CONWAY, Ark. – After handing Sam Houston State its first conference loss of the season, the ACU women's basketball team looks to keep that momentum going on Saturday afternoon when it squares off with the Sugar Bears of Central Arkansas. ACU (14-2, 6-1 SLC) heads to "The Natural State" for the second game of the current three-game road trip, which ends next Wednesday in Nacogdoches, Texas against Stephen F. Austin.
FOLLOW THE GAME
ACU at Central Arkansas: Saturday, Jan. 25 (1 p.m.)
- Watch: Bear Nation Network
- Listen: 98.1 The Ticket (
Zach Carlyle)
- Live Stats: SidearmStats
SERIES HISTORY
- UCA leads the series 6-5 all-time, and until last season, had won three straight games. That all changed in the 2018-19 season. ACU won all three matchups, including the quarterfinal game in the Southland Conference Tournament. ACU won in Conway, 67-65, on a last-second layup by
Madi Miller. The Wildcats then won, 77-70, in Abilene last Jan. 26. In the quarterfinal round, ACU set a SLC Tournament record with 16 three-pointers made.
ACU STORYLINES
- It was one of the more impressive wins of the season Wednesday night in Huntsville when ACU topped Sam Houston State, 81-73, behind 29 points from Breanna Wright and 24 points and 10 rebounds from Dominique Golightly. The Wildcats found some unlikely heroes, locked down on defense, and completed a second-half comeback to give the Bearkats their first home loss and first conference loss of the season.
- The team ranks seventh in the country in scoring at 82.9 points per game, and the +22.1 scoring margin per game ranks ninth in all of women's college basketball as well. The 49.1% shooting from the field ranks fourth in America, and the 10.5 three-point field goals made per game rank third in the nation.
- In the win over Sam Houston State, Dominique Golightly hit her 200th career three-pointer.
- ACU is 19th in the nation in assists per game (17.5), 61st in assist/turnover ratio (1.1), and 13th in steals per game (11.7).
- ACU checks in at No. 16 in the latest Mid Major Poll, moving up one spot from a week ago. Two weeks prior, the Wildcats were up to No. 11, the highest the team had ever been. The 'Cats have earned key road victories this season. The team topped then-No. 16 Wright State on Nov. 15, and won at Portland on Nov. 29, who was receiving votes. The win over Sam Houston State was one of the biggest league wins so far as well. ACU has been ranked 11, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 21 this season.
SCOUTING CENTRAL ARKANSAS (8-9, 4-4 SLC)
- The Sugar Bears snapped a three-game losing streak with a road win at Nicholls last Saturday, and had the week off with a bye Wednesday to get ready for ACU.
- The team is led by one of the great coaches in the Southland, Sandra Rushing, who has compiled 149 wins in eight seasons at UCA.
- The Sugar Bears rank second in the Southland Conference in defensive scoring, allowing just 56 points per game. The defense is allowing just 37% shooting from the floor, the third best mark in the league.
- Taylor Sells leads the team in scoring at 9.0 points per game, while Hannah Langhi has a team-best 5.9 rebounds per contest.
