it 12-point game once more (31-19).
This cushion helped the Wildcats maintain their lead for the remainder of the half.
Johnson scored only seven second-half points for HBU but was its leading scorer with 30 points as she hit 12-24 field goals, including five 3-pointers. Britta Daub and Lauren Calver tied for second with 10 points.
Daub also dished out nine assists in 31 minutes off the bench.
The Wildcats conclude their three-game homestand Saturday at 2 p.m. vs. Northwestern State.
