ABILENE - Abilene Christian women's basketball (7-3) returns from Christmas Break this week to begin preparing for its non-conference schedule finale vs. its regional rivals from Texas Tech (8-2). Tip off vs. the Red Raiders is set for 3 p.m. Saturday from the United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Southwest and can be heard locally on 98.1 FM - The Ticket with
Zach Carlyle handling the play-by-play.
These two teams last met in December of 2015 with the Red Raiders prevailing on their home court, 71-65, which gave them a 19-7 all-time series lead. ACU last defeated Texas Tech, 58-57, during its first year of D1 basketball in December 2013. Lubbock native
Lizzy Dimba hit a pair of free throws with 3.2 seconds remaining to seal that victory, which also included a 16-point / 13-rebound double-double from twin sister Suzzy.
Texas Tech, however, won the following year's rematch, 61-44, led by Amber Battle's 13-point / 11-rebound double-double.
ACU last played December 17 at FGCU, falling 81-65 to a program ranked seventh in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll. But despite the long holiday layover, the Wildcats still rank first in the Southland Conference (10th nationally) with an +11.9 rebound margin, .450 field-goal percentage (42nd nationally), + 19.2 scoring margin (27th nationally) and .259 3-point field-goal defense (33rd nationally).
A 9-for-10 performance from the field for senior
Sara Williamson in Fort Myers, Fla., propelled her to the top of the league (and 15th nationally) with a .617 field-goal percentage. Junior
Breanna Wright also is No. 1 in the conference (76th nationally) with 4.8 assists per game.
Of Texas Tech's eight wins this season, half have come against common Wildcat opponents as the Red Raiders have downed Texas Southern (75-55), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (78-61), Houston Baptist (82-76) and Stephen F. Austin (77-69). Their lone losses were against Idaho (at Lubbock) and Florida.
The Red Raiders are one of the nation's best rebounding teams, ranked fourth in rebound margin (+15.2), rebounds per game (48.9) and defensive rebounds per game (32.0). Players to watch include the Big 12 Conference's top-two scoring leaders in Chrislyn Carr (19.2 ppg) and Brittany Brewer (18.8 ppg).
