HUNTSVILLE, Texas – It was one of the more impressive wins anyone will see. When a team leads 11-1 right out the gate, then trails by as many as eight in the second half on the road, it's hard to come out on top. It's especially hard if the team you're playing is undefeated in league play. But Wednesday night, the ACU women's basketball team did just that. The Wildcats get their 14th win of the season and move to 6-1 in Southland play with an 81-73 win on the road against Sam Houston State, snapping the Bearkats nine-game winning streak in the process.
Turning Point: Breanna Wright and Diamond Willcot in the fourth quarter.
- ACU trailed by one, 61-60, at the start of the fourth quarter. Sam Houston State scored the first two of the period, and then the two teams traded leads, ultimately tying the game at 66-66 with 6:00 to play. Then senior
Breanna Wright did her thing. Wright hit a huge three-pointer to give the Wildcats the lead, and
Diamond Willcot, who had a huge assist earlier in the fourth, cut backdoor for the biggest basket of her career to push the lead to five. ACU pushed the lead to as many as nine in the fourth quarter, and held on by eight in the end. ACU outscored Sam 21-12 in the final 10 minutes.
Key Plays
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Alyssa Adams set the tone early with a layup for the game's first points. In a game that featured 51 fouls and was incredibly physical, the interior game was key all night long.
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Breanna Wright got an and-one early on to help build an 11-1 lead in the first handful of minutes Wednesday night.
- In the third quarter, Sam Houston State pulled ahead with a Jaylonn Walker free throw, pushing their lead to eight points. On the ensuing possession, Wright hits a big three-pointer to get right back within five points, 47-42. ACU never let the lead get away from them in the second half.
- Wright hit big free throws in the second half, which was big a game with so many fouls. The physicality began to benefit ACU in the second half when the Wildcats hit their free throws.
- At the 8:40 mark of the fourth quarter,
Diamond Willcot, who came into the game when
Makayla Mabry and
Alyssa Adams got into foul trouble, hit
Dominique Golightly with a brilliant pass on a backdoor cut to give ACU a 64-63 lead.
- Willcot was the recipient of a great Golightly pass moments later to put ACU up five points. Willcot stepped into a brilliant role, finishing with two points and a key rebound.
- Golightly and
Lexie Ducat each went inside to score on back-to-back possessions, and all of a sudden ACU had built a nine-point lead late, which was too much for Sam Houston State to overcome.
Stat Pack
- Wright finished with 29 points on 8-12 from the floor, and was an impressive 10-11 from the free throw line.
- Golightly tallied 24 points on 9-14, and recorded the eighth double-double of her career with 10 rebounds as well.
- Ducat scored 12 points and hauled in five boards, while Adams added eight points and six rebounds.
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Anna McLeod led the way with five assists, and grabbed seven rebounds as well.
- ACU went 23-29 at the foul line, including 16-20 in the second half.
- The Wildcats outrebounded Sam Houston State 43-35.
- The loss was the Bearkats first since Dec. 15 at Oklahoma; it was the first home loss for the Bearkats this season.
- ACU committed 29 turnovers, and Sam Houston State scored 26 points off those giveaways, but the Wildcats overcame it by shooting 51% from the floor.
"Good"-ie Bag of Quotes
Head Coach Julie Goodenough
On her team's tough battle…
"We had to fight, fight, fight tonight. It was tough, there were fouls, everyone was in foul trouble, it was physical, but we just had to keep going. I'm so proud of the way we never gave in. This team hasn't lost at home. They've played so well in the league. It took everything we had, and I'm so proud of this team."
On Diamond Willcot's big contribution…
"You know, whenever we need someone to step up, our players do it.
Pamela Herrera has done it, Alyssa did it last Saturday, and tonight was Diamond's turn. She played the biggest minutes she's ever played. The big assists and rebounds completely changed the momentum. I'm so proud of how she helped our team tonight."
Up Next
- ACU stays on the road for the middle game of the three-game road trip when it travels to Conway, Ark. for a date with the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
